District 3 Advisory Board

District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 2, 2015 District III Advisory Board Minutes September 2, 2015 www.wichita.gov The District III Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Wichita WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211; Vice Mayor James Clendenin, seven District Advisory Board members, five City staff and 10 signed in members of the public were present. Members Present Elena Ingle David Robbins Staff Present Connie White Case Bell, Community Liaison Paul Davis Steve Spade, Transit Gerald Henry Officer Hinners, Wichita Police Terry Brewster Shawn Mellies, Public Works Eric Bell Tim Davidson, Public Works Vice Mayor James Clendenin Guests Members Absent Listed on last page Bruce Gass Cindy Miles Marjorie Griffith ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:30 p.m. Vice Mayor James Clendenin called the meeting to order. Minutes from the August 5, 2015, meeting were approved. The agenda for the current meeting was approved. STAFF REPORTS Officer Hinners, Wichita Police, reported that there were new graffiti issues on the east side of town with the word “quack” The perpetrator was booked on warrants. DAB? Is there any news about the thefts in Fairfax neighborhood? A: No new knowledge. PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled Items Karen Lippoldt and Jennifer Schierlman, Salvation Army, spoke regarding the Salvation Army foster care program which they are trying to build up. They have 25 homes and are trying to double that number due to a very high need. If anyone is interested, please direct them to Salvation Army. There are also volunteer opportunities and they take donations. DAB? How many core facilities do you have? A: Two churches and the downtown Koch center. DAB? Are all of the thrift shops closed? A: Yes, funding now comes from donations and grants. DAB? Does it take training to volunteer? A: A one hour training, meeting, and background check. DAB? Has anything replaced the men’s social service center? A: Yes, the Quantities program. 1  District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 2, 2015 Off-agenda items Richard Hill, 4555 Laura, spoke regarding the mini-casinos. He feels it isn’t fair that you can smoke and drink past last call. Specifically at the South end. NEW BUSINESS Scheduled Items Shawn Mellies, Public Works Engineering, presented a design concept. In 2012, the project to improve Pawnee from Hydraulic to Grove was selected for federal funding in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), through the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO). On April 23, 2013, the City Council approved a supplemental agreement with Mid- Kansas Engineering Consultants, Inc. (MKEC) to complete design improvements for the project. Pawnee is currently a four-lane road with left turn lanes only at the major intersections. The new design will widen Pawnee from Hydraulic to Grove to a five-lane road with two through lanes in each direction and a center, two-way left turn lane. The improvements will also provide left turn lanes on Hydraulic, drainage upgrades and new sidewalks. Improvements to the Southeast Boulevard intersection and the railroad crossings will also be part of the project. The 2015-2024 Capital Improvement Program includes $6,000,000 for construction in 2016. This funding is split between $2,932,000 in general obligation bonds and $3,068,000 in federal funds. Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2016 and be completed in late 2016. DAB? How will this affect the elevated railway over K-15? A: Right now, it’s far enough that it doesn’t affect this. DAB? Are there drainage problems in that area? A: Yes there are, but they are looking at addressing it by taking some of the drainage and feeding it back into the canal. DAB? Are the accident rates on these interesections high? A: Not sure, but since the traffic lights are already there it shouldn’t affect it much. Public: Both exit ramps from 135 have issues with their timing. Public? Will the turn lane extend past the ramps? A: No they can’t due to safety reasons. Public? Will the medians stay? A: Yes. Public? Will there be signage about turning on to the highway? A: They can look at it. Public? Can we use red concrete instead of brick to avoid deterioration? A: We can look at it, but the concrete is more expensive. Motion: That the District Advisory Board recommend approval of the proposed design concept presented by staff. Result: Motion passed 7-0. 2  District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 2, 2015 Steve Spade, Transit, presented the service changes that will be recommended to the City Council. They are trying to make the system more cost effective and increase ridership. They have looked at cost structure and routes including moving routes to match ridership. Some streets such as West Street on the southwest side will be moved elsewhere where there are more riders. They want to make the lines more streamlined so that routes are competitive in timing with personal driving vehicles. They also looked at popular locations and focused on good cross town connections. Compared with other cities, Wichita’s fares were competitive but there were too many types of rates. Daily pass will be reduced to $5 and the monthly pass will be reduced from $90 to $55. Consultants are predicting in a couple years a 25% ridership increase. DAB? Will this in anyway help improve the later routes? A: No, right now they can’t afford to increase operating times. DAB? Are you looking at places where busses are going one way on a street but not the other way? A: Yes, they are looking at that. DAB? Have you looked at taking busses closer to Towne East? A: Yes they are going by there. DAB? Is there any chance for Sunday or small van routes? A: If they get funding, the first priority is night service with Sunday service on the next tier of services. BOARD AGENDA Vice Mayor James Clendenin reported that the Police Chief search is down to two candidates, but Fitzgerald is also a candidate for the Forth Worth job. Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting for District Advisory Board III will be held at 6:30 p.m., October 7, 2015, at the at the Wichita WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. Respectfully submitted, Case Bell, Community Liaison – District III and IV Guests Paul Ward Karen Lippoldt Jennifer Schierlman Rick Steven Tom Strickland Anthony Sanford Lonny Wright Ron Howard Terri Howard Richard Hall 3