District 3 Advisory Board

District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 4, 2019 DISTRICT III ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES September 4, 2019 https://www.facebook.com/WichitaDistrict3/videos/529311161177475/ The District III Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. Council Member James Clendenin, seven DAB members, seven City staff, and six members of the public were present. Members Present Staff Present Catherine Johnson Firefighter Lance Gifford, Wichita Fire Cindy Miles Department David Robbins Firefighter Randy Stone, WFD Jared Cerullo Lt. Drew Seiler, Community Policing, Patrol Michael Loop South, Wichita Police Department Paul Davis Officer Christopher Chrisman, Community Ron Tracy Policing, Patrol South, WPD CM Clendenin Officer Chad Clark, Community Policing, Patrol East, WPD Members Absent Officer Brian Shelton, Community Policing, Bruce Gass Patrol East, WPD Daisy Olivar Maddy Campbell, Community Services Gerald Henry Representative, City Manager’s Office Marco Alcocer ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:31 p.m. CM Clendenin called the DAB meeting to order. The current Agenda and the Minutes from August 7, 2019 were approved. STAFF REPORTS 1. Fire Department Firefighter Gifford reported the following:  There were 37 fire alarms, 57 medical alarms, and 611 service alarms in District III for the month of August.  There were two fires of significance in District III in August. One resulted in $40,000 of damage in the 3800 block of East Cessna. An electrical malfunction with an air conditioning unit was determined to be the cause of that fire. The other fire occurred in a shed in the 4100 block of East Menlo Drive.  Outside of District III, there was a significant fire that happened downtown resulting in $1.7 million in damage.  WFD recently sent staff and equipment to assist with Hurricane Dorian relief and rescue efforts. DAB asked the following summarized question: DAB: What happened recently at South High? A: A female student started a fire in a bathroom trash. It is being handled as an arson case and an arrest has been made. 2. Community Policing 1  District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 4, 2019 Officer Chrisman shared statistics from the previous two months. He reported that aggravated assaults, auto thefts, non-residential burglaries, and residential burglaries are all down from previous months, and he shared that some officers are working on a special auto theft assignment. Lt. Seiler joined Officer Chrisman to educate the group about Operation Save-A-Casing, a program intended to help law enforcement agencies partner with the community to combat firearm- related crime. Officer Clark reported he and other officers have been put on special assignment focused on reducing the amount of larcenies to auto, auto thefts, and burglaries. He stated that reducing those crimes will subsequently reduce financial crimes (e.g. stolen credit cards). He said WPD’s concerted effort and focus on this has been successful in previous years and has helped to recover stolen vehicles, aggravated weapons, firearms, narcotics, and currency. Officer Shelton said Wichita is still seeing a significant number of firearms being stolen from vehicles. WPD is working on ongoing education and outreach efforts to inform people of the importance of locking their vehicles and keeping firearms safe. A DAB member shared that a social media post has recently gone viral on the local level. The post pictured a Patrol South Community Policing officer mowing a lawn for an elderly resident. DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: Public: Is crime going up around Washington and Pawnee? A: There is an uptick in property crimes. WPD is working on educational outreach to help keep residents informed about how to best protect their property from theft. DAB: Have you seen the recent criticism about the Homeless Outreach Team on social media? A: HOT is recognized nationally for the type of outreach we do. You will have a difficult time finding any similar programs in the region. Our intention is never to criminalize homelessness. City Council is very involved with the matter and is working with the Police Chief and HOT. Homelessness is a societal issue. How does the community and City best provide care for individuals experiencing homelessness? We have obligations to the tax-payer to hold people accountable to the law without picking and choosing who is held accountable. We were recently having serious issues with non- person crimes in the core area of our city and have brought back enforcement that was reassigned over the summer to different tasks (Broadway Corridor Team). It appears we have stepped up enforcement, but we are just doing the same thing we always have. DAB: Where is there a concentration of homelessness in our city? A: You see it where you see a concentration of services and resources (mental health, medical, substance abuse, shelter, food, outreach, etc.). DAB: When City staff and officials meet to discuss homelessness and the response to the issue, are you inviting anyone who is actually homeless to those conversations? CM Clendenin: We actually talked about that today. I think everyone (City Council and WPD) is on board to have a homelessness task force that will include individuals experiencing homelessness. DAB: I have noticed a lot of patrol cars driving around with two officers rather than one. Do you have people training? A: We have several two-officer units. We like to pair up for safety reasons when we do special assignments. We also have a lot of recruits training now too. 2  District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 4, 2019 DAB: In the future will there be a way to submit a stolen property report online or at least get access to a form you can turn in? Sometimes people do not want to have officers come out to their home. A: There is a WPD app you can download that provides notifications, and it is the City’s intention to continue building that app so it has the capacity to allow the community to file reports electronically in the future. Right now, we have the case desk at (316) 268-4221. You can call that number to file a report if you do not feel the need to have an officer visit you. The advantage to calling the case desk is that they are able to immediately input the report and send a broadcast out to officers much quicker than if you wait to have an officer come out. Action Taken: Received and filed. PUBLIC AGENDA 3. Scheduled Items There were no scheduled Public Agenda items this month. 4. Off-agenda Items Dan Warren (601 N. Doris, Wichita, KS 67212) spoke to the group about USD 259 utilizing the City’s Transit buses. He shared concerns about the buses stirring up dust on dirt roads and the negative health impacts that can have on children and residents. He shared possible solutions to addressing these concerns which included lowering the speed limit to 20 mph on dirt roads and expanding an existing magnesium chloride program. DAB inquired if neighbors in the area of concern have petitioned to have the street paved. Warren shared they have tried, but many neighbors do not have the finances to move forward with paving. DAB also suggested Warn attend the upcoming Transportation Advisory Board meeting to address this topic. Action Taken: Received and filed. NEW BUSINESS 5. Scheduled Items There were no scheduled New Business items this month. Action Taken: Received and filed. BOARD AGENDA 6. Updates, Issues, Reports CM Clendenin provided the group with an update on Clapp Park. He shared he is happy and optimistic about its future and stressed to the group that the public has gained a park that is now accessible to people outside of the golfing community. He said many groups are already utilizing the park’s paths for walking/running and riding bikes, and that many people are coming to Clapp to play disc golf. He shared that activity in the park will help to keep crime down. He stated that the City plans on putting out a Request for Proposal (or Qualification) at the start of the year to begin the master planning process. The master planning process will include an emphasis on public engagement. He reminded the group to view the plan as a flexible guide that reflects the community’s wants and needs. CM Clendenin also spoke about and shared the following: 3  District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 4, 2019  The Park & Recreation Department will be hosting an outdoor movie night at Clapp on September 27.  The District III September Breakfast has been canceled and the guest speaker/topic (Riverfront Legacy Master Plan) is rescheduled for December’s Breakfast.  A tour of the baseball stadium will be coordinated for DAB in the month of October.  There will be a ribbon-cutting for the new pocket park in Fabrique in October.  There have been allegations of City Council making “backroom deals” during this current campaigning season. When City Council goes into executive session there is an attorney present who outlines what is allowed to be discussed and ensures all policy-making decisions happen in accordance to strictly regulated guidelines. Catherine Johnson encouraged the group to utilize pickleball courts throughout the city and shared that they are a fun, free asset to the community. The DAB discussed mowing and tall grass and weeds (TGW) concerns. CM Clendenin shared that the City typically has over 500 TGW cases pending throughout TGW season. He reminded the group that if they see medians or City right-of-ways that need mowed, those can be submitted online or called into the Community Services Representative. DAB also spoke about the need for additional sidewalks near schools to increase safety for students’ commutes. DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: Public: Who is mowing Clapp? CM Clendenin: The Park & Recreation Department is continuing to maintain the greens and specialty grasses, so they can be used in the future. The rest of the park is maintained like all other parks on a 14-21 day mowing cycle. DAB: Is the golf association still involved with Clapp? CM Clendenin: The City of Wichita operates all the City golf courses. There is a Golf Advisory Board, but that is just advisory. They do not have control over the land. Clapp has been taken out of the golf system and is now being maintained as park land. DAB: Do you have an update on Naftzger Park? CM Clendenin: I hear it is going well. They are creating a lot more open space that will be open to everyone and have included additional safety features. People were concerned we were making changes to expel the homeless. That is not the case. Everyone is welcome to use it. DAB: When is TNR going to City Council? CM Clendenin: There are no plans for City Council to hear that proposed ordinance in its current form. We felt that way before it went to the DAB’s, and the feedback we received at the DAB’s further cemented our feelings. I believe the Animal Control Advisory Board is going to try to improve it. The City’s management of feral cats is a complicated subject with many advocacy groups for and against TNR. Public: I thought the DAB voted against allowing OK Pawnshop to operate vehicle sales. They are running a car lot down there. CM Clendenin: City Council did not get the legal authority to weigh in, because nobody within the notification area filed a petition. Catherine Johnson: The South Central Neighborhood Association tried, but we could not find anyone willing to petition. 4  District III Advisory Board Minutes for September 4, 2019 Public: If Kansas Star sues the County and State, where does the City fall on that issue? CM Clendenin: We have no involvement in any conversations about gambling/casinos. DAB: It seems like just a few years ago the City did not have money for road improvements, and now there is a lot of them. CM Clendenin: When the Hyatt sold, we infused a significant portion of money into neighborhood streets and you are seeing the product of that. We listened to the public about prioritizing street improvements. Also, as the sales tax on Kellogg starts to be paid off, you will see that money shift to our streets (maintenance and rebuilding). Action Taken: Received and filed. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m. The next District III Advisory Board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on October 2, 2019 at the WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. Guests Dan Warren Sheri Johnson Charles Myers Ray and Irma Darlingtin Respectfully submitted, Maddy Campbell, Community Services Representative, District III 5