District 3 Advisory Board

District 3 Advisory Board Minutes Wednesday, November 3, 2021 • 6:30 p.m. WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67205 • Zoom and Facebook Video of meeting: https://fb.watch/92_y8CJlaB/ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Order of Business The District 3 Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. DAB members, staff/presenters, and residents also had the option to participate virtually via the platform Zoom, and the meeting was live-streamed on the District 3 Facebook page. Council Member Jared Cerullo and seven DAB members, six City staff, and one member of the public were in attendance. The current agenda and minutes from October 6, 2021 were approved. Members Present Staff Present Catherine Johnson (Zoom) Officer Wesley Jensen, Wichita Police Cindy Miles (Zoom) Department (Zoom) David Kapaun (Zoom) Officer Blake McElwain, WPD Emily Fogg Battalion Chief Matthew Bowen, Wichita Fire Joseph Shepard (Zoom) Department Michael Loop Sean Jones, Library (Zoom) Ron Tracy Philip Zevenbergen, Metropolitan Area Planning Bentley Jaxon Young (youth member) (Zoom) Department Maddy Campbell, Office of Community Services Members Absent Daisy Olivar Gerald Henry Jessica Lucas Richard Ruth • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Staff Reports 1. Wichita Police Department DAB 3 • Nov. 3, 2021 • Minutes • Page 1  Community Policing Officers shared district and city-wide statistics and crime trends and department updates. Staff also discussed relevant public safety topics and answered questions from the DAB and public. Officer Wesley Jensen, Patrol South shared the following:  All part one felony crimes have held steady or decreased.  There are 30 recruits in training right now who will graduate in the next few months.  Implemented ACE team in the last month. The team focuses on reducing auto theft and recovering vehicles. They have recovered over 75 vehicles to date.  Patrol South CP officers have been focusing on cultivating relationships with youth by partnering with local schools. There has been an increase in disturbances at schools.  A few officers are volunteering at Bread of Life church on Thursdays to package food for families in need.  We are preparing for the holidays. We are getting suggestions from community members about families in need of Thanksgiving dinners or gifts for the holidays. Suggestions can be submitted to us via email. Officer Blake McElwain, Patrol East shared the following:  Over 1,700 kids attended Trunk or Treat over the weekend. Patrol East partnered with Park & Recreation to hold the event at Clapp Park.  Patrol East is holding a coat drive for homeless shelters and children in need of coats, socks, hats, and gloves. Donations can be dropped off at Patrol East substation.  Patrol East recently arrested an individual wanted on sex crimes and aggravated assault. DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: DAB: 47th Street and Hydraulic has a lot of people passing by stopped school buses and running red lights during the morning commute. Is there any way Traffic Patrol can spend more time on the south side? A: We take the safety of children very seriously. We have received a few complaints about this area as well. We are working with the schools and school transportation to increase monitoring. On the mornings we monitor, the behavior seems to be deterred. Public: For the month of October, how many narcotics arrests were made along the Broadway Corridor? A: I do not have that exact number available. I know the Broadway Corridor Team is making multiple daily arrests. They have done several search warrants over the past month along the corridor addressing those narcotics issues. 2. Wichita Fire Department Staff provided monthly district statistics, shared information on seasonal fire and public safety topics, and answered questions from the DAB and public. Battalion Chief Matthew Bowen shared the following information:  Fire calls are down from the previous month along with overall calls. Compared to this time last year, October was also down about 10-12% for fire calls.  WFD continues to promote the safety campaign, “Close Before You Doze.”  On October 1, there was a two-alarm fire in the early morning. There were four apartments involved. Multiple doors were left open as people evacuated allowing a travel path for the fire. We were fortunate most occupants were able to self-evacuate. We did rescues one individual from an apartment and assisted multiple individuals with health issues. It took roughly 15-20 minutes to get the fire under control and involved five companies and multiple lines. There were five patients. One was transferred in critical condition to the burn unit. Unfortunately, damage to the building resulted in all 24 occupied units being unlivable due to extensive fire and electrical damage. DAB 3 • Nov. 3, 2021 • Minutes • Page 2  Closing doors can heavily restrict the fires ability to travel, and gives an additional 10, 20, 30 minutes of protection. If possible, while exiting a burning structure, try to close doors behind you to restrict the fire spreading.  Refer to the provided handouts for information on several winter safety tips, recreational fire safety practices, and smoke detector tips and resources.  A recruit academy graduated nine members in November. We are planning to start a new recruit class in December.  There are 18 newly certified WFD Hazardous Materials Technicians.  The 2021 Fall Truck Academy is wrapping up this month. DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: Public: Why does Station 2 use Topeka Street to leave the station instead of Broadway? A: We primarily come out on Broadway. We just made Station 2 battalion headquarters. We sometimes use Topeka Street to more easily maneuver. Public: There are numerous safety concerns with using Topeka Street. 3. Wichita Public Library Sean Jones, Communication Specialist shared the following department updates with a focus on the services, programs, and events at District 3’s Walters Branch Library: The Children’s STEAM Learning Garden at the Advanced Learning Library is now open. This space features interactive play stations that promote learning skills related to science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. The creation of this space celebrates the importance of play in early child development. When at play, children learn about their world, acquire skills necessary for critical thinking, discover how to problem solve and develop self-confidence. This garden represents the first opportunity for parents to combine an outdoor play-destination with early literacy tools at the Library. The project was funded through generous donations from Spirit Aerosystems and Georgia and Keith Stevens through the Wichita Public Library Foundation. The Library has received ARPA funding from the FCC to create 250 internet bundles into circulation for customers to borrow. These internet bundles will include a hotspot, unlimited data and a Chromebook 3100. Staff is working on the policies and procedures for these bundles, as well as a robust marketing and communications plan to spread the world. We are hoping to begin circulating internet bundles this month. November is Kansas Reads to Preschoolers month, a program that creates young readers through early learning activities and sharing a common book. The month-long program promotes reading to Kansas children from birth to age five. This year’s book is Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard. The State Library of Kansas selected Wichita Public Library to record virtual story times in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. These videos, along with other online activities, can be found at wichitalibrary.org/prek. Reading is an important component of early childhood development. Children gain empathy and a deep understanding about their world, and also learn about people, places and events. It also helps caregivers and educators create trusting bonds with children. As a reminder: Wichita Public Library locations will be closed Thursday, November 11, Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26. All locations will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 24. The Library has a program for you. Visit wichitalibrary.org/events to see what’s coming up! DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: DAB 3 • Nov. 3, 2021 • Minutes • Page 3  DAB: The Library should be commended for their efforts to provide their resources and programs in numerous languages. Additionally, their efforts to offer internet bundles is a great opportunity for children and families. Public: How do you get Library privileges reinstated? A: You can reach out to me via email to discuss your situation. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Public Agenda 4. Scheduled Items There were no scheduled public agenda items this month. 5. Off-Agenda Items William Stofer, shared he is undertaking efforts to improve the Broadway Corridor. He has reached out to numerous City staff and hopes to improve crime in the area. Josie Wright shared information about the work she is doing for youth with her church. She spoke about street conditions along Harry Street and George Washington Boulevard. She also discussed local landlords. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • New Business 6. CON2021-00046 Philip Zevenbergen, Associate Planner presented a request from Raed Monsour (applicant) and Armstrong Land Survey (agent) for a City Conditional Use to allow an Accessory Apartment on property zoned SF-5 Single-Family Residential generally located northeast of South Broadway Avenue and East Mount Vernon Road (1747 S. Santa Fe Ave.). The Metropolitan Area Planning Commission will hold a public hearing for this request on November 4, 2021. The applicant/agent was not in attendance. DAB and members of the public asked and made the following summarized questions and comments: DAB: Is the owner present? A: He was made aware of the meeting, but I cannot speak to where he or the agent is tonight. DAB 3 • Nov. 3, 2021 • Minutes • Page 4 DAB: Is this currently being lived in? A: My guess is that it is not being currently lived it. It seems they may be rehabilitating the property to rent out both the house and accessory apartment. CM Cerullo: Did this property recently sell? It appears it has been here since 1947. How long has it been boarded up? A: I am not aware of recent property transactions, and I am not aware of how long it has been boarded up. It is unknown when the land changed hands. DAB: I appreciate you mentioned you have not heard feedback from neighbors. Did we do our due diligence in notifying property owners in the area? A: All property owners within 200 feet were notified via mail of the request and the DAB meeting and MAPC hearing. I have not received any correspondence from any of the neighbors. DAB: It would have been nice for the agent to have attended the meeting. DAB: Do we think they will completely deconstruct either of the properties? That will lead to significant construction that could be an issue with neighbors. That is my only concern. DAB: I think wanting better for the south side of Wichita means having higher expectations for the people who want to do work and build in the south side. There are so many questions from the DAB, and the individual who owns this project may have good reason for not being here, but it is worrisome they have not given a reason for their absence. It is important applicants and/or agents attend meetings to provide information. For that reason, I will be voting against this. I appreciate the willingness to do work in our district, but people need to be held accountable and not expect a simple yes. DAB: It says a lot when someone is willing to put capital into a property. I think not approving this is doing the south side a disservice, because someone is willing to put in hard work to make a property livable. DAB: If he is willing to put that much work into, why did he not show up with his agent to share what he plans to do? We have given the benefit of the doubt before and were stuck with a bad situation. DAB: I do not think we should deny this application, because we do not know why the person did not attend DAB. Is that a precedent we want to set—that DAB 3 will deny an application if the agent/applicant is not present. DAB: Is the agent/applicant required to attend the MAPC hearing? A: If no one from MAPC wants to hear the case, and there is no public comment, then it goes on the consent agenda. If the case is heard, then they ask if the agent is present, and if they are not we possibly table the case until the end to make sure they have the opportunity to attend. DAB: Did you hear back from the applicant or agent about the DAB meeting? A: I did not. They received a letter with the DAB information. DAB: I want to see development on the south side, but I also want to recognize what I have heard from many people. There is a level of distrust, and when there are questions left unanswered, receiving an approval has come back to bite our community in the past. I want to set the expectation that we welcome and embrace ideas and requests, but we want to protect our community by doing our due diligence with asking questions and getting answers before we make a decision we regret. Our district is tired of broken DAB 3 • Nov. 3, 2021 • Minutes • Page 5  promises. By no means do I want to punish the applicant/agent, but how do we start holding people accountable to deliver on the things they say they will do? Motion made by Michael Loop and seconded by David Kapaun to APPROVE the application. Motion to APPROVE FAILED 2-4-0. Motion made by David Kapaun and seconded by Michael Loop to revote in an effort to APPROVE the application. Motion to APPROVE FAILED 2-4-0. Action Taken: Motion made by Emily Fogg and seconded by Joseph Shepard to DENY the application. Motion to DENY PASSED 4-2-0. CON2021-00046 Staff Report: https://www.wichita.gov/Council/DABAgendasMinutes/2021-11- 03%20CON2021-00046%20Staff%20Report.docx.pdf • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Board Agenda 7. Updates, Issues, and Reports Ron Tracy thanked Council Member Cerullo for participating in a south side cleanup recently. Michael Loop requested DAB members inform staff if they plan to attend meetings via Zoom. He also asked why we need a $300,000 consultant to build more pickle ball courts. CM Cerullo responded this facility will be capable of holding large-scale tournaments. The pickle ball courts built currently are all located within the City’s park system with one or two courts. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:41 p.m. The next District 3 Advisory Board meeting is scheduled to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. It is scheduled to be held in person at the WATER Center, 101 E. Pawnee, Wichita, KS 67211. Residents also have the option to continue participating in DAB meetings virtually via Zoom or to watch them live on the District 3 Facebook page. Meeting agendas, minutes, presentations, and documents; Zoom details; and the most up-to-date meeting information can be found on the District 3 webpage. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Guests William Stofer DAB 3 • Nov. 3, 2021 • Minutes • Page 6 Josie Wright Garett Foster (Zoom) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Respectfully submitted, Maddy Campbell, District 3 Community Services Representative DAB 3 • Nov. 3, 2021 • Minutes • Page 7