District 4 Advisory Board

District IV Advisory Board Minutes for August 4, 2014 District IV Advisory Board Minutes August 4, 2014 www.wichita.gov The District IV Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Alford Library at 3447 S. Meridian, Wichita, KS 67217; Vice Mayor Blubaugh, five District Advisory Board members; six City staff, and six member of the public were present. Members Present Michael Gomm David Kapaun Nancy Wilhite Staff Present Don McManamy Case Bell, Community Liaison Benny Boman* Officer Kern, Wichita Police Department Vice Mayor Jeff Blubaugh Lt. Bowen, Wichita Fire Department *Arrived after the minutes and agenda Paul Gunzelman, Public Works approval Jess McNeely, Planning Zach Edwardson, Planning Members Absent John Whitmer Guests Hestel Sewell Listed on last page Matt Lashley Josh Shorter Craig Gabel Alex Garcia (Youth Member)* *Youth Members are not voting members ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:30 p.m. Vice Mayor Blubaugh called the meeting to order. Minutes from the July 7, 2014 meeting were approved. Agenda for the current meeting was approved. STAFF AGENDA Officer Kern, Wichita Police Department, spoke concerning Beats 24 and 27. In June there were three auto thefts and an increase of larceny to cars. Kern reported that people are not locking their car doors. To combat this they are sending flyers out to some 40 homes. They also were working on a hotel sweep on Broadway with a prostitution sting in a couple of weeks. Lt. Chris Bowen, Wichita Fire Department, reported that there were eight fires in District IV in June with $250,000 in damage from house and apartment fires. There are a couple fires under investigation the rest are accidental. There is also a class of 17 firefighters coming out in 6-8 weeks. DAB? Out of the eight fires, were any due to fireworks? A: Unknown. 1  District IV Advisory Board Minutes for August 4, 2014 PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled Items Laura Meyers, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications, reported on the “Don’t Play Around and Lock It Down” initiative. There were 80517 cell phone calls last year to 911 that were not emergencies. 3300 hours were taken from real emergencies. They are encouraging people to put a lock on their cell phone and keep small children away or take the battery out. If you call accidentally, stay on the line for them to make sure it’s not an emergency as they will have to call back if you hang up. DAB? What is the process for call backs? A: Call backs are supposed to haven within 2.5-3 minutes per call. DAB? What is the majority of misdials? A: Pocket dialing. DAB? Are non-emergency calls considered abusing 911? A: No, because there isn’t a Sedgwick county non-emergency number. DAB? How many operators work for 911? A: 12-15 per shift, 80 in total. Off Agenda items Janice Bradley, Peace and Social Justice Center, spoke regarding their work against drug offenses and mass incarceration. They have a petition campaign to decriminalize marijuana because people get records that affect their lives for many years. Mike Hundley spoke about Friends of OJ Watson Park. They currently are made up of 12 citizens and six staff members. They are looking for volunteers to help the City save money by using volunteers instead of paid staff for some activities at OJ Watson Park. They are committed to getting OJ Watson Park to 100% cost recovery. NEW BUSINESS Scheduled Items South Fork Update Paul Gunzelman, Public Works, reported that Public Works had open bids in February for the water, sewage, paving, and drainage work. There was a successful bidder for the contract work. Most of the water line work is completed and most of the pipe is installed but still needs some work. The sewer is all completed. Sycamore Bicycle Boulevard Plan Paul Gunzelman, Public Works, reported on the Sycamore Bicycle Plan. In February 2013 a Bicycle Master Plan was approved by City Council which lists the Sycamore route as one of the top ten priorities. A total of 13 projects from the plan were submitted for federal funding. In April 2013 the route was designed. In July 2013 they were notified that the Sycamore Plan had received federal funding. With the design, cyclists and vehicles will share the lain except on McCormick which will have separate lanes. There will be green markings on Seneca and McCormick to notify drivers of the bike lanes. The construction was estimated at $63,000 with $43,000 paid for from Federal funds and the rest being paid by local funds. DAB? What are we trying to accomplish, pleasure riding, encourage more bicycling on paths? A: Yes to both, this also connects the neighborhood to West High. Vice Mayor Blubaugh? Do you see more federal dollars coming in the future? A: Yes, it is likely there will be. 2  District IV Advisory Board Minutes for August 4, 2014 Vice Mayor Blubaugh? Are there any right of way acquisitions? A: Not with this plan. DAB? What is the bid process? A: Federal funding means that the plans will be reviewed by KDOT and it will be open bidding. DAB? Will out of state contractors be allowed to bid? A: Probably. DAB? Is all the money for paint and labor? A: Most, but some of it is for traffic crossings. Public: Citizen that lives on Sycamore feels that his neighbors are against this and thinks the bikers should keep to McLean. He is worried about people backing in and out of driveways and an increase in children going through the neighborhood. He feels that Sycamore already has too much automobile traffic. Public? What is the cost to the city? A: Around $20,000. Pedestrian Plan Paul Gunzelman, Public Works, reported that since 2000 there have been 37 deaths and 1045 injuries of pedestrians in Wichita. A survey found that people felt that ease of walking was well below other cities of similar size. The City has worked with focus groups and a steering committee with design workshops. One of the barriers that was identified was gaps or missing sidewalk. Overall sidewalk condition was good where we have them. The 10 year plan submitted here address policies, infrastructure, and programs. The goal identified by the community were a safe and welcoming pedestrian network, promote citywide culture of walking, and move away from the lateral stripes in crosswalks to horizontal stripes. The purpose of the plan is to provide consultation on how to proceed with new projects with a focus on pedestrian safety. The plan is funded by local and federal dollars and an endorsement does not indicate an allocation of funds. Individual projects will have to go before council for funding. DAB? Where are pedestrians hit? A: In mid-block areas. DAB? How does the city find sidewalks that need to be repaired? A: It’s a complaint driven process. 2014 WAMPO Bike and Pedestrian Count Zach Edwardson, Planning, presented on the 2014 the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO) Bike and Pedestrian Count. Each year WAMPO carries out a bicycle and pedestrian count across the metro region. This is to help determine which bicycle and pedestrian facilities are actively used by the citizens of the region. WAMPO carries this out though the use of trained volunteers. WAMPO is seeking out volunteers to help with this process. ZON2014-00017 Jess McNeely, Planning, reported on an application for zoning change from MF-29 Multi-family Residential to GO General Office at the Southeast corner of West Lincoln Street and South Osage Street for medical services. The subject site is currently an undeveloped portion of the athletic fields associated with West High School. A portion of the property is platted as the Franklin Yikes Addition while the rest of the site is unplatted. If approved, the GO zoning would permit the development of a “medical service” that would be open year-round, and would serve West High School students, faculty and surrounding neighborhood residents. The medical service will be required to meet all Unified Zoning Code requirements, such as: screening, building height, dumpster location, landscaping and parking. The school district will retain ownership of the site. DAB? Is this the same zoning as the adjacent property? A: Yes. 3  District IV Advisory Board Minutes for August 4, 2014 Action Taken: None as there was not a quorum present. ZON2014-00013 Jess McNeely, Planning, reported on the request to move from SF-5 Single-family Residential (SF- 5) and LC Limited Commercial (LC) zoning to LI Limited Industrial (LI) zoning for the 160 acres generally located east of South Tyler Road and north of the K42 Highway. The 160-acre application area is owned by the Wichita Airport Authority and is contiguous with the remainder of the LI Limited Industrial (LI) zoned airport property. The application area includes the far south end of the paved runway system, and is otherwise open space under the Airport Hazard Zone Area A with a 25-foot height restriction. The Airport Authority also owns all surrounding property, to include property south of K42, with the exception of one SF-5 zoned residence on the north side of K42 and surrounded by the application area. Under LI zoning, the Unified Zoning Code (UZC) would permit numerous uses not permitted under the current SF-5 zoning. However, the Airport Authority intends to continue the current use – open space surrounding the paved runway system. The majority of the site is platted; the three small parcels in the southwest corner of the application area are un-platted. McNeely noted that other schools have done this and it has been successful and the businesses must still meet the usual requirements such as landscaping and building code. DAB? What will the total square footage be? A: Unknown. Action Taken: None as there was not a quorum present BOARD AGENDA Vice Mayor Blubaugh welcomed new DAB member Nick Hoheisel. A DAB member suggested that the cruising ordinance in Wichita may be hindering car shows. A DAB member reported on the CSBG Committee and the Summer Youth Program. More information at KACAP.org. Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting for District Advisory Board IV will be held at 6:30 p.m., September 8, 2014, at Lionel Alford Library, 3447 S. Meridian. Respectfully submitted, Case Bell, Community Liaison – Districts III and IV Guests Mike Hundley N. Worthington Zedna Ascci Janice Bradley Vaughn Fox David Cline 4