District 4 Advisory Board

District IV Advisory Board Minutes October 10, 2017 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. There were six (6) District Advisory Board members in attendance. Councilman Blubaugh could not attend, and DAB Member Don McManamey presided. There were six (6) City Staff, and eight (8) members of the public present. Members Present Guests Kit Corby Monte Thompson Michael Gomm Pat Hughes Stephanie Hartman Russ Ewy Don McManamey Pat Pile Alex Martinez Michael Hunter Rebecca Robertson Tim Richards Members Absent Jeff Dumcum Benny Boman Kimberly Dumcum Nick Hoheisel David Kapaun Jr. Matt Lashley Jason Platter Staff Present Rebecca Fields – Community Services Rep – D-IV Robyn Belt – Alford Branch Library WPD – CP Officer William Perkins – P/W WFD – Interim Chief Snow WFD – Cpt. Sam Williams Scott Knebel - MAPD ORDER OF BUSINESS NOTE: Councilman Blubaugh was unable to attend and DAB Member Don McManamey ran the meeting. ***************************************************** At 6:30 p.m. DAB Member Don McManamey opened the DAB meeting and asked everyone to take their seats and called the meeting to order. Mr. McManamey let everyone know that Councilman Blubaugh’s mother had passed away and that was why he was not present at tonight’s meeting. He then asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, after which he asked for a moment of silence in tribute to all who perished in the recent shooting rampages, specifically Lawrence, KS and Las Vegas, NV. Page 1 of 5  District IV Advisory Board Minutes October 10, 2017 www.wichita.gov The agenda for October 10th was then approved (motion made by Michael Gomm, 2nd by Kit Corby), and the minutes for the 2017 August 7th meeting were approved (motion made by Stephanie Hartman and 2nd by Alex Martinez). Both motions passed 6/0. STAFF REPORTS Mr. McManamey then asked for a report from the Wichita Fire Department. Interim Chief Snow was attending, and stated that she had been serving as the Fire Department Chief since July 15, 2017, and that their department was considered to be an “All Hazards Public Safety” department. She has an open door policy and invited all who were present to stop in or call her at any time. Chief Snow then stated that the Fire Department was recently given an award of $2500 by ADT, and the money from the award would be spent on smoke and CO2 alarms, specifically those for hearing impaired that flashes a light and/or shakes the bed. The week of October 8th is Fire Prevention Week and there are events planned for each day of the week, mostly with local schools. The Fire Department is also installing free smoke alarms for all residences, and should you need one you can call 268-4510 to set up an appointment. Fire Captain Sam Williams, Station #12, then took the floor and stated that since August there were 10 structure fires in District 4, 2 of which were considered arson, but not aggravated arson. Total damage was $200,000 to structures, and $150,000 to contents. Cpt. Williams reminded everyone to have their furnaces properly checked and cleaned before turning them on. Mr. McManamey thanked the Fire Department and then asked for the Police report. Officer William Perkins from Patrol West 18 beat then stepped up and said that there had been a Patrol West Community picnic at the West YMCA this past Saturday, September 30th, and that there had been a really good turnout. Officer Perkins stated that there was going to be a Patrol South cookout at the South YMCA this coming Saturday, October 7th from 11 – 3 pm. The cookout is free and includes usage of the Y facilities indoors and out. Officer Perkins went on to report some crime statistics and reminded everyone to put articles in the trunk BEFORE reaching your destination. He states that Tex Consolver Golf Course and Pawnee Prairie Park were recent targets of larcenies to auto. He summed up his report by asking everyone there to be mindful of children out on Halloween night (which is a Tuesday night this year) and Officer Perkins left “Halloween Tips” fliers for staff and guests. DAB Member Don McManamey mentioned that he lets people know to report ANY illegal or suspicious activity to the Police so that the department is aware of the area and can add to their statistics that are tracked by the department. DAB Member Michael Gomm asked Officer Perkins if he was aware of “crime” posts on the Nextdoor app, and Officer Perkins said he is aware of crimes in his own personal neighborhood through Nextdoor, but not Citywide. Page 2 of 5  District IV Advisory Board Minutes October 10, 2017 www.wichita.gov DAB Member Stephanie Hartman then asked Officer Perkins if all “Police” matters should be called into 911 or should some of the issues be called into Patrol West. Officer Perkins replied that many of the reports that are not aggravated or currently happening could be called in directly to Case Desk – 268-4221 in order to make a report and obtain a case number. If anyone is unsure as to whether 911 should be contacted, then go ahead and call and let the 911 operator decide. Robyn Belt, Branch Manager for the Alford Branch Library, then gave the Library report. Robyn reports that Alford’s gate count for September was 7,693 visits and Alford’s circulation count for September was 14,600 items. The Big Read runs from October 1 to November 15. This year’s selection is The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang. Yang wrote it as a "love letter" to her grandmother whose spirit held her family together through their imprisonment in Laos, their harrowing escape across the Mekong River and into a refugee camp in Thailand, their immigration to Minnesota when Yang was only six years old, and their transition to a hard life in America. Events related to the Big Read are scheduled through the first week of November, including a presentation by the author at Newman University on October 12th that is free and open to the public. More details are available at bigreadwichita.org. Now that Labor Day is behind us, all library locations are open again on Sunday afternoons from 1pm-5pm. All Wichita Public Library locations will be closed next Monday, October 9th for a staff in-service. PUBLIC AGENDA Tim Richards with Westar Energy was previously scheduled to give a presentation, and as no one wanted to speak on the open public agenda, Tim Richards took the floor. Mr. Richards had a PowerPoint presentation about Westar Energy’s Grassroots project. Tim states that he is a retired Westar employee who now offers consulting for Westar and has been asked to give presentations to smaller groups (neighborhood associations, HOA, DAB, and non-profit organizations) which is the “grassroots” way of getting out information. The following was relayed: Westar Energy is the largest energy provider in the state of Kansas, with over 2200 employees serving more than 700,000 customers, 40% of these are from the City of Wichita. Westar now has ten (10) wind farms that can power 1,750,000 total homes, and they have 25 solar projects that they own or share for additional energy sources. Westar is the largest property owner in Wichita, and their property taxes to Sedgwick County are about $13 Million each year. Westar is currently constructing a new Service Center in NE Wichita (District 2) that will be a much larger facility/grounds than the current location on East Central near I-135 in District 1. However, Westar will continue to use their current location for other purposes. Page 3 of 5  District IV Advisory Board Minutes October 10, 2017 www.wichita.gov DAB Member McManamey asked about trimming trees in easements for better street light viewing, and Tim replied yes, they are starting to do this on their “second time around” through the Reliabilitree program as they have caught up with where they need to be as far as keeping trees trimmed back for energy wiring and lighting purposes. Tim explained that the first time around Wichita through the Reliabilitree program, they concentrated efforts only around the electric lines that were servicing energy to their customers. As for having the trees trimmed properly, the key is to having certified and knowledgeable arborists on site with the trimmers. DAB Member Kit Corby asked if Westar works on other foliage that is not a tree (such as a heavy vine) and Tim Richards replied that it depends on where it is located. Ms. Corby explained further and Mr. Richards replied that this sounds like a homeowner problem. Mr. Richards concluded by stating that he was leaving a new LED lightbulb for each person who was in attendance at the meeting and to stop and pick one up at the table on your way out. NEW BUSINESS Scott Knebel then took the floor to present the MAPD cases. First up was CUP2007-00040 where the applicant requests the creation of the West Kellogg Commercial Community Unit Plan (CUP) on 28.1 acres; generally located at the northeast corner of US HWY 54 and 135th St West (associated with an annexation and platting, zoned General Commercial - GC) The site is un- platted, though there has been some development on the site which is categorized as farming/ranch operations. There were no questions from the board or the public. Michael Gomm motioned to approve, and Stephanie Hartman made a 2nd motion. Motion carried 6/0. The next case was ZON2017-00030. The applicant requests a City Zone Change from TF-3 Two-Family Residential to NR Neighborhood Retail to allow mixed use of former Metro- Meridian High School; generally located at the southwest corner of Maple Street and Meridian Avenue (301 S Meridian). Seeing that there were no questions from the board or the public, Rebecca Robertson made a motion to approve, and Kit Corby made a 2nd motion. Motion carried 6/0. Next up was ZON2017-00041. The applicant requests a City Zone Change from B Multi-Family and LC Limited Commercial to GC General Commercial generally located between South West Street and South Colorado Street, extending approximately 80 feet south from West Douglas Avenue (101 South West Street). There were no questions or public comments, and as the board had no questions, Kit Corby made a motion to approve, and Michael Gomm motioned for a 2nd. The motion carried 6/0. Page 4 of 5  District IV Advisory Board Minutes October 10, 2017 www.wichita.gov The last planning case was presented, ZON2017-00044, by Mr. Knebel. The applicant requests a City Zone Change from SF-5 Single-Family to TF-3 Two-Family residential in Kelly 6th Addition; generally located at the end of the S. Lark Ct. cul-de-sac on the east side of S. Lark approximately one-third mile south of W. Kellogg Drive. Mr. Knebel explained that there would be 3 twin homes (duplexes) built on the 3 existing and platted lots on this cul-de-sac, and that each residence would have a double garage with a double driveway which was more than required. Jeff Dumcum, living at 1843 Stoney Point (the property directly behind the three lots), asked if there were any fencing requirements and also stated that the staff who works at the group home (owned by Starkey Inc.) at 1830 S Lark uses this cul-de-sac for parking. Mr. Dumcum was worried about this. It was reiterated that each residence (2 at each structure) would have their own double garage and their own double driveway. Fencing was unknown at this time, but could certainly be installed as allowed. Mr. Dumcum had no further questions. At this time Stephanie Hartman made a motion to approve and Rebecca Robertson made a 2nd motion. The motion carried 6/0. BOARD AGENDA Mr. McManamey asked if anyone on the Board had anything to report or talk about, and seeing none, Mr. McManamey reminded everyone that west Kellogg (Highway 54) would be closing this coming weekend at I-235. Mr. McManamey then asked for a motion to adjourn, and Michael Gomm made the motion, 2nd by Kit Corby. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 pm. Page 5 of 5