District 5 Advisory Board

Page |1 District V Advisory Board Minutes January 7, 2019 www.wichita.gov The District V Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at Fire Station #21, located at 2110 N. 135th St. W., Wichita, KS 67235. ATTENDANCE Members Present Staff Present Nancy Duling Capt. Kenneth Ast, Wichita Fire Department Jose Gutierrez Officer Lori Hahn, Wichita Police Department JV Johnston David McGuire, Division Manager, Park & Trevor Kurth Recreation Department Rachel Murphy-Thomas Tracie Partridge, Senior Librarian Troy Palmer Gary Janzen, City Engineer, Public Works & Ben Kittrell Utilities Alissa Unruh Mary Hunt, Principal Planner, Metropolitan Jill Kerschen Area Planning Department Roman Rodriguez Dave Yearout, Principal Planner, MAPD Trey Rios, Youth Member Philip Zevenbergen, Associate Planner, MAPD Council Member Bryan Frye Maddy Campbell, Community Services Representative Members Absent Angela Breer Guests Cory Buchta Karl Herold Scott Howard Jesse Stucky Roger Kerschen Clayton Pearson William Langley Robert Dulohery Sr. Galvin Jones ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by JV Johnston Approval of January 7, 2019 Agenda: Motion PASSED 10-0-0 Approval of Minutes from December 3, 2018: Motion PASSED 10-0-0 1. Updates, Issues, and Reports Council Member Frye provided the following updates:  City Council will select a new vice mayor at the council meeting tomorrow (January 8). CM Frye has been serving in that capacity and tomorrow will be his last day as vice mayor as the position rotates yearly. City Council will also select an interim council member for District II. District II Council Member Pete Meitzner was elected to the Sedgwick County Commission leaving a vacant seat. The District II DAB narrowed down the candidates to five people whom the council members have all interviewed. The selected candidate will finish the remainder of Meitzner’s term which ends at the conclusion of this calendar year.  Page |2  The City is looking at building a new water treatment facility which will cost upwards of $500 million as well as looking to build a new waste water treatment facility in south Wichita which will cost around $300 million. Currently staff has projected a four percent annual increase over the next 20 years, but City Council would like to spread it out over the next 30 years. There is no rush to increase rates, but the City needs to start doing it for these big ticket items.  Cory Buchta was introduced as the new District V Community Services Representative. He starts on Monday, January 14. He currently lives in Valley Center but was raised in the Wichita area.  CM Frye will be going to Jacksonville, FL with the Mayor and Council Member Blublaugh to celebrate the commissioning of the USS Wichita. Representative Ron Estes will be present as well. PUBLIC AGENDA 2. Scheduled Items None 3. Off-Agenda Items The following three residents attended the DAB meeting to speak against the proposed Trap, Neuter, and Release ordinance the Animal Control Advisory Board is developing to present to District Advisory Boards and City Council. Robert Dulohery Sr. (220 N. Byron Rd., Wichita, KS 67212) provided handouts to DAB members regarding feral cats. He spoke about the threat feral cats pose to wildlife, specifically birds. He hopes the City will put teeth into the upcoming TNR ordinance to enforce neutering, tagging, and regular vaccinations. William Langley (944 N. Crestline, Wichita, KS 67212) shared that the Animal Control Advisory Board has already voted to pass a version of a TNR ordinance. It is presently in the hands of WPD and the City’s Legal Department to review, modify, or approve prior to coming to DAB meetings. He had the following concerns about the proposed ordinance:  The ordinance does not address caregiving guidelines.  The ordinance lacks a planned method, fines, and “teeth” for police to address and abate problem properties/colonies.  There is no design in the ordinance to protect designated wildlife areas.  The ordinance will decrease the number of cats euthanized, but it will not decrease the number of feral or stray cats.  There are no studies that prove TNR works in large cities.  This is not a cat issue, but rather a people issue. TNR simply addresses cat numbers but does not address the people issue of irresponsible cat ownership.  The ordinance lacks oversight and accountability.  The ordinance needs stronger reinforcement of already established animal abandonment ordinances. Karl Herold (2020 N. Amarado St., Wichita, KS 67212) shared that cats breed up to three times a year and start once they are five months old. He is concerned about feral cat caretakers providing food that will attract other animals such as skunks, opossums, and raccoons. These animals can carry diseases and fleas which can be transferred to pets and/or humans. He stressed that the group needs to consider what it would be like to live next door to a colony of eight to ten cats and how that will affect their own yard/property and quality of life. He also shared previously expressed concerns about feral cat populations decimating bird life and the need for buffer zones near designated wildlife areas. He stated that pets are required to be routinely vaccinated and this standard will not be possible to do  Page |3 with released feral cats. He concluded by sharing with the group that the city of Albuquerque is currently facing two lawsuits regarding their implementation of a TNR policy. Clayton Pearson (1442 N. Coolidge St., Wichita, KS 67208) spoke to the group about his experience as a bicycle commuter in the district. He urged the group to consider pedestrians and bicycle commuters when planning future traffic development and stressed the importance of accessibility for those who do not drive. Jesse Stucky (218 Northeast 40 Avenue, Kingman, KS 67068), owner of The Gopher Trapper, shared brochures and information about his business which specializes in residential, commercial, and municipal pest control service focused solely on gophers and moles. STAFF PRESENTATIONS 4. Fire Department Report: Capt. Ast reported:  Fire Prevention must be doing well because Christmas time is usually WFD’s busiest time and it has not been bad this season.  District V had seven fire, 182 medical, and 20 service alarms last month.  WFD received a grant to service an additional fire truck in east Wichita. This week WFD will be interviewing 60 people for those 15 spots.  Curt Mohr, a firefighter with Station 21, is at the Mayo Clinic receiving treatment for brain cancer. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts. 5. Community Police Report: Officer Hahn reported:  Last month there was a group of auto larcenies by Target in New Market Square. Two of the vehicles were left unlocked with visible bags. This is a simple reminder not to keep possessions visible in your vehicle.  The Reflection Ridge neighborhood has had an increase in larcenies.  WPD made an arrest on December 14. A concerned citizen called in a suspicious character who was observed checking car door handles. He had broken into four vehicles and was taken into custody and found with property identified as taken from those vehicles.  Last month there were two reported burglaries (not related). One was an unsecured garage where equipment was taken. The other was a group home where a roommate reported another roommate stole from him. 6. Park & Recreation Department Report: David McGuire reported:  The month of December slows down for the Park & Recreation Department due to classes ending the beginning of the month.  There were two events put on by the department in December. They included a Night with Santa and a sledding event at the Mid-America All-Indian Center. The sledding event drew in over 500 children. Though the manmade snow ran out by 10 a.m., the grass remained slick enough for sledding activities to continue. The event was a success and will likely be replicated in the future.  New classes will start next week.  The piers are taking shape at the Pracht Wetlands Park. Hopefully that phase will be done soon and the area will be more walkable.  March Spring Break camp/activities are coming up. 7. Wichita Public Library Report: Tracie Partridge reported:  Page |4  To give an idea of how the City’s public library system impacted citizens in 2018, there were: o 18,000 new individuals registered o over 2 million materials checked out o over 116,000 public computer sessions o over 72,000 individuals who attended library programs o three different reading initiatives with over 1,500 children registered for one of them and over 11,000 registered for summer reading  While data is important, personal stories also demonstrate the importance of libraries in their communities. Patridge shared the following impact stories: o A child with cerebral palsy was able to improve his fine motor skills by routinely coming to the library and checking out a Launch Pad, a type of tablet programmed with interactive software. o A woman who lost her mother wrote a book as part of her grief process. She wanted to publish it, but did not know how and also struggled with technology. She was able to meet with a librarian who walked her through the publishing process. o The library provided Food Trucks 101 and 102 programming this year to teach individuals about what it is like to own a food truck. An individual was able to open their own food truck after attending the classes and establishing a mentoring relationship with the program’s founder.  The Reading Incentive program—a cooperative program between the City libraries and Wichita Eagle encouraging adults to read 12 books in 12 months—just started for 2019.  In 2018 the Library Department received a sponsorship from Google for $100,000. One of the things that resulted from that was an after-hours computer lab. The lab is open every Monday and Thursday from 6-9 p.m. at the Maya Angelou Branch. The lab is staffed to assist those who need additional technological support.  Next week the Westlink Branch starts Storytimes again. On January 10 there will be a program called Book Bonanza at 6:30 p.m. and a kids (age 2-8) Pajama Storytime on January 28 at 6:30 p.m. 8. Public Works & Utilities Report: Gary Janzen reported:  The 2018 Pavement Preservation Program is almost complete with projects in District V. One pavement preservation project still underway is 119th Street from 13th Street to Maize Road. Once completed the City will come back after a couple months to put in a new surface coat. Signs have been put up to let people know it is a two-phase project.  Public Works is currently working on a 2019 program that will be heard by City Council in the next six weeks for approval prior to coming to DABs.  Public Works has a few projects in design which include: o A sidewalk on the east side of Ridge Road from 21st Street to 29th Street  Will continue on the east side to Mccloister so there is a connection from the neighborhood to the apartments. It is a challenge to get across the bridge. The project is slated to happen this spring. o A bike path on Hoover Road from Zoo Boulevard to 29th Street (or 21stStreet?)  There will be a meeting with adjacent property owners before going to DAB VI in February with a recommendation to move forward with the original plan. The goal is to provide a multi-use path that connects Crystal Prairie Lake Park to Sedgwick County Park. There are petitions from area HOAs and residents that want to complete the project. The project will also include a traffic signal at Hoover Road and Zoo Boulevard. The signal is warranted as traffic counts have increased with accident rates. The City wants to move forward with the signal prior to the path and is working with the County to help fund that signal as it is in the interest of the Sedgwick County Zoo as well.  Page |5 o Improvements to 13th Street from Cowskin Bridge to 135th Street  Public Works is winding down the design phase and buying easements with a hope to bid the project in March. Property owners will be invited to the February DAB for an open house prior to the 6:30 p.m. meeting. The project will expand 13th Street to three lanes with a right turn lane to developments. There will be sidewalks on both sides. If traffic counts warrant a signal at the time of completion, one will be installed. o 29th Street and Maize Road  Public Works started looking at design concepts. The area is considered improved because it has left turn lanes in all areas. Public Works thought at one time it was predominantly right turns backing up traffic in the area. They did counts looking at that turning movement. Almost exactly 50 percent of traffic in the right lane turned right and 50 percent went straight, making it a challenge. Public Works once considered making it a right turn only but would face overloading the inside lane. Right now funding for construction of that project is not until 2022, but Public Works has tasked their design consultant to look at a phase one that will be less costly to deal with that issue. o Northwest Water Treatment Plant  Public Works is working on the design and needs a concept by October to keep federal loan funding in place. It is possible by 2021 there could be construction at 21st Street and Hoover Road. If that happens that will effectively replace the current treatment plant near Botanica.  Westar is working on streetlights on Ridge Road from 21st Street to 29th Street.  The City is getting ready to start building a new baseball stadium. It will move as fast as a project can move to meet the March 15, 2020 deadline. It is in the planning stage and Paul Gunzleman, Assistant City Engineer, is overseeing the project. There are a lot of things happening at same time and the City is trying to make it work with future development. Construction work will start within in a month to start removing the parking lot and start drilling foundations and utility work. Phase two of the project will come along at some point and will include figuring out what will happen with McLean Boulevard. With STAR bond funding the City will look at building a pedestrian bridge across the river between Maple Street and Douglas. Action Taken: Motion made to receive and file all Staff Reports. Motion PASSED 10-0-0. NEW BUSINESS 9. Century II Citizens Committee – Update and Discussion Tara Clary (Director of Marketing, HighTouch Technologies) and Karla Fazio (Attorney, arts volunteer leader) presented and engaged the group in discussion. For the past 10 months, 12 citizen volunteers have worked to understand the needs, aspirations and options for performing arts in our city and recommend a path forward. The issues with the 50-year-old performing arts facility include structural problems, worker safety risks and functional issues. The committee is weighing the choices – renovate vs. build new, preserve the round building vs. create more gathering space for the community, etc. No matter what, this will be a large investment – perhaps $200 million or more – in the core/river area. The committee will discuss its findings to date, hoping to both inform and engage citizens in this pivotal community initiative. DAB members and the public asked and made the following questions and comments: Q (public): Has there been talk about the recently abandoned library being involved in the project? A: Yes there has been talks.  Page |6 C (public): My suggestion is to tear down the library and build there. Q (DAB): What will happen to Expo Hall and Visit Wichita? A: There are two conversations going on simultaneously. Aaron Bastian is providing feedback to Visit Wichita to ensure there is synergy going forward. There are different needs on both sides. Q (DAB): We need a great performing arts center, but what will happen to our national trade shows? National organizations may not have annual conventions like they used to, but trade shows still provide a lot of money to the economy. A: There are a lot of studies being done about the convention side. Our committee was established to focus solely on the performing arts. Q (DAB): Has anyone talked to the actual people who run and work at Century II? You stated earlier we cannot have some shows come. The only one we cannot have is Phantom of the Opera, so it is misleading to say multiple shows. A (CM Frye): Some shows have had to be scaled down massively, like Wicked. We can host most shows but not at the same caliber you would be seeing at a facility designed for performing arts. Q (DAB): Have you done a study on how much money we have lost because we cannot bring in a certain show? A: We would need to talk to Theater League about that because they know what we have not been able to bring in. Q (DAB): What do you say to people who say the one building you always recognize when you hear about Wichita is Century II? A: I would say a couple things. First when you talk about nostalgia for the building, the question is: Is it more important to have a building that is a part of the skyline or a building that is a part of the community and attributes to what we want to be? The first renovation scenario is basically a box shoved into the Century II building and it does not preserve the exterior of the building as people know it. There is an additional study being done to see if there is a doable renovation option that preserves the skyline, but it does not look likely. C (DAB): I disagree with that. There is another way to renovate. Q (DAB): What are your next steps? How are you moving this forward? Are you still gathering information and presenting findings? A: For the next month we will keep presenting our findings at the DAB meetings and other community meetings. Our goal is to have a reccommendation around mid-February. We will present our findings to the Mayor and City Council and then it is in their hands. Q (DAB): What are you going to present to the Council exactly? A: Whether we recommend to renovate or rebuild. We have architects on our team, but that is not our expertise. We are using feedback from the community to recommend which path we should take. We are not going to present on aesthetics or financing. We will tell them functions that need to be included. How we do that is left to the experts. Q (DAB): Five years ago you did a survey that said 85 percent want to build or renovate. Did you separate that out? A: That was through Project Wichita. We did not get to build that question. Q (DAB): Is there funding for this currently? A: We are looking at different cities and the models they have used to fund things like this and providing ideas for how things can be accomplished via different funding avenues. C (DAB): We have not done any renovations since the building was built, just minor maintenance. Q (DAB): The City fully owns this building? A: Yes. Q (DAB): Have we seen the economic impact on selling off property near Century II? A (CM Frye): It all depends on what you end up doing and what space becomes available. To continue to do nothing is not responsible, so we need to address this at some point. We have taken care of our airport and library. We have invested in an arena and stadium. We have an aquatics plan  Page |7 coming out. We have taken care of a lot of our big issues and we cannot ignore this one. Wichita is known for the talent that comes to and out of the city. If they do not have the facilities we will lose that. To do nothing is not an option. How this community wants to proceed with that is what we are addressing. A: Every show in this year’s Tony’s Awards had someone from Wichita on stage or involved as a technician. There is a lot of talent that comes out of here. Q (DAB): Your recommendation comes in February. Is there some type of vote on how to fund it? A (CM Frye): That is an option. There could be a referendum for a sales tax or property tax increase. If that is the will of the community that needs to go to a vote if we decide that is the best way to fund this. Before it goes to a vote the Council has to say so. Are those the best solutions? Maybe. Maybe it is forgoing other capital improvements to do this. There are naming rights and property adjacent to it to sell or develop. All of those things are factors. Then there’s the convention side of it. That business case has to be done. Where is that opportunity and what expense are we looking at? Q (DAB): What is the timeline for funding? A: It all depends on how you are going to do it. It is probably a three year project from start to finish. Q (DAB): What are some viable options so they can perform while they remodel or rebuild? A: Remodeling has been discussed as a phase option so there is still space to perform. Going to locations throughout the city is not a viable option due to space and acoustics. Rebuilding on a different site in the same area is also an option. Q (DAB): Is there enough room at the old library? C (DAB): I think we should tear down the library and build there. C (CM Frye): Please visit the website and continue to give feedback and suggestions. Action Taken: Motion made to receive and file presentation and commentary. Motion PASSED 10- 0-0. 10. ZON2018-00050 Dave Yearout, Principal Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Department, presented an application on behalf of Danielle Sanders / Albertson Associated (Jim Albertson) for a requested zone change from GO General Office (GO) to NR Neighborhood Retail (NR) and rescind Restrictive Covenant #35 associated with Z-3195 on a 0.62 acre site generally located south of West 21st Street North on the east side of Tyler Road at the northeast corner of West 19th Street and North Tyler Road. The applicant is requesting the zone change to allow operation of a small café and book store in an existing building. Restaurants and Retail, General are first permitted in the NR zoning district. The DAB heard the request so that Wichita residents had an opportunity to express their concerns. Yearout noted there was no opposition at the MAPC meeting and the planner on the case has not received any phone calls on this request. The applicant/agent was not in attendance. After the staff presentation DAB members had no questions or concerns. Action Taken: Motion made by Johnston to APPROVE the request with the Staff Report’s listed condition. Motion seconded by Unruh. Motion PASSED 10-0-0. 11. CUP2018-00053  Page |8 Yearout presented an application on behalf of Thirteenth and Maize, LLC (Owner)/Centennial American Properties C/O Brody Glenn (Contract Buyer)/(Agent) for a requested Amendment Number 2 to the Brandt Property Community Unit Plan (CUP) DP-214, located at the southwest corner of West 13th Street North and North Maize Road. The amendment concerns Parcel 2 and proposes to split Parcel 2 into two parcels with the southern parcel to be developed with an enclosed, self-storage warehouse. The DAB heard the request so that Wichita residents had an opportunity to express their concerns. Yearout shared he has not received any phone calls about this case. Brody Glenn (applicant) was in attendance. He provided visuals and handouts and answered questions. He shared:  There will be no storage that opens up to the exterior.  There are no gates at the facility.  Glass garage doors help to eliminate noise.  There will be no deliveries after 10 p.m.  Everything is internal.  Our buildings provide secure, climate-controlled storage.  There will be three sites in Wichita. After the staff presentation DAB members asked the following questions: Q: What is the feedback you get from neighbors on these facilities? A: We get some feedback about the height. We are told we are a quiet neighbor. We focus on finding locations that transition perfectly from other buildings and things you see in the area. Q: What is the height? A: The building is 39 feet. The City limit is 35 feet. We are happy to do all sorts of different things to make the building look and feel how it needs to look and feel. Lighting is not a big deal and it is low traffic. Action Taken: Motion made by Troy Palmer to APPROVE the request with the Staff Report’s listed conditions. Motion seconded by Jill Kerschen. Motion PASSED 10-0-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m. The next DAB V meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m., Monday, February 4, 2019, Fire Station #21, 2110 N. 135th St., Wichita, KS 67235.