District 5 Advisory Board

District 5 Advisory Board Minutes Monday, February 1, 2021 • 6:30 p.m. Virtual meeting via Zoom Attendance Members Present Staff Present JV Johnston BC Jason Jones, Wichita Fire Department Rachel Murphy-Thomas Officer Lori Kimrey, Wichita Police Department Dennis Clary Steve Degenhardt, Public Works & Utilities Jose Gutierrez David McGuire, Park and Recreation Nancy Duling Tracie Partridge, Wichita Public Library Jill Kerschen Cory Buchta, Community Services Troy Palmer Representative, City Manager’s Office Roman Rodriguez Angela Breer Council Member Bryan Frye Members Absent Trevor Kurth Alissa Unruh Trey Rios, Youth Member • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Order of Business Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by JV Johnston. Approval of February 1, 2021 Agenda: Motion PASSED 9-0-0 Approval of Minutes from January 4, 2021: Motion PASSED 9-0-0 DAB 5 • February 1, 2021 •Minutes• Page 1  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Public Agenda 1. Scheduled Items None 2. Off-Agenda Items None Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Board Agenda 3. Updates, Issues, and Reports CM Frye: We know ethics policy needs to be improved, but I don’t think Council is that far apart. We don’t want to go overboard, but we want to get it right. We’ve seen one draft. We are going to do it right and take the time. There’s no rush that it has to get done immediately. The State Legislative Agenda has started. There are some nuisance properties in District 5 we are addressing. It doesn’t happen that often, but it is noticeable and something we have to deal with occasionally. We are working on Federal Legislative Agenda. We have been able to shore up some budget areas with federal COVD money. We have been blessed on a federal level. Q (DAB): The housing issues you mentioned, were those nuisance abatement issues that you have municipal code that you can enforce? A: Yes, one was a fire that destroyed an entire home and they’ve done a poor job boarding it up. And some other code enforcement issues with cars left on the street not operable making it a challenge for the neighborhood. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Staff Reports 4. Wichita Fire Department Report Jason Jones reported: January no structure fires for investigation. Only district in City with no significant structure fires. Pretty steady on medical calls. Total for 2020 about 80,000 alarms for the City. 5. Wichita Police Department Report Officer Lori Kimrey reported: Second Chance Thursday on February 11th for people who have traffic warrants. Getting rid of those warrants by giving new court dates. Notice to Appear warrants, Probation Violation warrants, and DAB 5 • February 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 2  everything else is still bookable, so if you have a domestic violence for instance you’re still going to jail. That will be 3pm to 10pm. One of the addresses of concern with violations* (at this point Officer Kimrey lost connection). C (CM Frye): She did email about that status update and she had been working with the homeowner of the property and their tenants, so she’s doing a great job trying to get this fixed for us there. Officer Kimrey: Yes, I did get a hold of the landlord and they are working on them, but because of COVID rules, with lack of payment you can't evict, but with nuisance violations you can, so this is going to court Friday. Q (CM Frye): How is the catalytic converter issue? A: We are making arrests but they are they’re kicking them right out so until we get better laws to keep them held. We know who the players are and we’ve been booking them, but we have about one to two a night at least in District 5. C (CM Frye): I saw in Riley County they were hitting school busses up there, so maybe some of these other counties will start helping out in the cause in terms of getting better laws. A: It’s really frustrating for us because we know who they are and we keep booking them and they just get out because they’re misdemeanor offenses right now. 6. Park and Recreation Department Report David McGuire reported: Working on CIP and budget documents. Park Maintenance and Forestry doing normal winter work. Pruning trees and taking down trees. Not too much out of the norm. Recreation Division taking registration for youth football. Program starts March 20. New spring guide can be mailed to your home but you have to sign up online. It is free. You can get it electronically on the City website. 7. Wichita Public Library Report Tracie Partridge reported: Library only providing curbside and drive through service right now. Customers can place holds using our catalogue. We are waiving hold fees right now. Issuing library cards using curbside. We do not have public computing or Wi-Fi right now. We have over 25,000 eBooks and eaudio books. Big Read Wichita going on. All activities are virtual. Visit bigreadwichita.org to get a list of activities. Circe is mythology based. We offer mobile printing. We changed the email address for that. Complete listings on library website. Some people have trouble accessing our collection. We have a service called grab bags. We put together books for children. We also have recommended reading lists. Today we opened the Ronald W Walters Branch Library that replaced the Linwood library. It will have the same hours and is twice the size. They are providing curbside service right now. Explained the reading challenge bingo. DAB 5 • February 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 3  Q (DAB): When will the library be opening up again? A: We don’t have a date, but they are watching things and developing standards of what they want to meet, but right now they are just doing curbside and drive thru, and the virtual programs. What you can do is on our website, we have an entire page on COVID and how the library is responding, and that will have updates. C (Public): Alan Kailer: I have used the curbside service several times and it is excellent. C (DAB): I would like to encourage you to open the library back up with 6 feet social distancing. I think you have the space to do that. The positivity rate is in the single digits now. The poor people, their only computer might be the library. Q (DAB): Who makes that decision? A: It is a library decision and it is actually made by our administrative board and they consult with the library board and other city officials. What I can do is share your feelings and make them aware because that is always good to hear. Q (Public) Russell Fox: Where was the conversation about the possible expansion of the Westlink branch? A: After the District 3 library and the expansion of the Evergreen branch in District 6 is the expansion of Westlink, doubling its size, adding a larger children’s reading area and more rooms. That got pushed back in the CIP to 23. COVID had an impact on our finances. Westlink will double in size in 23 in its current location. We had architects look at that facility and determine that it fit on that space very well and it could easily be adapted without interfering with the normal operation. Q (Public) Russell Fox: Is that going to involve an increase in staffing at Westlink or is that something somebody else will decide? A: We anticipate there would be an increase in staff because of the larger facility, the additional computer workstations, and the teen reading room. At this point we don’t know how many. 8. Public Works & Utilities Report Steve Degenhardt, Public Works & Utilities, reported: Projects Under Construction 13th Street, Cowskin Creek to 135th Street Two-way traffic on 135th open in both directions and 13th in both directions 119th to 135th. Wrapping up sidewalk work. Will have to come back in second quarter of next year to put final layer of asphalt on top. 37th & Tyler Traffic Signal Poles delivered last week. Should be fully operational next week. Projects in Design Harvest Park Pool underground work in progress. Expecting it to be complete in time for pool season 2021. Pavement Preservation work continues. 2020 program everything complete. 2021 program – asphalt overlays – 119th from Maple to 13th, Central from Maize to Tyler, Central from Woodchuck to Ridge, Maple from 119th to Maize – will start 2nd quarter. Microsurfacing – pavement repairs first then thin surface on top. Crack seal – 135th from ½ mile south of 13th to 13th, Maize from Maple to Central. Residential streets – several. Check out the maps. 3rd quarter. Preservation seal – Ridge from 21st to 96, DAB 5 • February 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 4  Central from Tyler to Woodchuck, Central from Ridge to 235, then Maple from 119 th to 135th. All in 3rd quarter. Projects Under Design Aquatics Master Plan – phase 3 – still under design. Phase 1a, 1b, and 2 under construction. North Junction – KDOT agreed to fund the remaining $4 million in Gold Project. Might start construction this spring. Q (DAB): Any update to the 37th St sidewalk project? A: Construction is set to begin in Q2. Q (Public) Alan Kailer: I need clarification on how that sidewalk program works. That’s a million dollars for 10 years, that’s the one you’re talking about? A: The one for tomorrow, I don’t think it’s that high. Q: Is this the arterial sidewalk program? A: Tomorrow is the sidewalk maintenance program. These are for fixes, uneven, and trip hazards. Q: Is that different than what is in the CIP? A: Yes. CM Frye: The new sidewalk was $400,000 annual for adding new sidewalks, is that correct? A: It’s a lower amount, I don’t have that amount in front of me. Action Taken: Received and filed. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • New Business 9. Housing and Community Services FY 2021-2022 Funding; CDBG, HOME, ESG Brad Snapp, Housing and Community Services Department, presented the Consolidated Plan for the 2019 through 2023 program years. Staff is soliciting comment regarding funding priorities for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending on June 30, 2022. HUD has not announced the City’s allocation amounts for the upcoming program year. Preliminary plans will be based on estimated funding at current levels and will be adjusted to reflect actual allocation amounts. Q (DAB): How does that work? There are plenty of houses in bad shape near Guadalupe Clinic. A: It could be transferred to a CHDO or anyone else that wanted to rehab it or build a new home there for affordable housing. C (CM Frye): The idea is to use other tools to get these properties into the hands of developers and others who have certain rules to follow to get them ready to be habitable and generating tax revenue. Some other issues go into that with zoning and looking at C (CM Frye): Housing has done a phenomenal job in 2020 dealing with COVID and CARES funding. For example the Hotel 316 transformation to the women’s shelter. Long term this will help our homeless population long after the COVID crisis. A: We were blessed to have Sally Stang come in as Housing Director. DAB 5 • February 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 5 Action Taken: Provided feedback C (CM Frye): I got to take a tour of the County Zoo renovation and it is amazing. They offered it to our DAB. All their offices, their board room and other things. In early April, I would like our DAB to tour Harvest Park Pool Q (Alan Kailer): I was able to watch the ethics workshop. I appreciate your comments. I think it makes sense to bring it out to the DABs. A: Transparency to me means we need to bring it out to the DABs. In March you should see that at the DABs. Q (DAB): Any updates on D3 council member vacancy? A: Not really. They are verifying and validating petitions right now. Then they will have a special DAB meeting for the DAB to send a recommendation to COuncil • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:37 p.m. The next District 5 Advisory Board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 1, 2021. It will take place virtually via Zoom. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Guests Russel Fox Alan Kailer Mike Greene Nick Blasi • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Respectfully submitted, Cory Buchta, Community Services Representative, District 5 DAB 5 • February 1, 2021 • Minutes • Page 6