District 4 Mayor’s Newsletter Mayor Brandon Whipple

A message from Brandon Whipple

As we prepare to leave this year and enter the next, I hope you all get to spend time with loved ones, and have the opportunity to rest and enjoy the holidays!

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

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Results from the Previous Poll

How often do you visit www.wichita.gov? Daily - 22.2% Once or twice a week - 23.5% Once or twice a month - 28.4% Rarely or never - 25.9%

City Holiday Hours

In observance of the upcoming holidays, City Hall will be closed on Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31. To see a full list holiday closings and special hours for all City of Wichita facilities, click here.

Tell Your COVID Story: Library to Archive Wichita’s Pandemic-Era Experiences

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues around the globe, the Wichita Public Library sees this as an opportunity to document the effects of the pandemic in Wichita through a new project called “Tell Your COVID Story.” In October, the Library received an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for this project. Staff will solicit and collect submissions relating to community members' lives and experiences during the pandemic, including written memories, photographs, videos and more. The Library will pay particular attention to collecting experience of healthcare workers, frontline workers, small business owners, educators and students, minority communities and local politicians. The Library’s special collections section will lead the project. An online submission form is available for residents to submit their stories (wichitalibrary.org/tell-your-story). Once the stories are compiled, staff will upload content to an online platform which residents will be able to access.

City Updates

The City of Wichita has allocated $10 million of ARPA funds to help local organizations recover from the pandemic. The City of Wichita invites grant applications from organizations interested in implementing Workforce Development and/or Small Business/Entrepreneurial Development. The recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $15 billion for airport‐related projects nationwide. Eisenhower National plans to receive about $4.5 million and Jabara will receive $763,000. The City of Wichita hosted a blood drive for employees on December 15. Together, staff donated 18 pints of blood – enough to help 54 people. Renovation activities continue at the Dunbar Theater, located at 1007 N. Cleveland. At this point, the renovation is approximately 50% complete. To date, 5,659 Wichita Emergency Rental Assistance (WERAP) applications have been received. MABCD financial and permit reports are in for November and showed another very strong month for revenue and construction activity. Overall revenue remains on track to exceed original projections for this year. Since December 1, Municipal Court has received 103 Senate Bill 127 motions to waive costs, fines or fees for manifest hardship in cases where driver’s licenses are suspended. The influx is the product of the driver’s license clinic put on by Kansas Legal Services and demonstrates the need for assistance in returning drivers to legal driving. RDG Planning & Design visited Wichita to present Park & Recreation with the Award of Excellence for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Central States Award of Excellence for Pracht Wetlands Park. Over 1,000 people attended the tree lighting in Naftzger Park. Osage Park’s tennis/pickleball courts are completed and ready for play!

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