The 2023 Wichita Neighborhood Cleanup applications are now available online. During the 2022 cleanup season there were 50 neighborhoods throughout the City of Wichita that were able to secure free equipment and disposal fees because their neighborhood association or a group of volunteers and organizer staged one in their neighborhood. If you live in a Home Owners Association (HOA) or live in a neighborhood that averages above the $88.7K annual combined household income, your neighborhood cannot qualify for a free cleanup.

Those neighborhoods that do qualify showed record amounts of waste and tires collected last year. We surmise that this is due to multiple factors such as the higher costs of having items hauled off and disposed of by private contractors, remodeling or replacement of furnishings with the pandemic stimulus monies, or families that have been hit hard by inflation and having to decide between paying for groceries or paying for trash service. The total cost of the 2022 neighborhood cleanups, not including notices and other expenses incurred by the neighborhood, was over $264K. This program is one of the best "bangs for the buck" that helps to keep blight out of our neighborhoods. Illegal dumping in alleys, side streets and ditches continues to be a problem throughout the entire county. Disposal fees at the City-owned Brooks Landfill remain low and accessible. Most trash services continue to pick up certain large items. Just call your trash service to get a quote for picking up items that do not fit in your trash cart. Some of the private haulers have very reasonable prices.

No matter the reasons behind needing a neighborhood cleanup, yard waste and damaged furniture or equipment is part of everyday life. Many residents have asked me when Wichita is going to have a citywide cleanup. With 400,000 residents, not to mention the expense of hauling and disposal of large bulky items from all the residences in Wichita, it would take weeks of work and more equipment and volunteers than is feasible. This is why we continue to fund qualified neighborhoods over a period of 7 months each year. In addition to this program, Sedgwick County Environmental Resources offers free dump vouchers (for up to 1,000 pounds) every other year, and free tire disposal for the years in between. For a list of tips and resources for disposing of various household and yard waste, click here.

Do you know the name of your neighborhood and if you have an independent neighborhood association or Home Owners Association (HOAs pay annual fees)?

If you don't know the name of your neighborhood or if there is a neighborhood association that you can join and be a part of, the City has a free map service you can use here. If you are still unsure, contact your City Council Member or the Community Services Representative for your area of Wichita and neighborhood association by scrolling to your representative on the City Council page.

To learn more about when and where the kickoff and other Big Read related events will occur, click here!

On Tuesday, February 14, the City Council voted to adopt a new plan to improve many of the downtown streets by widening lanes, converting one-way streets to two-way streets and installing center turn lanes, bike paths, and new traffic signals in designated areas that are less confusing for commuters, downtown residents, and visitors. This initiative will also improve pedestrian safety and walkability for the downtown area. You can read more here.

Everyone is invited to attend the State of the City Address at City Hall, 455 N Main St. There will be a reception in the First Floor Board Room at 5:30 pm, followed by the State of the City address at 6:30 pm that will be held in the City Council Chambers.

If planning to attend, please RSVP to Casey Yingling at [email protected]

The 37th annual Academy Award Short Film Festival, presented by Wichita Public Library, runs March 4-11 at several locations in and around Wichita. Each year, Wichita Public Library screens the nominated short films in the live action, animation and documentary categories. 

The 95th Academy Awards will be televised on Sunday, March 12, 2023. More information is available at wichitalibrary.org/academyawards.

Wichita USD 259, Haysville USD 261, and Goddard USD 265 will be at Spring Recess March 13 - 17. Will you be going somewhere sunny and warm, or do you need help keeping your kids busy that week? No School? No Problem! Don't stress about those in-service days and spring breaks. Kids Konnection is a great camp filled with a variety of activities including sports, games, contests, arts & crafts, and special events. This camp is licensed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and open to children ages 6-12 in a 1:15 staff to child ratio setting.

Want to enroll? Click here for fees and registrations!

Juniors book a tee time at golfwichita.com or in the Golf Wichita app, then when checking in at the clubhouse, complete a quick online form on their mobile device, show staff to verify and then go play for FREE!

For more league and sports activities, visit the Spring version of Evolve!

Federal forms can be found here. Kansas forms can be found here.

More information can be found on the tax page on the Library’s website.

The Wichita District 4 Advisory Board meets monthly to weigh in on current Zoning and other cases presented by the Wichita-Sedgwick County Planning Department, as well as discussions and presentations by various other departments. The March meeting will be held at the Alford Branch Library, 3447 S Meridian, 6:30 pm, March 6, 2023. Or you can continue to join us via Zoom or Facebook Live. To join in on the meeting, the Zoom link is posted on each month's agenda that you can find on Councilman Blubaugh's page via Wichita.gov

The Civic Engagement Academy is a free eight-week course that helps residents explore civic engagement behaviors and action steps to improve quality of life for their families, and neighbors. Participants become acquainted with general City operations and an understanding of the work of various City Departments. Opportunities to experiment with civic engagement ideas are built into the classroom instruction and optional homework assignments.

Application are being accepted now through March 3. Apply here.

The LIEAP application period is now through Friday, March 30, 2023. Be sure to set a reminder on your mobile phone or home calendar so you do not miss the deadline. For more information please check the following link - http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Pages/EnergyAssistance.aspx

In addition, Share The Warmth program helps families who are in an immediate financial emergency and need assistance paying their heating bills. You can apply at your nearest Salvation Army location (available through April 30)

To find out when a street sweeper will be visiting your neighborhood, street closures, water outages, public parks in other parts of the City, and more, just add this link to your "favorites".

Banking - Bank on ICT

Clothing programs - http://www.findhelp.org/goods/clothing--wichita-ks

Community Crime Map - http://communitycrimemap.com/

Complaints, register - http://access.wichita.gov/

Emergency assistance, call United Way of the Plains at 2-1-1.

Food Pantries - http://www.foodpantries.org/ci/ks-wichita AND http://kansasfoodsource.org/

Grass/Weeds over 12" high - email to: [email protected]

Home Repair Program Resource Guide

ICT Census Portal - Wichita Census 2020 (arcgis.com)

Kansas Assistance Programs - http://cssp.kees.ks.gov/apspssp/sspNonMed.portal

Mental Health Counseling - simply call 9-8-8

Park and Recreation Guide - http://www.wichita.gov/ParkandRec/Pages/ActivitiesGuide.aspx

Wichita Public Works - Street Construction

Water Conservation Rebate Program - http://www.wichita.gov/PWU/Pages/SaveWichitaWater.aspx

Water Customer Service - http://link.wichita.gov/

Report potholes, broken street lights, damaged signs, illegal dumping, sewer, street/traffic, water, and more HERE