Voice For Liberty

Tag: Downtown Wichita

  • Should Wichitans care when ballpark development starts?

    This article discusses the financial implications of the delayed development around Riverfront Stadium in Wichita. Costing $85 million, Riverfront Stadium is among the priciest Minor League ballparks, funded by $42.14 million in sales tax and revenue bonds from a 2018 state program for tourist attractions. The initial development phase was set to conclude by July 2024, but construction has been postponed to late summer or early fall of the following year. Delays could mean the city using taxpayer money intended for other purposes to repay the state. Vice Mayor Mike Hoheisel expressed concerns about diverting funds from parks, streets, and public safety. The city’s financial strategy involves STAR bonds, which, when successful, allow cities to finance new attractions without upfront taxpayer costs. However, if these projects don’t self-finance, cities must find alternative funding sources. The article emphasizes the importance of timely development to ensure financial stability and avoid burdening taxpayers.

    The Wichita Eagle. “Should Wichitans care when ballpark development starts? If you pay taxes, then yes.” September 03, 2023.
    https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article278616494.html

    Summary generated by ChatGPT

  • Sedgwick County Talent Attraction

    Sedgwick County Talent Attraction

    In an index ranking counties in talent attraction, Sedgwick County has not performed well, although there is some improvement. (more…)

  • Downtown Wichita Tax Base

    Downtown Wichita Tax Base

    There’s been much investment in downtown Wichita. But it isn’t evident in the assessed value of property, although the recent trend is positive. (more…)

  • Naftzger Park event management agreement still ambiguous

    Naftzger Park event management agreement still ambiguous

    This week the Wichita City Council will update an agreement from last year, but it appears important issues were not addressed.

    Last February the City of Wichita approved an agreement with a local business to manage events at Naftzger Park. With the pandemic upending public events, the business — Wave Old Town, LLC — was unable to program any events. Therefore, the city wants to add additional time to the agreement.

    During the delay, the city could have addressed problems with the original agreement. Some problems concern the bidding process. My concern was the uncertainty in the profit-sharing agreement, which could result in widely varying results depending on how the profit is calculated. None of these issues are mentioned in the agenda packet for Tuesday’s meeting. Further, the item is scheduled on the consent agenda. This means there will be no discussion on this item, and there will not be a vote specifically on this item, unless at least one member of the council decides to “pull” it from the consent agenda.

    There is discussion on Facebook in the Naftzger Park group here. Following, my article from February 2020, which applies today as then:

    Naftzger Park event management agreement ambiguous

    The profit-sharing agreement for Naftzger Park event management contains ambiguity that could lead to disputes.

    Today the Wichita City Council approved an agreement with Wave Old Town LLC for event management in Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita. The agreement was approved unanimously.

    While there was controversy over the awarding of the contract (Wichita Eagle reporting is here), others have noticed that the contract is imprecise in a way that could lead to problems.

    The city and Wave will share profits and losses based on a schedule in the management agreement contained in the agenda packet for today’s meeting, Item V-2. The issue is when the profit-sharing is calculated.

    Profit-sharing agreement for City of Wichita and Wave. Click for larger.

    Based on the way the profit-sharing is calculated, different profit-sharing results could be obtained from the same event history. The management services agreement the city council passed today does not speak to this issue. Neither does the request for proposal for event management.

    The issue is when the profit-sharing calculation is performed and using which data, as follows:

    • Profit-sharing could be calculated independently for each event, using data for just the current event. This is illustrated in example 1.
    • Profit-sharing could be calculated once at the end of the year (or another period) using the sum of events during the period. This is shown in example 2.
    • Profit-sharing could be calculated independently for each event, using cumulative data for the year (or another period). Example 3 illustrates.

    As the following examples show, the differences between these three methods of calculation could be substantial. These three examples assume two events, one with an event profit of $49,999, and the second with an event loss of $49,999. Notice that depending on how and when the same calculation is performed, Wave’s share of profits could be $0, or $25,000, or $49,999. The city could either lose $25,000 or $0.

    While these examples are contrived and use extreme values, they illustrate that the agreement the council passed is ambiguous. There could be disputes that could be avoided with careful attention to detail by the city when constructing contracts.

    Click for larger.
  • Downtown Wichita jobs rise

    Downtown Wichita jobs rise

    The reported number of jobs in Downtown Wichita rose in 2018, but there is an issue with the data.

    (more…)

  • Downtown Wichita population is up

    Downtown Wichita population is up

    New Census Bureau data shows the downtown Wichita population growing in 2019.

    Data released today by the United States Census Bureau shows the estimated population for zip code 67202 in 2019 was 1,751, an increase of 80 from the prior year.

    Zip code 67202 is greater downtown Wichita, from the Arkansas River east to Washington, and Kellogg north to Central, roughly.

    The source of this data is U.S. Census Bureau, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. This is not the Bureau’s estimate of the population in 2019. This is because for areas of population less than 65,000, the Bureau does not provide one-year estimates. Instead, the five-year estimates use data gathered over a longer time period in order to provide greater accuracy.

    The Bureau cautions that the five-year estimates should not be used as the population of the year in the midpoint of the five-year period: “Therefore, ACS estimates based on data collected from 2011–2015 should not be labeled ‘2013,’ even though that is the midpoint of the 5-year period.” (See below for more about these data.)

    Additionally, the Bureau issues this advice: “However, in areas experiencing major changes over a given time period, the multiyear estimates may be quite different from the single-year estimates for any of the individual years.” Downtown Wichita, I believe, qualifies as an area “experiencing major changes.” The five-year estimates must be considered in light of this advice.

    Still, as shown in the nearby table and charts, the ACS population numbers are far below the population reported by the downtown Wichita development agency Downtown Wichita. (See my article Downtown Wichita population for more about this topic from a previous year.)

    The 90 percent confidence interval for the 2019 estimate is plus or minus 256 persons. This means the Bureau is confident the population is between 1,495 and 2,007, with 90 percent probability.

    Note that Downtown Wichita — the development agency — reports the downtown population as 2,778, which is 58.7 percent higher than the Census Bureau. It is extraordinarily unlikely that the Downtown Wichita numbers are anything near the actual population.

    Click charts and tables for larger versions.

    Following, excerpts from the Census Bureau publication Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data: What All Data Users Need to Know.

    Understanding Period Estimates
    Single-year and multiyear estimates from the ACS are all “period” estimates derived from a sample collected over a period of time, as opposed to “point-in-time” estimates such as those from past decennial censuses. For example, the 2000 Census “long form” sampled the resident U.S. population as of April 1, 2000.

    While an ACS 1-year estimate includes information collected over a 12-month period, an ACS 5-year estimate includes data collected over a 60-month period.

    In the case of ACS 1-year estimates, the period is the calendar year (e.g., the 2015 ACS covers the period from January 2015 through December 2015). In the case of ACS multiyear estimates, the period is 5 calendar years (e.g., the 2011–2015 ACS estimates cover the period from January 2011 through December 2015). Therefore, ACS estimates based on data collected from 2011–2015 should not be labeled “2013,” even though that is the midpoint of the 5-year period.

    Multiyear estimates should be labeled to indicate clearly the full period of time (e.g., “The child poverty rate in 2011–2015 was X percent.”). They do not describe any specific day, month, or year within that time period.

    Multiyear estimates require some considerations that single-year estimates do not. For example, multiyear estimates released in consecutive years consist mostly of overlapping years and shared data.

    The primary advantage of using multiyear estimates is the increased statistical reliability of the data compared with that of single-year estimates, particularly for small geographic areas and small population subgroups. Figure 3.2 shows the improved precision of an ACS 5-year estimate, compared with a 1-year estimate, for child poverty statistics in Rice County, Minnesota—a county with about 65,000 residents in 2015. The lines above and below the point estimates represent the confidence intervals, or ranges of uncertainty, around each estimate. The confidence interval for the 1-year child poverty estimate ranges from 1.4 percent to 9.4 percent (8 percentage points) while the interval for the 5-year estimate is narrower, ranging from 12.8 percent to 19.2 percent (6 percentage points). (Refer to the section on “Understanding Error and Determining Statistical Significance” for a detailed explanation of uncertainty in ACS data.)

    Deciding Which ACS Estimate to Use
    For data users interested in obtaining detailed ACS data for small geographic areas (areas with fewer than 65,000 residents), ACS 5-year estimates are the only option.

    The 5-year estimates for an area have larger samples and smaller margins of error than the 1-year estimates. However, they are less current because the larger samples include data that were collected in earlier years. The main advantage of using multiyear estimates is the increased statistical reliability for smaller geographic areas and small population groups.

    However, in areas experiencing major changes over a given time period, the multiyear estimates may be quite different from the single-year estimates for any of the individual years. The single year and multiyear estimates will not be the same because they are based on data from two different time periods.

  • Downtown Wichita attraction attendance

    Downtown Wichita attraction attendance

    Attendance at downtown Wichita attractions presented in an interactive visualization.

    The Source of data is Visit Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau as presented in State of Downtown Reports published by DowntownWichita.org.

    Click here to access the visualization.

    Example from the visualization. Click for larger.
  • Naftzger Park on the web: Do we care?

    Naftzger Park on the web: Do we care?

    A badly outdated portion of Wichita’s website makes me wonder: Does anyone care?

    In the Naftzger Park Facebook group that I co-administer, someone recently posted this:

    Hi! I’m [not] new to Wichita and a friend told me about a quaint and lovely Victorian style park set in the downtown area. I love little parks like these as they’re such an endearing surprise in the midst of old industrial buildings and warehouses. After seeing the pictures on your website, I can tell my friend understated the beauty of the park. I can’t wait to visit! One problem though, I can’t find the hours of park operation. Could you please tell me what time the park closes as I’d hate for people to think that I’m a bum just because I was visiting after 9:00 p.m.?

    In the next paragraph, the author confessed that the post is “pure sarcasm laced with bitterness,” because, as most Wichitans know, the Victorian Naftzger Park has been replaced with something else. While opinions vary as to whether the new park is better than the old, there is one thing of which this author is correct: “Not even a whisper of the change.”

    What hasn’t changed is the City of Wichita website, specifically the page devoted to Naftzger Park. 1 As of April 19, 2020, it shows photos of the old park and this description: “A mini-park located in the heart of downtown Wichita containing many beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs, and grass accenting the waterfall that flows into a pond. Park benches and a gazebo add to the park’s Victorian style as well as providing a quiet haven in the downtown area.”

    Wichita.gov, captured April 19, 2020. Click for larger.

    None of this, except for “mini-park located in the heart of downtown Wichita” has been true for a long time. Naftzger Park — the Victorian version — closed in May 2018, nearly two years ago, when construction started on the new version. The new version opened in March 2020.

    So the city’s website is nearly two years outdated regarding Naftzger Park, outdated in a very material manner. Does this matter? In the scenario from the start of this article, yes, it matters. For an enthusiast of these parks that might travel to Wichita for that reason: Yes, it matters. For those looking to the city’s website for current and accurate information: Yes, it matters.

    It matters for more than just Naftzger Park. Glaring examples like this cast doubt on the reliability of the rest of the city’s website. That’s a shame, because in my experience, the information on the city’s website is usually good. It could be more thorough in some simple but important ways, such as including spending records and legal notices. The city also overlooks simple ways to be innovative, such as posting fulfilled records requests.

    Outdated information like this is a symptom of someone not caring. It’s especially troubling in light of this week’s city council meeting, where many council members were effusive in their praise of the city manager during his annual performance evaluation. I imagine that the city manager doesn’t maintain the Park and Recreation section of the city’s website. Maybe the Director of Parks and Recreation doesn’t update the website. But someone does. Someone must be responsible for keeping things current.

    Naftzger Park, July 31, 2018.

    When that responsible person doesn’t care, responsibility flows upwards. Hasn’t anyone at the city noticed this badly outdated information? Have any park board members or city council members noticed? Anyone at DowntownWichita.org, the agency that, in its own words, “amplifies the energy, capital, and growth of downtown by empowering residents, visitors, and businesses to explore the possibilities of our city’s core.” Or what about someone at Visit Wichita? (To its credit, its website showcases the new version of Naftzger Park.) Or have they noticed but not cared? Or did they report the outdated page, but no one cared to act?

    It’s not the case that someone needs to spend hours creating a page for the new Naftzger Park. Just take the outdated stuff off the site.

    —
    Notes

    1. Should the city update this page, here is a link to a recent archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20200416014239/https://www.wichita.gov/ParkandRec/CityParks/Pages/Naftzger.aspx#. ↩
  • At Naftzger Park: ‘Sunflower Exclusive’

    At Naftzger Park: ‘Sunflower Exclusive’

    Dr. Chinyere Grace Okafor, poet, playwright and fiction writer, “is a Professor of English and Women’s Studies, Director of the Center for Women’s Studies and Chair of the Department of Women’s Studies and Religion, Wichita State University.” She has contributed a poem that is featured in the redesigned Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita.

    Chase Billingham visited the park and transcribed the poem. He reports: “This is the poem that has been carved into stone pavers in the new Naftzger Park. The poem appears twice in the park. It appears in its entirety in one large slab near Douglas Avenue. And the first few stanzas appear in larger print in stones that line the park’s lawn. I have transcribed the poem exactly as it appears — carved in stone — in the park (including, for example, the repeated use of the word “-nd”).”

    Sunflower Exclusive

    By Chinyere G. Okafor

    Fans make brief stops at Naftzger Park

    Salute Clinton Naftzger and Carry Nation

    Folks that did their work for this Park

    At the heart of our Shocker Nation.

    We salute colors and creeds of the globe

    Rainbow signs and heart of the Air Capital

    Where choral birds and metal birds waltz

    Skip and jump to the music of sunflower

    Arkansas River constructs the message

    The Prairie manufactures gifts of love

    Wrapped in sundry waves of grandeur

    Acclaimed by all as beloved of our land

    Sunflower knows naught the plough

    Name and hand that works the prairie

    This beauty snores but rises with spring

    For now day begins when you wake up

    You too, me too, like sleeping black bears

    Must wake up and rise up after our winter

    And with bold eyes face the blue sun of reality

    In the productive -nd laid-back home of liberty

    Breezy, windy, witty Wichita

    Where prosperity kisses reality

    Get-go-confronts the kitchen table

    And therapy comforts fragility

    Wide country stretches eyes to domain of memory

    Where landscape of imagination waters contemplation

    Earth, sky, and all deliver top of the line conditions

    Boast of twist -nd tornado that torpedo foundation

    Not what we have but how we love is what they remember

    Lives we touch not the bank account is what they remember

    For the ultimate within compels the fellowship marshal

    Smile of your hands -nd complete oneness of our circle

    Your bloody face and eyes like mine

    Fabulously human and whole not digital

    With legs that waltz the grace of love

    Shall drink from the cup of Wide Country

    When summer heat and River fest

    Rain, hail, slush and all of winter

    Where Santa, Silent Night and Snow

    Strive to rouse our snoozing vivacity

    Sparrow shall call the bell of liberty

    And beckon all to cookout at festival

    Where babe, pet and pal shake hands

    -Nd celebrate the blue sun of Wichita

    Cottonwood canopy spreads its wings

    Welcomes the crane and fish crow alike

    To halls and even basement of its groves

    So is our park with peace and open doors

    You may judge my stance as hopeless

    The one in some kind of freaky ditch

    Know that my time is mine and I rise!

    With my Chi or Angel planted by my God

    See processions of fish birds in the sky

    They do not disturb the pelican parade

    Or challenge globe trotting metal birds

    For the figure of liberty is clarion of all

    Arise fellows of this grumbling fest of life

    For our yesterday forever ended last night

    Seize our bill of right to the extraordinary

    I am special -nd shaped to be exceptional