HUTCHINSON, Kan. — SW Bricktown had its annual meeting last week to determine priorities for the year.
According to notes from that meeting provided on the neighborhood's Facebook page, residents want to continue holding a Fiesta for Hispanic Heritage Month, but will not hold a Cinco de Mayo event.
There is interest in supporting Cinco de Mayo events presented by other organizations in Hutchinson, whether through publicity or recruiting extra volunteers.
Residents want to continue advocating for the neighborhood regarding plans for the Woodie Seat Freeway. Although the city is moving forward with plans to close Avenue B beneath the freeway, residents can still advocate for the city to invest in other ways in the neighborhood, such as street and sidewalk improvements, expanding SW Bricktown Park where the on-ramp currently is, and installing new public art to replace the mural on Avenue A that would be demolished as part of the city's current plans.
The city is taking the next steps toward a Jim Martinez Trail access at the west end of Avenue A. The city manager approved getting preliminary concepts prepared. It doesn't mean a trail access will be built, but it is a necessary step for it to be built. Also, the Hutchinson Land Bank bought a property next to the levee that could be used for the trail access.
Residents still want to see housing in the neighborhood improved, but homeowners in SW Bricktown need help. Interfaith Housing and SCKEDD have programs that can help people, but there are obstacles, including paperwork, education about programs, and matching funds.
The neighborhood would like Interfaith and SCKEDD to present about the programs they offer, and would like to help in providing resources to help people fill out paperwork, similar to the tax preparation offered by the Volunteer Center.
Residents also want to continue to pursue sidewalk improvements, additional outdoor lighting, and tree planting. The city has $50,000 to help property owners replace sidewalks (the application is online at https://www.hutchgov.com/520/SAFE-Sidewalk-Program), but homeowners are expected to provide matching funds of either $100 or 5% of the total cost, whichever is more. Evergy is in charge of street lights, but the city pays the cost of the electricity. There was a street light walking audit that was done early in the neighborhood program. Adam Stewart will find that paperwork to bring back. The neighborhood can also reapply for assistance from the tree board, as they struggled to get property owners to sign up for trees last year. The goal is to get 2 or 3 done, so those could be used as a demonstration to show the rest of the neighborhood what is possible.
Residents want to get more people from the neighborhood involved. Home ownership being tied up in probate after a home owner dies without proper estate planning can prevent heirs from getting assistance from programs like Interfaith and SCKEDD have. The neighborhood wants to look at teaming with the Human Relations Commission for ways to help more SW Bricktown home owners with estate planning.
Human Relations Officer Dave Sotelo also recently organized a "field trip" for SW Bricktown stakeholders to Empower in Wichita's North End. Empower partners with other non-profits and the city to connect residents with a variety of resources for health, community, secondary and higher education, city services, small business and workforce development, and home ownership. They work out of the Evergreen Community Center and Library, which has 80% bilingual staff.
The next steps for the neighborhood are making decisions regarding the Fiesta including entertainment budget, plans for marketing and beer sales, and sponsorship tiers; and deciding how the neighborhood wants to promote the city's Safe Access For Everyone sidewalk replacement program, including possibly making grants to homeowners to provide matching funds.
The neighborhood will meet to discuss those next steps at a meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 6 in the Community Conference Room at Hutch Rec's downtown office, 17 E. 1st Ave.
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