The Wichita City Council has approved reallocating funds from the sale of the Hyatt Hotel to increase access to youth recreational activities in Wichita's District 1.
The funds will support free swim days at McAfee Pool on Saturdays this summer and five alternating Saturdays next year. It will cost $24 thousand to fund the free swim days.
The funds will also help provide scholarships for 430 youth football participants, covering registration and uniform costs.
Council member Brandon Johnson says he's excited about helping families out.
The funds for youth football, $49,450 in total, will be offered exclusively to Wichita residents on a first-come, first-served basis.
In September 2017, the council authorized the use of Hyatt Regency Wichita sale proceeds to fund projects in the city's six council districts.
The council also approved funding for the promotion of tourism and convention activities in the city during 2026.
Visit Wichita receives annual funding from the city through an allocation from the city's transient guest tax fund. A 2.75% nightly hotel room fee is projected to generate $3.9 million in revenue.
Visit Wichita reports the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Intrust Bank Arena in January provided $4 million in economic impact to the city, while the NCAA Tournament in March brought in $7 million.
The organization also reports every dollar spent on leisure advertising in 2024 brought a little over $116 in spending to the Wichita area.