The Clapp Park master plan, Kansas Open Records Act and social justice initiatives were the topics of a Wichita City Council workshop on Tuesday.
The council learned more about a roughly $28 million, four-phase plan to makeover the former Clapp golf course in southeast Wichita. An amphitheater, dog park, sledding hill and a farmer's market are just a few of the proposed design elements.
Council member Jared Cerullo serves District III where the park is located. He told the presenters from the Kansas City-based consulting firm Confluence that his constituents were concerned with flooding in the old golf course. They responded by saying their designs accounted for that possibility by keeping key elements like the parking lots, shelters and playground areas out of the flood zone.
The redesign could be in the city's 2022 budget and/or in the ten-year capital improvement plan.
The city will soon debut new software and present new ordinances related to Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) requests. Kansas City, Kansas uses the same system and city leaders say it will make filing requests easier and will feature an online library for past requests.
Council members also learned about Police department reforms over the last five years. The department has increased community-policing efforts and engaged in de-escalation, cultural awareness and mental health training to serve the community better.