DOCSLIB.ORG

WALA Fall Newsletter Message from the President Volume 25, No

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
WALA Fall Newsletter Message from the President Volume 25, No October 2016 WALA Fall Newsletter Message from the President Volume 25, No. 3 Greetings Wichita Area Library Association members and friends. My name is Tom Taylor. I am the Director of the Andover Public Library. I have been in Andover for almost 3 years, but I have been a WALA member since 2008 when I moved to Wichita. I enjoy listening to audiobooks, reading when I can, and watching Indy Car racing and other sports. It is my pleasure to serve you as the President of WALA. WALA is the best value of any professional organization I have belonged to. For only $15 you get to connect with a wide variety of librarians across the metro area. Our continuing education and advocacy offerings have proven to be very valuable to me and the libraries I have represented. And we have fun, lots of fun. It is, however, far from fun and games for Kansas libraries. Public Libraries and our regional library systems faced a significant legislative Tom Taylor, threat this past spring. Legislation appeared that would strip the WALA President, autonomy of local library boards and the taxing authority of the Andover regional library systems. Fortunately librarians and library supporters Public Library rallied to the cause and libraries were removed from that legislation. But our advocacy efforts must not end. That legislation could reappear. Our schools and universities are dealing with continued funding shortages that affect their libraries. We need to advocate on their behalf. We learned this past spring that our voices can be heard. So, please renew your membership if you have not already and join us at our annual Legislative Luncheon on November 21st at YaYa’s EuroBistro. Warmest Regards, Tom [email protected] Page 2 WALA 2015 - 2016 Leadership October 2016 Officers President Treasurer 2016 - 2017 2015 - 2017 Tom Taylor Kendra Mork Andover Public Library Goddard Public Library 316-558-3500 316-794-8771 tomtaylor [email protected] @andoverlibrary.org Vice President/President Secretary Find Us on Facebook! Elect 2016 - 2017 2016 - 2018 Helen Rigdon Angela Paul Volume 25, No. 3 Wichita Public Library Wichita State 316-688-9361 University Libraries [email protected] 316-978-5084 Don’t keep WALA the best-kept [email protected] secret in Kansas library land! Like us on Facebook and invite Immediate Past President Newsletter Editor 2016 - 2017 2015 – your friends to do the same. Kristi Jacobs Sara Butts Bradford Memorial Library Wichita State We are always happy to post (El Dorado, KS) University Libraries about events or job openings at 316-321-3363 316-978-5017 WALA libraries — just send a link [email protected] [email protected] to Sara Butts at Webmaster Ex Officio [email protected]. 2015 - Jill Stern Samuel Willis South Central Kansas Wichita State Library System (SCKLS) University Libraries 1-800-234-0529 ext. 151 [email protected] [email protected] Upcoming Events Board of Directors Anne Ethen 2016-2018 Cindy Pfeiffer 2015-2017 Wichita Public Library Circle High School October 19-21: 316-303-8181 316-541-2277 Kansas Library Conference [email protected] [email protected] Hyatt Regency Sue Koenig 2015-2017 Sara Butts 2016-2018 *See page 3 Wright Community College Wichita State 316-927-7700 ext. 219 University Libraries [email protected] 316-978-5017 November 21: [email protected] Legislative Luncheon Samuel Willis 2016-2018 Ruth Harries 2015-2017 Ya Ya’s EuroBistro Wichita State Butler Community College *See page 7 University Libraries 316-322-3351 [email protected] [email protected] December 9: Holiday Party Newman University *See page 7 Page 3 2016 Kansas Library Conference When: October 19-21 Where: Hyatt Regency 400 W. Waterman St. Wichita, KS 67202 Sign Up: http://kslibassoc.org/2016conf/ Keynotes: Joan Frye Williams, Library Consultant Gene Ambaum, Co-Creator of Unshelved, the library comic strip Stop by the WALA table near the registration desk and the Ballroom Foyer on Wednesday and Thursday to purchase tickets for the KLAEF basket raffle. The WALA board is contributing a basket with the theme “Go For The Gold.” The basket drawing will be held in the Redbud room on Thursday during the Awards Reception from 5:00-5:45 p.m. WALA is sponsoring a dine-around on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. after the Exhibitor’s Bash where you can network with other library professionals and WALA members. Meet at the registration desk and then eat at your chosen restaurant. Register at http://bit.ly/2dpsNih Tweet about the conference with #kslib16 Page 4 October 2016 2016 Annual Meeting The 2016 WALA Annual Meeting on May 19th had a great turnout. We celebrated the retirement of Jean Hatfield of Wichita Public Library and Max Burson of Friends University. We also enjoyed the stand-up comedy of Wichita Public Library’s resident comedian Daniel Pewewardy. Volume 25, No. 3 New Professionals Meet & Greet The New Professionals Meet and Greet was held on September 22nd at Wichita Public Library’s Alford branch. Approximately nine new library professionals met to network with other library professionals in Wichita Page 5 Andover Public Library Raises Money For Andover Food Bank Andover Public Library Director Tom Taylor and Children’s Librarian Jennifer Clark helped raise money for the Andover Food Bank by sitting in the dunk tank during Greater Andover Days on Oct 1st. The library raised over $600 for the food bank from their fundraiser. Page 6 October 2016 The Big Read Wichita The Big Read Wichita can be found in many local businesses and libraries in the Wichita area, providing free and paid events from book club discussions to play adaptations and movie screenings of Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451. The events will take place from October 1st to November 15th. Some of the featured events are listed below; however, the full list of events can be found at http://www.bigreadwichita.org. Volume 25, No. 3Volume Big Read Kick-off Party 10/1 from 2-4 p.m. @ The Wichita Art Museum Reader’s Theatre 10/23 from 2-3:30 p.m. @ Wichita Community Theatre Mozart & Shostakovich 10/29 from 8-10 p.m. & 10/30 from 3-5 p.m. Wichita Symphony Orchestra @ Century II Concert Hall Cover art by Matt Owen Evening with Bradbury’s Biographer 11/5 from 7-9 p.m. @ WSU Hughes Metroplex WALA Legislative Luncheon November 21st @ Ya Ya’s Eurobistro 12-1:30 p.m. See flier for details on page 7 for details RSVP to Kendra Mork and pay at the door WALA Holiday Party December 9th @ 5 p.m. Newman University Alumni Room Page 7 Page 8 Join us! October 2016 Do you know a library staff member who would enjoy the social interaction and networking opportunities that WALA offers? Do you have a coworker who could contribute to our local organization? Do you have an employee who has great ideas and loves to be involved with the community? If so, encourage them to become a Read WALA NEWS at: member of the Wichita Area Library Association! http://walaks.org/ For $15.00 a year, membership for WALA is a newsletter/ steal! All they need to do is fill out a membership Volume 25, No. 3 application and mail it and a check for $15.00 (made payable to WALA) to Kendra Mork, WALA Treasurer Goddard Public Library 201 N. Main St. Wichita, KS 67213 Membership forms can be found on our website: http://walaks.org/ The Wichita Area Library Association (WALA) is an organization of li- brary professionals started in 1982 in Wichita, Kansas. WALA is dedicated to supporting libraries and library employees in the Wichita area and works to improve library services and access for the Wichita area community of library users. Submit materials for WALA NEWS to: Sara Butts Wichita State University Libraries 316-978-5017 [email protected] .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Downtown Destinations and Bicycle Facilities
    15TH 14TH 14TH ¨¦§I-135 (!9 13TH MERIDIAN SANTA FE SANTA MCLEAN 11TH 11TH MEAD OAK JACKSON WASHINGTON LEWELLEN 10TH EDWARDS MATHEWSON RIVER INDIANA PERRY McAdams COOLIDGE Via Christi W O R 9TH D O St. Francis Neighborhood H AMIDON O W Medical Core District S A B A Center W WACO PORTER LITCHFIELD FAULKNER MURDOCK (!3 PINE SIM (!1 CLEVELAND ELM MUSEUM (!21 (!11 (!16 CENTRAL (!15 OHIO (!14 3RD (!17 Old Town EMPORIA MARKET TOPEKA (!19 BROADWAY (!5 (!6 PENNSYLVANIA (!7 MOSLEY SANTA FE SANTA MCLEAN 1ST Downtown MEAD 2ND Wichita (!24 (!8 Douglas DODGE 1ST (!23 DOUGLAS OSAGE Design District WALNUT (!4 (!18 ATHENIAN (!20 Delano Shopping Core District (!26 VINE (!2 (!10 GREENWOOD TEXAS PATTIE D CHARLES SEDGWICK BURTON N O M H Commerce SYCAMORE (!13 LEWIS ELIZABETH (!12 C I R Street Arts EDWARDS (!22 (!25 District MERIDIAN KELLOGG Friends UNIVERSITY KELLOGG University INDIANAPOLIS KELLOGG WICHITA DAYTON WATER GILBERT MUNNELL SOUTHWEST Downtown Destinations & Bicycle Facilities 0 0.25 0.5 Miles I! Wichita Bicycle Wayfinding Plan LEGEND Existing Bicycle Facilities Destinations Sidepath Paved Shoulder Level 2 Destinations Shared Use Path Marked/Signed Shared Lane (# Level 3 Destinations Bicycle Lane Other Connection 1 Botanica Wichita 16 Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall 2 Carnegie Library Building 17 The Keeper of the Plains Planned Bicycle Facilities 3 Central Riverside Park 18 Union Station 4 Century II Convention Center 19 Veterans Memorial Park Sidepath Paved Shoulder 5 Decorative Arts Collection Museum 20 Wichita-Sedgwick Co 6 Epic Center Historical
    [Show full text]
  • To Whom It May Concern, I Am Writing to You to Express My Concern That
    To whom it may concern, I am writing to you to express my concern that Century II and the old downtown library have been removed from the plan to redesign the look of the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita and will apparently be replaced with smaller buildings and a large green space designed to connect other businesses to the river. I believe that if this plan is carried out and Century II were destroyed, that it would cost the city and her residents a significant economic structure that will not be easily replaced. I feel that the so called need to grow and revitalize often comes with the destruction of our irreplaceable history. Both Century II and the library are historic buildings that many consider permanent structures in the downtown aera. They are both irreplaceable history that will be gone forever! Many Wichitans have grown up attending events at Century II, everything from concerts, plays, comedy specials and graduations. Century II is iconic with the Wichita skyline. When I hear that a “international consulting group,” with no ties to Wichita, has eliminated Century II from their “Riverfront Legacy Master Plan,” then, I must say, they do not have the right feel for Wichita in mind while trying to carry out this job. Many have, just as fond memories of the library, as well, as do I. I understand that there are several plans on the table and while I believe that one calls for the destruction of Century II, my hope is that another will lean toward renovating the building.
    [Show full text]
  • September Programs
    SEPTEMBER PROGRAMS SENIOR WEDNESDAY YOUR SCHEDULE FOR JULY - SEPT 2018 September 5 Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, 10 am doors open, 10:30 program begins -– Wichita Art designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of twelve Museum TBA institutions. 1:30 pm—WATER Center The 3 R’s of Recycling, Mary Tipping, Miller Pro KS Recycling First Wednesday Morning, Doors open at 10 am September 12 Wichita Art Museum ($2 admission) 10 am—Sedgwick County Zoo (316) 268-4921 Palm Oil: Knowledge and Action Afternoon, 1:30 pm Learn how palm oil cultivation impacts the environment and what WATER Center (Free) 101 E. Pawnee, in Herman Hill can be done to reduce those effects. (316) 350-3386 1:30 pm—Wichita Public Library, Advanced Learning Library Second Wednesday The History of Friends University with Anne Crane & Max Burson Morning, 10 am Sedgwick County Zoo ($4 programming fee) Learn more about this historic west-side university, which has been (316) 266-8213 in Wichita since the late 1800s. Current and former directors of the Afternoon, 1:30 pm Edmund Stanley Library at Friends will trace the high points of this Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. 2nd Street (Free) community treasure. (316) 261-8500 Third Wednesday September 19 Morning, 10 am light refreshments, 10:30 program begins 10 am—Ulrich Museum of Art TBA Ulrich Museum of Art, WSU (Free) 1:30 pm — The Kansas African American Museum TBA 1845 N. Fairmount (316) 978-3664 September 26 Afternoon, 1:30 pm 10 am—Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum The Kansas African American Museum (Free) Antique Toys by Kenneth Holmes 316-262-7651 See Ken’s fabulous collection of antique lithograph toys, learn their Fourth Wednesday history and see how they work.
    [Show full text]
  • 80 Kansas History “Peerless Princess of the Southwest”: Boosterism and Regional Identity in Wichita, Kansas
    “Corn is King” (1887). Courtesy of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains 38 (Summer 2015): 80–107 80 Kansas History “Peerless Princess of the Southwest”: Boosterism and Regional Identity in Wichita, Kansas by Jay M. Price n 1887 the Wichita Board of Trade issued an elaborate map celebrating the city’s prominence as a regional trade and commercial center. Wichita appeared as a bustling powerhouse of activity in Kansas and the central United States. Exaggerated scale highlighted Wichita’s purported status as a hub of rail lines that extended to New Orleans, Galveston, El Paso, Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City, Omaha, and Chicago. Equally striking were the slogans and titles that described the city as the “Peerless Princess of the Plains,” the “Magical Mascot,” the “Mecca of Men,” the I“Jerusalem of the West,” and the “Favored City.” In the upper corner was a blank space for a sponsoring organization. The Wichita Journal of Commerce, for example, did so, mentioning that it was in “the Great Southwest, Wichita, Its Metropolis.”1 A century later, equating Wichita with the Southwest would seem odd. By the 1980s, the term “southwestern” evoked images of howling coyotes, saguaros, Mexican food, and adobe architecture.2 Depending on the speaker, Wichita was a city of the Midwest, which extended from Kansas to the Great Lakes; the Great Plains, which ran from the Dakotas down to Texas; or an ill-defined “Heartland,” where fields and farms extended to the flat horizon, punctuated by massive grain elevators. Regardless of specific regional affiliation, however, one feature stood out: location.
    [Show full text]
  • Check out These Resources for Sedgwick County Family Field Trips
    Check out These Resources for Sedgwick County Family Field Trips WICHITA FIELD TRIPS Arts Partners http://www.artspartnerswichita.org/faq.html Botanica Wichita http://www.oldcowtown.org/Documents/School%20Tours,%20Programs%20and%20Field%20Trips.pdf Central Riverside Park, Splash Pad and Zoo https://www.360wichita.com/Attractions/Parks/WichitaParks.html Exploration Place http://exploration.org/programs/ Great Plains Nature Center www.gpnc.org/upcoming.htm Great Plains Transportation Museum www.gptm.us/ Henry J. Allen House- designed by Frank Lloyd Wright https://flwrightwichita.org/ Kansas African American Museum https://www.tkaamuseum.org/ Kansas Aviation Museum http://kansasaviationmuseum.org/ Kansas Firefighters Museum www.kansasfirefightersmuseum.com/ Kansas Sports Hall of Fame www.kshof.org/ McCormick School Museum https://www.usd259.org/domain/952 Mid-America All-Indian Center www.theindiancenter.org/ Keeper of the Plains https://www.visitwichita.com/listing/keeper-of-the-plains-plaza/28029/ O.J. Watson Park www.wichita.gov/Government/Departments/Park/Pages/OJWatson.aspx Old Cowtown Museum http://www.oldcowtown.org/Documents/School%20Tours,%20Programs%20and%20Field%20Trips.pdf Sedgwick County Zoo www.scz.org Wichita Art Museum https://www.wichitaartmuseum.org/ Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum http://wichitahistory.org/ Wichita Sculpture Walkabout http://wichitaonthecheap.com/sculpture-walkabout-unveiling-wichita-old-town/ Wichita Water Center https://www.facebook.com/WichitaWATERCenter/ Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids
    [Show full text]
  • Hartman Arena 8151 N
    TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome to Wichita................................................................. 2 Wichita LOC Services .............................................................4 Drive Time Map ..........................................................................5 Average Weather ......................................................................6 Testimonials .................................................................................. 7 Convention Center & Arenas ............................................9 Baseball .........................................................................................16 Basketball & Volleyball ....................................................... 19 Bowling ......................................................................................... 26 Extreme Sports ........................................................................27 Football and Track & Field ................................................28 Greater Wichita Map ...........................................................30 Golf, Disc Golf and FootGolf ...........................................33 Gymnastics, Cheer & Dance ..........................................34 Ice Sports ..................................................................................... 35 Polo ................................................................................................37 Soccer & Softball ....................................................................38 Swimming ....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Download the 2020 State of Downtown
    Background photos: Projects completed since the adoption of Project Downtown: the Master Plan for Wichita in 2010 CELEBRATING 505 E. Douglas • Wichita, KS 67202 • 316.264.6005 www.downtownwichita.org 2020 STATE OF DOWNTOWN REPORT 2020 State of Downtown Highlights 4 4 4 $681 MILLION $87.5 MILLION 11:1 10 YEAR TOTAL 2019 PRIVATE INVESTMENT PRIVATE TO PUBLIC PRIVATE INVESTMENT 2019 INVESTMENT Over the past ten years our urban center has undergone a major transformation driven by Project Downtown: The Master Plan for Wichita. The plan was developed in 2009, at the end of the Great Recession – a time when our community was willing to be aspirational and set sights on the future. I’ve been working for New York Life in the heart of our downtown for over twenty years and have enjoyed a front row seat to the incredible growth and changes that have taken place as a result of that strategic vision. 4 4 15 MILLION MILLION MILLION And that community aspiration – it has paid off. Since the adoption of the $108 $7.3 $168 plan in 2010, it has served as a blueprint for development and has resulted 10 YEAR TOTAL 2019 PUBLIC INVESTMENT 2019 RETAIL SALES in over $1 billion of investment in the urban core. We have completed PUBLIC INVESTMENT 87 development projects and nearly doubled the number of residential units and retail square footage. There is also an increase in demand for office space as companies look to grow their business in the center of commerce and culture. A few years ago, my team and I were inspired by the resurgence of downtown as the employment epicenter and added the New York Life sign to the top of our office building at 125 N.
    [Show full text]
  • 1963 Wichita Eagle, P
    WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES’ DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Tihen Notes from 1963 Wichita Eagle, p. 1 Dr. Edward N. Tihen (1924-1991) was an avid reader and researcher of Wichita newspapers. His notes from Wichita newspapers -- the “Tihen Notes,” as we call them -- provide an excellent starting point for further research. They present brief synopses of newspaper articles, identify the newspaper -- Eagle, Beacon or Eagle-Beacon -- in which the stories first appeared, and give exact references to the pages on which the articles are found. Microfilmed copies of these newspapers are available at the Wichita State University Libraries, the Wichita Public Library, or by interlibrary loan from the Kansas State Historical Society. TIHEN NOTES FROM 1963 WICHITA EAGLE Wichita Eagle Friday, January 4, 1963 page 1. Drawing of the new home of Quality Chevrolet Company, 1520 East Douglas, now under construction and due for completion within 60 days. Architect is Claude Van Doren. Details. Quality Chevrolet was opened in April 1958. For 32 years prior to that the firm was Hobbs Chevrolet Company. Sunday, January 6, 1963 page 5A. Map shows 19.9 square miles added to area of Wichita last year, bringing the city’s size to 79.2 square miles and adding an estimated 19,900 new residents. Saturday, January 12, 1963 page 5A. The first tenants will occupy their quarters in the new Wichita Plaza building beginning Monday. They are several of the Vickers interests which will be located on the 12th floor of the new building. Details. Thursday, January 17, 1963 page 5A. Preliminary plans for the $150,000 remodeling and addition to the Wichita Art Museum were shown yesterday by Robert Schaefer, architect.
    [Show full text]
  • Welcome to Friends University! Welcome to Friends University! We Are Pleased You Have Selected Our Institution to Further Your Educational and Cultural Endeavors
    Contact Information: Friends University Telephone: (316) 295-5675 2100 W University Avenue Fax: (316) 295-5720 Casado Campus Center - 004A Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Welcome to Friends University! Welcome to Friends University! We are pleased you have selected our institution to further your educational and cultural endeavors. At Friends, we value intercultural awareness, learning, and engagement to inspire all students Mission: to become global citizens. International students play an The Mission of the Friends University integral part in this community and are encouraged to get International Services Office is to support involved in all aspects of campus life during their time international students’ transition to the university here. and to assist them in accomplishing their academic, social and occupational endeavors as We know the transition from your home country to well as enhance intercultural awareness, learning, another country can be overwhelming at times. However, and engagement to inspire all students to become we will be here to assist you through this experience – you global citizens. are not alone! This handbook is the first step in getting you acquainted with your new surroundings. It was created to help prepare and navigate you through this transition in hopes that it will turn out to be one of the best experiences of your life. We encourage you to become familiar with the in- Services: formation in this handbook. However, if you cannot find The International Services office assists the answer to your question here, or have additional ques- international students with the following services: tions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
    [Show full text]
  • Tihen Notes from 1935 Wichita Eagle, P
    WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES’ DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Tihen Notes from 1935 Wichita Eagle, p. 1 Dr. Edward N. Tihen (1924-1991) was an avid reader and researcher of Wichita newspapers. His notes from Wichita newspapers -- the “Tihen Notes,” as we call them -- provide an excellent starting point for further research. They present brief synopses of newspaper articles, identify the newspaper -- Eagle, Beacon or Eagle-Beacon -- in which the stories first appeared, and give exact references to the pages on which the articles are found. Microfilmed copies of these newspapers are available at the Wichita State University Libraries, the Wichita Public Library, or by interlibrary loan from the Kansas State Historical Society. TIHEN NOTES FROM 1935 WICHITA EAGLE Wichita Eagle Wednesday, January 2, 1935 page 6. Photograph of new art museum under construction with framework completed. 7. Photograph of Sara Blair Case memorial building of First Presbyterian church with exterior of Bedford limestone now completed. Saturday, January 5, 1935 page 1. Fire yesterday destroyed the Kansas Waste Paper Company, 733 South St. Francis. Tuesday, January 8, 1935 page 5. City commissioners yesterday approved the cost of $36,000 for the new Bitting bridge. The city will pay about $25,000 for the materials with labor being furnished by the government. Wednesday, January 9, 1935 page 5. Announced yesterday that the old name of Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc., will be resumed by the operating company. The newer organization of Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc., had been formed last year to comply with the government regulations for obtaining new airmail contracts. Friday, January 11, 1935 page 1.
    [Show full text]
  • 2006 NASPD Convention September 4-8, 2006
    2006 NASPD Convention September 4-8, 2006 Hyatt Regency Wichita Wichita, Kansas Exhibitor Registration Each Person Attending Must Return a Registration Form Name: ________________________________________________________________________ First Name to Appear on Name Tag:________________________________________________ Business Name:_________________________________________________________________ Work Street Address:____________________________________________________________ Mailing Address (if different):_____________________________________________________ City:_________________________________________________________________________ State/Province:___________________________________Zip/Postal Code:_________________ Daytime Phone Number:_____________________________Cell:_______________________ Fax Number:__________________________________________________________________ E-Mail:_______________________________________________________________________ Convention Activity Fees No Refunds After August 20, 2006 Paid Total Booth Fee ($2,000-Premium or $1,700-Standard) Includes one conference registration fee) $__________ For Office Use Only Event Sponsorship $__________ Additional person $400.00 each $__________ Amount Received: __________ Optional Activities (Total for Fees from Page 3) $__________ Date Received: __________ (Monday/Tuesday events, see descriptions on pages 5-10) Amount Received: __________ Total enclosed $__________ Date Received: __________ Payment (Check or credit card): Credit Card Payment: Visa Mastercard American Express
    [Show full text]
  • Manhattan Museum of Art and Light
    CITY COMMISSION AGENDA MEMO June 2, 2021 FROM: Jason Hilgers, Deputy City Manager MEETING: June 15, 2021 SUBJECT: Ordinance No. 7538 Amending the South STAR Bond Area Project Plan – Manhattan Museum of Art and Light PRESENTER: Jason Hilgers, Deputy City Manager BACKGROUND The owners of Master Teacher, Bob and Tracey DeBruyn, have approached the City about a potential Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bond project in the downtown area. They have a vision of constructing and operating a three story, 50,000 sq ft state of the art museum featuring an immersive exhibit and interactive displays, creating a one-of-a-kind, hands- on, art and cultural attraction. The preliminary budget at this point for the project is $43,600,000. There is a good example in Paris, France of the primary feature and “attraction” of what they would like to build and operate. Here is a link to a video highlighting the projection of art in Paris at Atelier des Lumieres https://youtu.be/gIc_533Uf54. In order to proceed, the City would have to adopt an ordinance amending the Project Plan (the “Plan”) for the existing South Project Area in the STAR bond district. The DeBruyns, through their entity, The Museum of Art and Light Land, Inc., a Kansas nonprofit corporation (the “Corporation”), have provided the City a proposed Amendment to the Plan (attached). The Corporation is requesting that the City adopt an amended redevelopment plan, and eventually issue the additional STAR bonds. The City anticipates these bonds would be special revenue bonds with no general obligation or moral obligation of the City.
    [Show full text]