by Devin McCue, Sumner Newscow —  The Wellington City Council met Tuesday evening to hear plans for several community improvements and pass ordinances to change the City Code.

The first city improvements involved the Cowley Board of Trustees’ Monday decision to build dorms south of the main campus. The dorms will initially hold 17 rooms and shared living space and kitchen with the option to increase that number to 49 later.

The housing project coordinator asked that the City assist with the initial cost to build water lines for the project. Installing a water tap and a fire line will cost $8,500, and the Council approved the purchase unanimously.

The second community development will be decidedly more extensive.

The City has big plans for Heritage Park, next to the Memorial Auditorium and the lot kitty-corner across Washington Street. Rather than a relatively barren area, the City plans to develop it into a concert venue, as well as a community space for picnics and other recreational activities.

The renderings for the Heritage Parks are as follows (click on each image to enlarge)

The plan includes a redesigned event lawn by a circular stage, several new native prairie grass plantings, and designated spots for food trucks and EV charging stations.

In principle, the Council agreed on the plan to move forward, so look out for a formal presentation during this year’s Fall Festival. After that, the Wellington Community Fund will start fundraising for the project and reaching out to engineering firms for designs and quotes.

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Three City Code ordinance changes passed unanimously.

•The first brought the City’s probation program more in line with surrounding communities. It increased the fee from $50 to $100 and created a fee if someone didn’t complete their probation in the allotted time.

Conversely, it also allowed a judge to waive the fee if the person under probation files the probation expunged from their records.

•The second ordinance changed several definitions in the code to clarify some misunderstandings in traffic tickets. Technically, the ordinance adopted the 2021 Standard Traffic Ordinance (48th Edition) produced by the League of Kansas Municipalities.

The only definition the Council discussed at their meeting concerned “trailers” parked on the street. These changes won’t let people park fifth wheels, RVs, and ATVs on the road anymore, a disputed practice in the past.

There were other ordinance amendments.

One change is bumping up the charge for fleeing arrest to a felony if done so “knowingly.” In other words, if someone is running away from the police for an alleged crime and knows they will get arrested, then they will be charged a felony.

Another change includes allowing someone with a traffic citation to petition the court for a waiver of payment if the amount due will “impose a manifest hardship on the person or immediate family.” The change will help anyone who can’t afford to pay a parking ticket, for example.

•The third ordinance put the City of Wellington in line with the 2021 Uniform Public Offense Code for Kansas Cities, 37^th Edition.

The new changes include:

• A statute defining “sexual battery” that removes the “spouse” exception – which many consider long overdue.
• It updated the voting laws to include a new, expanded definition of electioneering to include the candidates themselves. It also placed new regulations on how larger political organizations can advertise advance voting.
• The last consequential change makes it a misdemeanor to violate a curfew or evacuation order imposed by the executive order.

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Finally, the meeting held its usual list of street closures:

1. 1. October 3 – Olive Street Beginning at 8th Street to Alley; 11:30 a.m. -2 p.m. for a “Church Outdoor Festival”
   2. October 9 – Washington Avenue from 10th to 11th street; 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. for the new Time Capsule Burial.
   3. October 20 – Washington St. Between 17th & 18th Street; 11:15 a.m. -3 p.m. for the Washington Elementary “Jogathon.”

The meeting adjourned after 90 minutes.

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