The largest city in the state not only needs but can support a top-quality ice-skating rink. That was the thinking behind City Hall’s leadership on building the Wichita Ice Center more than a decade ago. Now, it is being confirmed by Rink Management Services, which took over operation of the city-owned rink last fall and has guided it back to impressive financial health — $26,000 in the black and $82,000 ahead of budget as of August. City officials deserve credit for acting decisively to rescue the ailing rink from its former management. Clearly, general manager Brenda Glidewell and others at the facility have the right idea on marketing and operations. The next step is reopening the restaurant, which should further serve the rink’s back-in-black bottom line.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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54 Comments
Great JOB!!!
I TOO WANT TO JOIN IN CONGRATULATING BRENDA GLIDEWELL, MANAGER OF THE ICE SPORTS FACILITY, AND THEIR GREAT EXPERIENCED ICE SPORTS STAFF FOR PULLING TOGETHER TO GET THE FACILITY BACK ON ITS WAY AGAIN.
Brenda is a wonderful manager who brings people together and is actually personally a great skater. She and her staff have sponsored a number of “ice shows” featuring outstanding local Wichita skating talent using the rink’s overhead colored lights and excellent music sound system to full effect.
I believe the ICE SPORTS staff might be planning another ice show before Christmas. For a small admission, it shouldn’t be missed. Go and enjoy.
As a rather new resident and property-owner in the Delano community of west Wichita back in the late 1990’s, I watched the ICE SPORTS facility being built.
In fact, on January 12, 1997, I attended the grand opening and was the first person to eat in their “Ice Sports Breakaway Restaurant.” I have a signed menu on that day as a momento and have printed it for ICE SPORTS fans. For the record, I had their locally famous “Breakaway Burger,” with mushrooms, bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese with fries.
I was there for their gala New Years eve party December 31, 1999 or was it 2000, I can’t recall for sure. We had Elk steak that evening with all the trimmings, thanks to a great chef at the time.
That was probably the peak of Ice Sports popularity. Not long after, the City’s consultant, Canlan ice consultants imported a manager from Canada who during his three year temporary stay in Wichita managed to run the attendance into the ground. With virtually no oversight from city council, the facility tanked. It’s now attempting to pull itself up by its ice skating shoe strings.
SO, LETS HOPE THAT BRENDA AND HER EXPERIENCED ICE SPORTS STAFF ARE SUPPORTED BY THE PUBLIC AND THE LOYAL ICE SKATING FANS TO RETURN ICE SPORTS TO ITS FORMER DAYS OF GLORY. AN INDICATOR WILL BE WHEN THE UPSTAIRS RESTAURANT ONCE AGAIN OPENS AT LEAST IN EVENINGS IF ONLY ON WEEKENDS WITH AN APPROPRIATE THEME FOR ITS FAN BASE.
Does Wichita have any roller rinks left? When I was a kid we skated at Joyland then Roller City which was a converted grocery store at Kellogg and Poplar and then SkateLand. I think they all went away.
So if they are operating in the black, that means they no longer need any subsidy of city tax payer funds correct?
With Global Warming, this could be a very nice to plant some Palm Trees.
As more people come to the only place in Kansas with ice, they could at least view the magnificent Date Palms and Coconut Palms lining the sidewalk.
Kev,
You missed the best roller skating place, the Alaskan. It was huge and had once been an ice hockey arena, but was later converted to a roller rink. But you’d have to be over 50 to remember it. ;)
Palm Trees, I’m curious. Having not lived in areas where they are abundant, can you tell me what a week of hard freezes will do to them?
Question, again, perhaps for someone who knows:
How did the city come to own the ice rink (and the Hyatt), and how was (and is) city ownership of these private facilities justified?
Let me see if I have this correctly. It says in the city budget that the city taxpayers have budgeted $1,095,320 dollars for Ice Rink Management in 2008
(which is up from $1,087,620 for 2007.)
The city pays the management a flat $50,000 annual fee, plus a percentage of the profits.
So if this such a great financial opportunity, why not sell the Ice Rink to the manager? That would take the responsibility for a private company making profits – completely off the shoulder of the taxpayer!
This would allow the taxpayer to “recover nicely”.
http://www.wichita.gov/NR/rdonlyres/D1257097-FD1C-4377-B037-DAE5FF59CBAD/0/02SummaryofRevenueandExpenditures.pdf
I would like to point out to everyone that reads this story that the Ice skating shows are not the true money makers for this rink its the fact that you have hundreds of kids and adults playing Ice Hockey night after night. But for some reason this fact is always left out when there is any discussion about the Ice rink. The money produced by the Ice skating group is 1/8 of that of the Ice hockey. But since Brenda is a Ice Skating person guess who gets all the publicity. It cost $225-$275 a hour for a hockey team to have the ice depending on the day and time but the same 1hr of ice time for Ice Skating is being split by 5 or 6 people so they most have really deep pockets or someone is getting a price break. Brenda why don’t you open your books and show the people that make you the money how these numbers work?
I would like to point out to everyone that reads this story that the Ice skating shows are not the true money makers for this rink its the fact that you have hundreds of kids and adults playing Ice Hockey night after night. But for some reason this fact is always left out when there is any discussion about the Ice rink. The money produced by the Ice skating group is 1/8 of that of the Ice hockey. But since Brenda is a Ice Skating person guess who gets all the publicity. It cost $225-$275 a hour for a hockey team to have the ice depending on the day and time but the same 1hr of ice time for Ice Skating is being split by 5 or 6 people so they most have really deep pockets or someone is getting a price break. Brenda why don’t you open your books and show the people that make you the money how these numbers work?
Hockey Parent,
Doesn’t the hockey team split the cost? Or is one person paying that?
I’m not backing anyone, until all facts are presented.
Like I said just show us the books and we will have no problem. But do the math we have 17 kids on our hockey team and that = $17 dollars a kids verses $46 a Ice skater. Like I said they must have really DEEP POCKETS.
Some people do, hockey parent.
I view the city built and provided ice-skating rink as a recreational facility provided for the use of the residents. etc. of the city and other members of the public.
GMC raises the issue of whether a city should be in this “business”, a fair question. I am of the thought that public recreation facilities are historically provided by governmental entities, to meet the desires of at least a part of the populace represented by the governmental entity. Others may well see it differently.
What I do know is that there exists a group of folks who enjoy playing hockey, who enjoy ice skating, and so forth, and that until the downtown rink was built, the opportunities to participate in such activities was limited as I recall to the limited times the Coliseum ice was available for public use during the Thunder season.
I’m not of an age to recall the time when the Alaskan was a private ice-skating rink. This was the last time a private entity operated such in Wichita, I’ve been told.
VT -
I think that this rink (and the Hyatt) as essentially private businesses, are entirely inappropriate for government to own or fund.
Generally, city provided recreational facilities are provided to any and all, at free or nominal cost (i.e. parks as a good example). The rink, as Hockey Parent notes above, is not that at all. It is a quite specialized facility provided to a very limited clientele, who pay substantial amounts for the privilege, and are subsidized by the taxpayers in addition.
The Hyatt is an even more aggregious violation of those principles. When any and all persons can take a room at the Hyatt, free or at nominal cost, I’ll change my tune. After all, the taxpayers of the city own it.
BTW – the coming quarter-billion+$$ white elephant, the downtown arena, fits that definition as well.
I guess the question unanswered, VT, is just HOW did the city get in these businesses in the first place? I know they’re now in, and philosophically, It’d be best to see the city divest themselves of these facilities as soon as it is financially sound to do so. But how did the City get there in the first place?
re: the Alaskan
You could very well be right, VT. I’m not old enough to remember it as an ice rink, but my dad told me when I began roller skating there when I was 5. I don’t even remember where it was, but I can describe it in detail.
There was an ice rink back in the late 60’s and possibly early 70’s out on west Kellogg. Frontierland. It was linked to the bowling alley there and privately owned.
It’s wonderful that someone, whether a private entity or the city, can provide a place for ice skaters.
GMC, I’d like to see the city out of the Hyatt as well, as soon as it is fiscally prudent to do so. As I posted yesterday, I’m not up on how the city found itself as the only owner after the “public-private partnership” that was trumpeted at the time the hotel was built.
Regarding the ice-skating rink; I’m all for that being a privately run business as well. I don’t see it happening any time soon. While I’m not conversant with the costs of making ice, keeping ice in a skatable condition, etc., I’m wondering if (speculating?) that the fee charged for use may be as “nominal” as possible for the same, as it seems to me (without any data) this would be costly.
Back to your ultimate question; as stated before, I don’t know the answer. The question deserves an answer from someone with knowledge.
GMC – good points. I would add the WaterWalk. I find it interesting that my comments against the WW were ‘edited’ out of the Council minutes with only the statement that I spoke against it. I had given detailed reasons for my skepticism of the project; apparently City officials did not want those on the record.
I had given them a written copy of my comments.
“GMC raises the issue of whether a city should be in this “business”, a fair question. I am of the thought that public recreation facilities are historically provided by governmental entities, to meet the desires of at least a part of the populace”
Where does it end Vaughn? There are now fancy roller skating rinks, aquatic centers, dog tracks, hotels, visitor’s centers, community centers, senior centers (which I’m partial to), and many other quas-governmental business activities to spend our hard earned money on.
I took acception to the Thread lead in that it makes it sound to a consuming public like the skating rink is a “money maker”.They seem to gloss over any comments about the funding WE the taxpayers put into the pot, which helps make these things.
I had given them a written copy of my comments.
Posted by: Ben
Was there a news reporter at the meeting? Always make enough copies to slide them a copy. Reporters are not always good note takers. And they get distracted.
They appreciate someone giving them “notes” they can pick apart and use in the published newspaper. You probably did, but just a thought. Maybe someone else going to a council meeting might consider.
A.N. Keny, you also raise valid points.
My comments to GMC about the city being in the ice rink were an attempt to address the “why” question he raised from my limited knowledge and perspective.
Should any governmental agency/entity be involved at all in any of the activities you describe? That, I believe, is the point GMC makes, and that you are making. I think there are some activities, such as rec centers, that are valid for a governmental entity to be involved; hotels, no; dog tracks, not to be owned by the government, but surely to be under some government regulation; senior centers, well, as I’m inexorably aging, I’m partial to these, too :-); visitor’s centers are, by and large based upon my observation, almost always “owned and operated” by the state, the idea being a place where tourists may come for information so they might be separated from their money.
The ultimate question again is whether the city/state/county/federal government should be involved as an owner of this type of facility, or should ownership of the same be left in the private sector. As you can tell, I’m for some, against some, and on others, I’m ambivalent.
I’m all for a limited role of government.
The role of government is not to manage a whole set of businesses, which by the way, are always managed by private enterprise much more effectively and profitably.
When does the government ever operate any venture at a profit?
But most importantly, it’s not the proper or Constitutional role of government to do so.
Visitor centers used to be something we just saw along state/interstate highways when you crossed a state line.
Now days, cities in Kansas BUILD them: Lawrence, Topeka, Atchison, Leavenworth, to name a few. Tourist and visitor bureaus generally run them utilizing hotel/motel taxes or general funds. Actual buildings.
I think what I hear people wrestling with is the question of need. Is there a public need for these facilities and do they serve the public at large?
I wonder if the fella deciding to build the first city library had that cross his mind?
“The largest city in the state not only needs but can support a top-quality ice-skating rink.”
WTH does this mean? Does it mean that since Kansas’s 2nd largest city Overland Park has one, Montana’s 3rd largest city Great Falls has one, Texas’s 10th largest city Amarillo has one, Colorado’s Colorad’s 7th largest city Boulder has two (not to mention dozens of Rocky Mountain outdoor rinks and frozen ponds), Kansas’s largest city must have one to avoid a “not much to do here” hicktown reputation?
In some places, ice skating is a natural sport. Take Minnesota. Parents there who fail to buy their kids ice skates are investigated by social services and are refered to the DA for child abuse. JK. But really, every non-handicapped kid in Minnesota ice skates. It’s so universal there that somebody thought, “We need to extend ice-skating to the warm months,” and so they invented a new kind of roller skate, called Roller Blades.
Actually, in all the northern tier states from Minnesota eastward, except for Vermont, high school hockey is a first-tier sport, drawing more fans than high school baseball and track and field.
Ice sports are “unnatural” here. Is the Ice Center making a true profit? Apparently not, because it counts as revenue a $50,000 city taxpayer payment. Stop this, and Rink Management Services is in the red, and abandons the city. Rink Management Services, a private corporation, wouldn’t THINK about BUYING the Ice Center.
The Ice Center was one of many nice projects for builders to make money on, using government funding, following a long tradition started by FDR’s WPA and PWA projects, actually even earlier, starting with taxpayer-funded for-profit railroads. Now some for-profit operators can make a go of the Ice Center, but only with taxpayer funding. We might call this Socialism/ Communism for Republicans.
Again, with reference to visitors’ centers, it seems to me the “need” for the same is a centralized place with information about local and regional attractions which might be visited by those passing through so they might be separated from their money. :-)
“…it’s not the proper or Constitutional role of government to do so.”Posted by: Max
Proper to do what? Run a business or run a business for profit?
Governments are in the recreation business. Running a city park is a business that would appear to be acceptable and it not for profit. I am not sure you could have parks and have a profit.
Of course taking one step up, how about a park so some citizens can play golf. Should Government be running it. Actually, city ran golf courses are competition to non-government businesses, should this be allowed?
So if it is a not-for-profit situation, what does not-for-profit mean? Possibility, charge any price you desire just so you put the money over cost back into the business. (i.e. the Hyatt.)
I am interested in knowing how the City of Wichita is into businesses which compete with non-government business.
Does the Hyatt and the ice rink pay city taxes? If the answer is no, then it is costing the taxpayers money.
Questions, all kinds of questions. Who has the answers?
Good one Vaughn!
Hud, the Rink is city property. No tax revenue earned (only shelled out ;-)).
I don’t know the financial arrangements with the hotel. It may be private property, but is there a TIF or some such program?Still questions.
Property where the Ice Rink sits, was paid too much for. If I remember correctly some landlord, owner of the buildings on that property sued the City and won some kind of contract dispute.
Way too much for that land. Why does $8 Million come to mind?
The Thunder owner was supposed to be part of that Ice Rink deal but that didn’t happen. City tried to Eminent Domain that property and failed.
It’s always been City property to my knowledge.
When Hyatt Corporation abandoned the hotel and wanted to sell it for pennies on the dollar, City couldn’t let that happen.
I’m guessing City is paying Hyatt lease on the hotel name.
This is why you NO people against the Casino failed this community.
Questions why City owns these properties and the chance to sell them came and went.
Casino group wanted to buy The Hyatt and City didn’t want that?
City Council didn’t act like that in their statements damning the idea for a Casino downtown.
The Hyatt still owned. City has to pay for new Library someday and cost to upgrade Century II is more than the Arena!
The Casino could have put some money into Century II because they wanted to be next door. They wanted the Library Building. They wanted that building on corner of Douglas and Main.
So quit the whining about cost of those things, the City is paying for.
We missed the chance to save ourselves. Threw away development money to outside Sedgwick County.
Outside of Wichita, that No vote was a bigger economic development sin, than people afraid of corrupting morals by gambling.
Thanks for the very clear explanation Mrage.
Hud
“Governments are in the recreation business.”
No, governments are in the governing business; in general, providing public goods and services that are unable to be provided privately.
I.e. golf courses. If the course is available for anyone to use for free, or for a nominal fee, I don’t really have a problem with it. If the city is keeping a “tournament level” course, and charging memberships or high green fees to do so, I have a problem with it.
Cities provide PUBLIC services. Neither the Hyatt, nor the Ice Rink, is in any sense a public good or service.
Like you, I’ve yet to hear a coherant explanation as to why the city owns these properties in the first place.
and yes, Mrage is typically incoherant.
I don’t think the Hyatt corporation, ever owned the Hyatt Regency. I may be wrong, but I don’t think that the trustees for the Chicago Pritzker family ever invested in a purchase. My understanding, which may be wrong, is that some local builders connived to build a hotel on their own expenditure, with a city-taxpayer bailout clause, so that they would make money without any risk. I think, I may be wrong, that Hyatt Corp offered to manage the hotel for a fee, which is not the same as many Hyatt Corp-owned hotels.
A friend of mine wangled a weekend stay in the “Presidential Suite” for less money than I have paid for ordinary rooms with two queen-sized beds at Holiday Inns in popular places.
What about stadiums/coliseums, convention centers, etc? Should those all be privately owned as well?
Tom, I am of the firm belief that Major League franchises, whether MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL, should be the owner of the stadia, etc., where the team plays. Otherwise, as to convention centers, minor league facilities, etc., it’s my belief that if there is demonstrable public good resulting therefrom, then the same should be publicly, that is, governmentally, owned.
Where there is a hotel, such as the Hyatt here in Wichita that is traditionally privately owned, I’m in favor of the government encouraging the building of the same if the need exists, but not be the owner thereof.
Those are my thoughts on that; I’m sure others will weigh in with their opinions as well.
“The largest city in the state not only needs but can support a top-quality ice-skating rink.”
It’s large enough to support WalMart and Sams club too – that is why these capitalist businesses build here. IF the statement is correct then an entrebenuer can build an ice rink too.
mrage – i remember the lawsuit. The City made the decision to build on land that somebody else owned and then just try to sieze the land. They lost that round.
GMC
Get your butt into a government office chair and direct our City how you might see fit someday.
Your expecting someone here to defend those City purchases?
Pick up a damn phone and talk the City yourself with all that frustration. The City surely will explain in language you can understand.
Weren’t you here before the Ice Rink was built? Homes used to sit on that property. The landowner sued City and won. Look the case up law dog. That’s your world.
Look up the City contracts how the Hyatt came to be. Duh, lawyers can find that out.
No one is paying you, so that’s the rub but if your interested, the contractual information is out there.
What a largely stodgy bunch we have here.
Quality of life in the community folks!
Besides, a lot of what is profitable isn’t any fun. And not much that is fun is profitable. Sex is one of the few things I can think of. But that of course is illegal.
I’ve never been to the ice rink. But it’s nice knowing it is there if I want to go. I don’t play golf and find the game stupid. But there is value in green community space.
The City made the decision to build on land that somebody else owned and then just try to sieze the land. They lost that round.Posted by: Ben
Right, now I remember. City blew it on that one.
The City made the decision to build on land that somebody else owned and then just try to sieze the land. They lost that round.Posted by: Ben
Right, now I remember. City blew it on that one.
Oh here it comes, “Quality of life”.
That is a completely liberal term for an excuse to reach into MY back pocket, take my hard earned money, and put it in yours.
As to the rest of that post, well it’s just plain ignorant. What kind of school do they put you young people through?
The “get off my lawn you damn kids!” vote weighs in…
Hello? Quality of life draws people to live in a place. That decreases the share you have to pry outta your wallet with a tire iron. Geez go get an island.
So I take it, Ben, that the city got stuck with these properties because they screwed up???Why am I not surprised . . . they’re spending a quarter-billion dollars on an arena with no tenant in sight . . .
(yea, I know, that’s the county; in many ways, a distinction without a difference).
JR
The problem with the “quality of life” argument, JR, is that it serves the quality of some lives at the expense of others. While some may find an ice rink attractive, others could care less. But ALL are required to pay for this toy for the few. Who are you, or I, to decide what amenities are suitable for the government, through its tax power, to REQUIRE us to fund? On what fundamental philosophical basis do I distinguish the suitable from the unsuitable?
I’ve provided my guideline.
Like Vaughn, ideally, arenas and stadiums (NFL, MLB, etc) should be funded by their occupants. But cities, in the desire to bring money and jobs, have for years been using tax dollars to entice businesses – and sports franchises – into their cities. I remember seeing an interesting article recently questioning just whether, in the long run, that kind of bribery (and yes, that’s what it is) pays off for cities and states.
Philosophically, should that stop? Yes, but that barn door has long since opened, and it’s not gonna close.
Hey GMC
Blog has changed since I been gone.
Some of these new folks make you look like Father Fun.
You get no arguement from me on subsizing sports teams. Though I think Wichita would have been ahead to have bought the Wranglers.
Again, it’s community quality of life.
The ice rink? It seems to have turned around. What if the next Sarah Hughes trains there? Wouldn’t we all be proud? What is a few extra cents in your pocket compared to that?
Philosophically, should that stop? Yes, but that barn door has long since opened, and it’s not gonna close.
Posted by: GMC70
GMC, you don’t impress me as a defeatist. The barn door will have to be closed when they run out of money.
And that is not long in coming. To believe that “If you build it, they will come” as justification to steal from the taxpayers – you are truly in OZ.
No one is coming to our fair city. I love it. My children grew up here and now my grandchildren. I would not trade it for the world!
But you are not going to attract the masses of people needed to make these financial adventures profitable.
If you were, private industry would have already pursued it.
It is only a dream, for dreamer, who are willing to gamble the financial state for their own children – on a river card that isn’t going to come.
Let the moths outta your wallet A. N.
I’ll only get worse.
Ask GMC!
Well as long as it is a environmentally safe building, not releasing CO2 into our local atmosphere, it is alright by me.
We do know, however, that all the cars driving to the skate center will be emitting carbon into the air.
Better that the kids all hitch-hike gettin’ there.
A.K.,
Private industry has been distracted in Wichita, unlike other places.
Some are largest industries have headquarters in other cities. When Cessna is on WSU unused football stadium it’s plain as day.
Koch Arena and Eck Field are newer facilities. Specific use for WSU, not the wider community.
This is Mall Town and Restaurant City more there than any other entertainment.
Ice Rink is a pleasure to some people. A little different type of entertainment. Some go to Thunder games.
Others go to Bingo!
The different minor league baseball team helps keep Lawrence-Dumont going. We don’t want that stadium to close!
Wichita can participate some day as a group. That’s the problem we have. Other cities our size have their sports to define them.
College team or whatever kind of professional team.
I support cities that have Stadiums, hope for Arenas stay busy. Some cities love their Arena!
Governments should assist private owners to keep those facilities going.
Wichita will not have a professional sports team more popular than WSU.
But WSU needs college football to return. This time private ownership and governments together should help WSU afford the team.
A new stadium has to be constructed and goal would be less taxes used to make it happen.
Taxes shouldn’t be raised to do it. WSU can’t spend a nickel on constructing a new stadium.
I believe Wichita can act as a group to sit in a college football stadium for six home games a year.
People will gain interest in the program watching the football stadium get built.
People demand facilities needs a Tenant! WSU football, plus Monster Trucks, whatever other event.
New football stadiums can have multiple flooring choices and still play on kind of grass field.
Wichita sits in a hole we make of it! I won’t ever say Wichita can’t! That is a defeatist!
It’s pretty obvious, Wichita hasn’t tried. The Arena is part of trying and we needed it.
AK 47, Wichita city in Kansa.
Big city, among prairie gras.
No big toe in my momma’s ey befo dinner.
Never been outsid befo. I mean outsid de house befo.
Speak a little english tho.
Can sometime make full sentence.
Big not tied round yonder tree.
Wind does break bad after baked beans.
Never saw dat putty tat befo.
I do like ice tho.
Need ice enter in Wichita.
Mo tax money need all the time.
Ok tho, cause America is rich.
We cn affod it.
No shoes to tie today.
Left my right sho off somewhere can’t find it any way.
Big bass in that ther creek by big city Wichita hotel. Should keep owned by city for fishing for free by those staying at hotel.
Will wrap my feet now and go to bed.
Big splinter in big toe somehow, need to find shoes tomorrow.
Tomorrow is Wednesday, I think.
Spel chek really screw up slow down things wen I post.
Can’t see all the stuff on this blog, must keep pushing down on scroll bar thing on the right side of my screen.
Cursor, just found out what that does.
Make no difference if I sue spell check anyway, just slow me down.
Will have to post more about this ice center in Wichita.
I never saw ice before I go there. Ma never lets me go outside too much, sepcially in winter time.
May need to make tracks in snow sometime, specially when liquor does make me go bad, but not as bad as beer make me go.
I go slow when I don’t drink. I need to find that post about going in toilet, to find out what I should do. Maybe should sit down when pee.
Hard to point sometimes.
Need to wear glasses mor often. Sometimes can’t find them, look better without them anyway.
I have a girlfirend that thinks glasses get in way.
So I never her saw her with glasses, maybe I shuld.
She doesn’t wear glasses either tho!
Ha ha ha ha.
The previous messages highlight the need for a new educational system in America.
In Britain, we have the Ministry for Education.
Apparently in America, the Ministry of Silly Walks was assigned to oversee the educational system.
Thus it is time for a change.
Or soon, everyone writing to the WE Blog will write like those in the above posts.
And we cannot tolerate the dumbing down of America any more so then what obviously has already happened.
God save the Queen!
Monty Python
How dare you post!
YOu are an idiot!
I’m reporting you to the WEBLOG.
ANd if they FAIL to remove your post, we will boycott them.
They will loose lot’s of MONEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
The problem, JR, is that it’s always a “few cents here, few cents there” and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.
Quality of life? My quality of life is spending my earned income as I choose, not as the gov’t thinks I should. (oh God, I’m starting to write like JR, with the questionless questionmark!!)
;-)
And how do you distinguish between these two sentences?
“You get no arguement from me on subsizing sports teams. Though I think Wichita would have been ahead to have bought the Wranglers.”
Isn’t there just a LITTLE incongruity there? How do we, in principle, separate quality of life for the few from quality of life for the many?
“It’s always been City property to my knowledge.”
Not unless the city was leasing it to businesses.
There was a Dairy Queen located on the southeast corner of Sycamore and Maple for years and years. Other businesses were to the east of it, across from (then) Lawrence Stadium. Yes, there were houses to the south along Sycamore that are no longer there, and probably east behind the Dairy Queen. Harry Peebles’ offices were there, too. At least I *think* that was on Sycamore.
I grew up a few blocks from there, closer to West High.
While campaigning for president, JFK and his motorcade came down the Sycamore ramp off of Kellogg from the west. I guess he was headed downtown. I was maybe 10? I had to leave and missed seeing him, but my dad took home movies with his 8mm.
VT, I never could find anything on the Alaskan. Nothing with Google and two books about Wichita I have. Maybe someday I’ll take the time to check with the Historical Society.
SPEAKING OF THE ICE SPORTS/DELANO NEIGHBORHOOD … I WILL ADD MY RECOLLECTIONS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
My parents moved to Delano neighborhood in the early 1970’s and I have owned property there since the late 1990’s.
Yes, there was an old-fashioned walk-up Dairy Queen at southeast corner of Sycamore and Maple until it was torn down for the Ice Sports project. Also a small mom and pop hamburger shop just east of the Dairy Queen. At that time, there were a lot of 30-ish crowd of younger people living in the Delano neighborhood to support the small mom and pop eateries.
Just south of the Dairy Queen, also on the current Ice Sports site was the large “Hap” Peebles residence/business in which Hap arranged talent for concerts. I have been told that Johnny Cash and his group visited there and was said to have occasionally slept there in Hap Peebles’ large house to save money on tours.
In that quadrant of several square blocks south of Maple, east of Sycamore were some thirty older deteriorating residences which the city purchased for demolition for Ice Sports. Some of those houses were notorious “hippy” crash houses so weren’t missed by the Delano neighborhood people.
Of course, the locally famous other Hap, “Hap” Dumont maintained his office in a little building on Sycamore, just north of Maple from which he directed his Wichita National Baseball Congress activities.
A block or so west on Maple was the famous TAK-HOMA-BURGER which attracted lines of customers wrapped completely around that block. Its erstwhile owner, “Arky,” tells a story of how many cows were butchered each day to provide the hamburger meat for his business. Arky arrived from Arkansas in 1948 to begin his lifelong career running the little shop marked by the flourescent sign of a waitress above the door … the sign is still there along with Arky who I saw a few days ago but the great old TAK-HOMA-BURGER is closed.
Arky tells of young Vera Ralston’s mother visiting his restaurant from her home in the neighborhood and her relatives small grocery store next door. Arky admits he doesn’t remember Vera Ralston because she left for Hollywood in 1948, never to return to Wichita. She made many movies under the name of Vera Miles, a glamourous movie store of the 1950’s and later.
And can’t leave out the venerable Lawrence Stadium, now Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, the home of Wichita baseball since its completion in about 1935-36. Many baseball traditions from there about which books have been written.
Of course, Maple Street was actually Highway 54 for many years until not long ago. Was it the early 1960’s, when Highway 54 was built along its present alignment?
I remember the multitude of billboard signs lining Maple/Highway 54 as we entered Wichita from Pratt back in the 1950’s. One said, “For an honest value, buy furniture at Crooks.” Wonder where Crooks furniture was located?