Maximize input on Lord’s Diner site

lordsdinerAt today’s meeting the Wichita City Council may schedule a Nov. 3 public hearing that would rise above the routine. If Mayor Carl Brewer and the council decide to proceed with the controversial proposal to lease the former Boys & Girls Club at 21st and Grove for use as a satellite of the Lord’s Diner (Broadway site in photo), they should do so with full information from both advocates and opponents in the neighborhood. The need seems undeniable, especially given Wichita’s jobless numbers. But so does the concern about whether the charity will end up being as much of a detriment as an asset to the high-profile corridor, which has been the subject of so many economic development dollars and dreams. To maximize the opportunity for input, might the city’s public hearing be held after work hours?

7 Comments

  1. JWink
    Posted October 20, 2009 at 6:17 am | Permalink

    “Might the city’s public hearing be held after work hours?”

    Good idea but the city council would be afraid that evening council meetings might lead to more evening council meetings … when they should be held.

  2. JWink
    Posted October 20, 2009 at 6:20 am | Permalink

    Ditto for County Commission meetings. Thanks to the USD 259 school board for holding their board meetings in a North High School auditorium on alternate Monday evenings at 6 PM.

  3. Regular
    Posted October 20, 2009 at 10:12 am | Permalink

    I think it would be a good outlet for that area.

    After hours would include a lot of folks. Not so sure of the people who do the actual feeding at other facilities such as the Lord’s Diner though.

  4. Jed
    Posted October 20, 2009 at 2:05 pm | Permalink

    Sorry about that planned gentrification of 21st street, but there are plenty of poor people in that area too, and a new Lord’s Diner would help them a lot more than it would hurt yuppies.

  5. JimJohnson
    Posted October 20, 2009 at 5:04 pm | Permalink

    It’s too bad the upity folks in this neighborhood feel they are too good to have hungry people nearby.

    It’s a Charity for the Hungry, and in Obama’s world, you better be prepared for the Change that will require a food bank in EVERY neighborhood.

  6. itsuckstologin
    Posted October 20, 2009 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    Hey we all need to support these places that support the poor and unemployed. Because, by the time Oboomboom is finished with the U.S., most of us will need places like this to get a good meal once in a while!

  7. donndublin
    Posted October 22, 2009 at 2:15 pm | Permalink

    Where’s the WEblog pastor in his comments. This should be right up his alley. Is he too busy talking politics instead of helping his own community decide on such a venture?