Bill Koch wants out of his lease at the Wichita Boathouse
A foundation led by billionaire Bill Koch wants out of its lease at the Wichita Boathouse, and city leaders have learned that might come at a high cost.
Koch’s America3 Foundation leases the boathouse for $1 a year, in exchange for maintaining it. But now the roof needs repairs, and the city might have to pay for it if the lease ends.
While the city could serve notice requiring the foundation to make the repairs, there are few options to enforce it.
Vice Mayor Dalton Glasscock said he was stunned that the only recourse might be to take back the building.
“My mind's just blown,” Glasscock said. “Please say … this is not common practice in our real estate agreements now, that the only clawback is to do what they want the clawback to do.”
Koch houses his World Cup-winning yacht at the boathouse.
Democratic State Representative Abi Boatman addressed council members, saying the public should know more about the lease.
“I think I speak for a good number of people when I say that we're kind of tired of hearing that everything on the river only costs $1 for certain people,” she said.
The city council will consider the lease terms at a meeting next month.
Century II over budget, rental rates could increase
Wichita’s Century II was over budget by about $163,000 last year, and city leaders are considering potential upgrades and increasing rental rates.
Officials said attendance and concession sales are down. They cite economic uncertainty as part of the reason, but they also think rental rates are too low.
Assistant City Manager Dante Martin said there needs to be a balance when considering a rate increase.
“Any increase that we make to rental rates has an impact to not only our partners that provide shows, but our customers, our residents, and our community.”
Venue officials also want to add a center aisle in the Concert Hall. They are looking into private funding to finance a redesign.
Century II general manager John Hale said the Concert Hall’s awkward design could be affecting concession sales because guests feel stuck in their seats during performances.
“If you're sitting in seat 1 or 101, if you want to get out, you're going to bump over 32 people to get out, and so you're not going to go out and go to the restroom. That's a client issue. That's a comfort issue.”
In a report to the Wichita City Council, Hale said a top priority is updating the heating and air-conditioning system and upgrading restrooms.
City will apply for school safety grants
The Wichita City Council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to approve a grant application for school safety technology.
The Wichita Police Department is trying for $500,000 in federal grant money. It would be used to provide real-time information from schools during a violent incident, such as a school shooting.
The city would have to provide matching funds of $125,000. Police representatives said the school district might pay a portion, but no agreement was provided to the council.
Council member J.V. Johnston opposed the idea, citing concerns about cost.
“If we keep approving all these grants that keep ballooning the police department's budget, it takes money away from other things in our community that I think are important,” Johnston said.
Council members Joseph Shepard and Maggie Ballard also voted against the application, citing privacy concerns.
Shepard said he’s concerned about surveillance issues as they relate to the school district’s treatment of black students.
“One of the things that keeps me up at night is raising children who look like me in our country right now, and how to mitigate any risk of them not feeling any safer than their counterparts,” he said.
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