Progress as Promised

The new year brings with it a host of expectations about Derby’s future. The common question is “What’s coming next?” Well, have you noticed construction east of Rock Road just south of the Wesley Derby ER? That will be the new Don Hattan car dealership, and Cambridge Street also soon will be constructed east of Rock Road.

Did you know work is currently underway in The Oaks? Site grading has begun in preparation for installation of water lines, sewer lines and a street to connect the new Lookout Pointe neighborhood with the Morningside neighborhood. This planned street construction will complete Lookout Street, which will be directly north of future apartments expected to be built just north of Meadowlark.

If the City’s effort to sell STAR bonds in February is successful, we will see several construction projects later this year west of Rock Road (just north of Calvary Baptist Church). Projects include a dinosaur attraction planned to open in 2018, construction of a hospital west of the water tower, and extension of Freedom Street west of Rock Road to access the hospital.

Construction will be busy on primary streets as KDOT has partnered with us to make improvements on Nelson Drive at Meadowlark (behind the QuikTrip and Burger King) and on east Madison Avenue to widen the old county road east of the high school all the way to High Park. A sidewalk and crosswalk will also be added. We are preparing to install traffic signals at Cambridge & Rock Road and also on Meadowlark at Triple Creek Drive later this year.

With just two years into the ten-year Derby Difference Sales Tax, six firefighters were hired in 2015 and Madison Avenue Central Park opened in October 2016. Next, we look forward to planning the new ballfields and a dog park on Rock Road at the south city limit on a 66 acre site west of Rock Road. The land is currently farmed, and upon completion of the new park, it will be named Decarsky Park in honor of the Decarsky family who donated the land to the city. This project will take some serious time before it’s ready for ballgames to be played, and you can expect updates on progress throughout 2017.

The West End and the K-15 corridor will get some attention in 2017, as the City welcomes construction of a new facility for Aircraft & Commercial Enterprises (A.C.E.) in the West End Business Park. City leaders will also consider options for reducing sign clutter to enhance the look and feel of the area and begin to work on a long-range plan for the commercial area east of K-15 between Patriot and Meadowlark. A few months from now, we will have a contractor on site developing Warren Riverview Park on Market Street at the Arkansas River and a new sidewalk along Market Street.

What’s noted above is not even close to a comprehensive list of all the construction projects I expect in 2017 in Derby. I’m encouraged by the continued interest of business people in expanding their businesses all across Derby, and I’m proud the Derby Difference Sales Tax is being invested in core services like the library, Fire & Rescue Department, and parks to make Derby a community of choice in the Wichita area.

Kathy Sexton
City Manager

Published in the Derby Informer on Jan. 4, 2017.