Throw on a second blanket

Sheesh! Just as the cold breaks, we get hit with a new blanket -- this time, fog. Thick, pea-soup-type fog. It's so thick, in fact, that I can't distinguish anything out of my south-facing window except the office building 100 yards away and the green Burlington Northern engine and a coral-colored caboose on the nearby tracks. Everything beyond that is just a soupy blur. Two hours ago I thought I'd hit the gym this afternoon; now I'm thinking I may be better off to stay put.

Speaking of soup, I went to the Old Mill Tasty Shop for a bowl of her fabulous tomato bisque and talked a bit to owner Mary Wright about neighborhood developments. She says an improved web site is in the works for the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation. The WDDC's "Life Happens Here" site, while a great idea six years ago, doesn't go far enough to update visitors about Old Town and downtown news. Like me, she agrees that there are lots of things going on downtown that people who live and work here just don't know about. So a better outlet for neighborhood news is certainly welcomed.

TIF districts and parking have also been in the news this week, now that the city and county have approved the parameters and agreed on plans for a tax-financed improvement district around the Intrust Bank Area. Hallelujah! It seems as though the city and county need to get their respective and combined acts together before things start happening. That said, Mary and I both wondered what was or is going on with a couple of key Old Town real estate assets: the old Union Station and the former Spaghetti Warehouse buildings that straddle either side of the train tracks. Mary says she's grateful that the Old Mill has access to parking behind the building and says her patrons also utilize the Spaghetti Warehouse parking lot. What will happen with parking when the arena's completed has her and other Old Town merchants a bit anxious.

As for Union Station -- that's been the subject of a lot of speculation and rumor over the past two or three years. Many residents, myself included, feel that a station there is the natural location if the Heartland Flyer agrees to extend its reach from Oklahoma City to Kansas City with a stop in Wichita. But what's the city's role in perhaps encouraging the utilization of that building for a station? And will Cox Communications' efforts to sell those buildings impact a station site decision? All questions a lot of us would love to have answers to.

As for other Old Town developments du jour, the city wisely opted to postpone placement of the "spire" atop the Intrust Bank Arena. I'm thinking the weather had something to do with it. Next possible date for this : Jan. 6 at 1:30 p.m.

In addition, The Eagle reports this afternoon that Mayor Carl Brewer announced today the formation of a steering committee of residents to help guide downtown development. This will include the mayor's push to connect Old Town with the Intrust Bank Arena, the museums on the river and the Arkansas River banks, and the WaterWalk.