I heard that Community City was going to have a FaceBook page.
This is true. You can see Community City's Facebook page

I hear that lots of cities are interested in CommunityLink.
that's true. Just look at all the features and you'll see why.

I heard that the big factory is closing.
Management says that they will be closing for one week June 1-5 for retolling. They expect to be at full operations after that. They would need to give 90 days notice before closing.

I heard that Walmart is planning to open a store.
Walmart corpoarate office says they have no such plans at this time.

When are you going to start using Twitter?
It's in the works. we'll keep you posted.

Did the City receive a bad audit this last year?
The City has provided the audit reports on-line for the review of our citizens. The fact is that the City received a tremendously positive audit this last year. Our auditors gave us a clean bill of health and we continue to strive for perfection in our audits. The rumor of a bad audit is most likely from the 1997-98 audit, in which the City received what was essentially a "Failing grade." (See the report on-line) Following that audit, staffing and policy changes were implemented to address the concerns. Every year since that time, the City staff has been working diligently to provide superior stewardship of our public funds.

I think you should get a CRM system
We are evaluating it.

I heard the rec center is going to be remodeled is this true?
No that is not true, we don't have the funds to do so.

I heard the DEP is requiring testing of homes due to environmental issues at Lucent Technologies.
The DEP has ordered vapor intrusion investigation of certain homes along South Street in New Providence. The testing is a precautionary measure to ensure that vapors from trichloroethylene (TCE) in ground water are not entering any building structures. Lucent technologies conducted similar testing of 19 homes in Berkeley Heights last year. One home was found to be impacted by vapors, which was remedied by installing a venting system beneath the foundation of the home. Click on the link for a fact sheet from Lucent Technologies.Lucent DEP Fact Sheet.pdf

I heard that the City was going to sell the Rec Center to Sunrise Christian Academy. Is that true?
The City of Bel Aire has announced a potential plan to sell its current Recreation Center to Sunrise Christian Academy (SCA) and expand its operations in conjunction with a new high school being built in northeast Wichita. SCA has purchased land east of its property and plans to construct a new high school. Meanwhile, the Recreation Center is built out and participants are being turned away from programs due to lack of space. SCA has expressed interest in purchasing the Recreation Center from the city. Wichita Public Schools will also be building a new high school to better serve its northeastern residents, and the school district is in talks with the city to locate this school in Bel Aire. If the plans go forward, a new Recreation Center would be built next to the high school campus and share facilities with the school. City Administrator Ty Lasher emphasizes that neither the sale of the existing building nor the construction of a new facility will happen for at least three to five years, and that the city will continue to operate the Recreation Department in the current facility until final plans are made. The city’s goal is to expand, not diminish, the Recreation Department’s offerings. Current programs would not be affected, and the Recreation Center will continue to operate normally. Anyone with questions or concerns is encouraged to contact Lasher at (316) 744-2451 or tlasher@belaireks.gov

Is it true that there is a bear on the loose in the area, and that it was spotted in downtown?
There was a bear spotted in downtown on June 22, but that particular bear is no longer in the vicinity. At this time of year it is not uncommon to see bears. If you do see one, contact the Police Department at call 9-1-1. "Residents should keep a safe distance. Do not approach the animal and contact us if it is an emergency," Dispatcher Bruno Marto of the Police Department said. According to the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, black bears are attracted by odors from potential food sources created by people. Carefully controlling these sources of food and associated odors can help prevent black bears from being attracted to people's property and teaching them to associate people with food. Most bears sighted in residential areas do not cause any damage. If a bear doesn't find abundant food, it will move on.