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Resident says Riverside Park repairs have lagged for years; board staff point to CIP process
Summary
A longtime Riverside Park neighbor urged the Wichita Park Board to accelerate routine repairs, citing graffiti, cracked structures and a loss of trees; parks staff said repairs are prioritized through capital improvement planning and urged residents to report issues.
A Wichita resident told the Wichita Park Board on Tuesday that Riverside Park has gone years without needed maintenance, and she urged staff to speed repairs.
Lisa Short, who identified herself during public comment, said she has repeatedly reported problems and that small fixes left undone create a perception that “nobody cares about the park.” “I have tried every way that I know how to... to turn in some much needed repairs at Riverside Park for the last 7 years,” she told the board. She described graffiti on a gazebo, cracked masonry, a dried pond and what she said was a loss of trees: “We’ve lost 32 trees in 2 years.”
The complaint prompted responses from parks staff explaining how repairs get prioritized. Reggie (staff member) said routine and major repairs are balanced against available funding and noted staff meet monthly with Public Works to set capital improvement plan (CIP) priorities. “Part of the balance that we have is looking at what funding levels we’ve had there and how we’ve made this, what we would share, and what new things that we bring into the system,” Reggie said, urging residents to submit reports through the department’s website so staff can act.
Board members and staff also described near-term steps. Staff invited Short to remain for the maintenance and forestry presentation later in the meeting and offered to validate her parking. Board members repeated that community reports help staff locate and prioritize problems.
Short raised safety and quality concerns beyond cosmetic damage: eroding posts and timbers at century-old structures and beer bottles and broken glass from nighttime activity near park entrances. She said the neighborhood helps pick up trash and fundraise but that deferred maintenance makes the park vulnerable to vandalism.
Parks staff acknowledged limited resources and said the department must weigh emergency tree and flood responses against backlog work. They said some Riverside projects (including a playground replacement and other 2025 work) are nearing RFP or design phases and that larger structural projects require capital allocations. Staff invited Short to follow up with her council representative and to use the department reporting channels so crews can log and schedule repairs.
The board did not vote on any new funding or directives during the meeting; staff said they would include the concerns in CIP planning and upcoming maintenance scheduling.
