PARS shifts focus to neighborhood "block talks," says it cannot staff citywide National Night Out event

Prevention and Resiliency Services executive director Mandy Chukanski told the Topeka Governing Body on Jan. 14 that PARS is refocusing the Safe Streets program on smaller, resident-led "block talks" and neighborhood-level convenings rather than a single large city-run National Night Out event.

Chukanski said PARS will emphasize helping neighborhood leaders convene, identify priorities and connect with service providers, and described block talks as a revival of grassroots neighborhood-watch functions adapted to current community preferences. PARS safe-streets lead Isabelle Hawkins described pilots in Central Park and Hillcrest where neighbors organized door-knocks, a community health fair and follow-up meetings; PARS staff said those activities led to new neighborhood partnerships and ongoing resident engagement.

The presentation explained PARS is a small nonprofit and that planning and running the traditional National Night Out event required roughly 400 staff hours in 2024 — an amount PARS says it cannot sustain in 2025. Chukanski told the governing body PARS solicited co-hosts and sponsors and did not find an organization able to assume the planning workload; PARS said it will provide materials and technical assistance to any community partner willing to take the lead.

Council members praised the block-talk approach as a promising grassroots model but raised concerns about preserving National Night Out’s neighborhood reach if PARS withdraws from organizing it. Several council members asked whether the Neighborhood Improvement Associations (NIAs), city community engagement staff or city departments could assume planning duties, and PARS said it has not yet lined up a replacement host but is willing to coordinate a transition and provide guidance.

Council members and the city manager also flagged budget and contract issues: PARS is seeking continued municipal funding through a contract renewal for roughly $61,000, and some council members said the city must decide whether the program’s shift in emphasis matches the purpose of that funding. Several members asked for follow-up conversations to consider whether to continue the current funding level, alter the contract terms, or reallocate funds to a partner that would operate National Night Out at a comparable scale.

Public comment at the meeting included neighborhood residents and NIA representatives who described declining NIA participation, successful block-talk pilots, and the practical barriers small nonprofits face when mounting large public events. PARS said it will focus 2025 outreach on education about subcontracting and building relationships between prime contractors and small, diverse vendors, and will host targeted workshops, but requested clarity from the governing body on contract expectations and funding going forward.

PARS asked for further conversations with city staff and council members about whether and how the city will support a citywide National Night Out and about contract terms for its 2025 funding request.