WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - Another win for the Save Century II group as Wichita City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday approving the first $250,000 of a $2.2M budget allocated to repair the building.
"I guess they're listening to us. So that's a big hurrah," said Celeste Racette, Chairperson of the Save Century II Committee.
This comes just days after Racette and the Save Century II committee collected and presented more than 17,000 signatures to Wichita mayor Brandon Whipple on a petition that would leave the fate of the city-owned building up to the voters.
"The citizens of Wichita, even through COVID where we were shut down for two months, want to sign the petition. They want a vote on our historic buildings," said Racette.
This $250,000 is part of $2,250,000 allocated in the 2019-2028 Capital Improvement Program, specifically for repairing Century II over the next nine years.
It will go to fixing various parts of the building like the Expo Hall heating and cooling system, water pumps throughout the facility, and structural concerns.
"Frankly, the city is behind on repairs on the building. So it's our responsibility to upgrade or to, you know, make sure we do these repairs. And that's really what today's allocation was about," said Mayor Brandon Whipple.