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Man's goal: Make city walkable

Businessman offers city $30,000 to place mileage markers and signs on walking paths around Wichita.

BY KAREN SHIDELER

The Wichita Eagle

Richard Schodorf takes issue with Wichita's ranking as one of the worst 25 cities nationwide for its "walkability."

And he wants to do something about it.

Schodorf, a former assistant U.S. attorney and now president of Sunflower Title, is working with city and county leaders to get mileage markers and signs along Wichita's walking paths and to get 20,000 Wichitans committed to walking at least 30 minutes a day.

Today, he'll present his plan to the Wichita Park Board. He also is working with county officials.

He's putting his money where his mouth is: He is willing to spend $30,000 for the mileage markers and signs. Schodorf wants mileage markers every half-mile and signs at entry points to walking paths throughout the area.

Wichita Park and Recreation Director Doug Kupper said initial plans call for signs on three city paths: along K-96, the Canal Route and the River Corridor.

Janet Miller, Park Board president, said she's eager to see the details of Schodorf's plans. "They seem like good fits for things we've discussed as a board," she said. That includes making it easy to be physically active and encouraging private-public partnerships.

Schodorf said walking "has always been a passion of mine." But too many parks don't encourage walking, he said. Swanson Park has a paved nature trail, but Schodorf says many of his fellow west Wichitans don't even know where the park is (it's at 900 N. Maize Road). Sedgwick County Park has lots of trails but no good way for walkers to tell how far they've gone. Schodorf intends for his signs and mileage markers to solve both shortfalls.

He also wants markers downtown, to map one-, two- and three-mile routes.

He said he was motivated by a recent Prevention magazine ranking of the best cities for walking. The magazine rated the 10 most populous cities in each state; Wichita ranked ninth for walkability in Kansas and was in the bottom 25 of all 500 U.S. cities. The magazine noted that Wichita had a low percentage of people who walk to work, a low number of schools per square mile and the third-lowest ratio of parks per square mile, "a huge hindrance to walkers."

Schodorf's signs must get the blessing of the city's Design Council but he hopes they can be installed by the end of summer.

That would be in time for Schodorf's next plan: a Mayor's and Chairman's Challenge, in which the city and county would encourage residents to walk for 30 minutes a day, every day for a month. "I really believe we can get 20,000 people" to do that, he said.

And he hopes to invite Prevention magazine representatives to take a second look at Wichita then.

Reach Karen Shideler at 316-268-6674 or kshideler@wichitaeagle.com.