From arena remodeling to pigeon poop cleanup: How ready are we for NCAA March Madness?

Wichita and Sedgwick County have been working for more than a year to put their best faces forward when the NCAA rolls into town with its March Madness basketball tournament.

Improvement projects have involved everything from remodeling the entrance of the Intrust Bank Arena to cleaning the pigeon poop out from under a train overpass in Old Town.

Some projects were specifically designed to improve the Wichita experience for thousands of tourists who will flock here March 14-17 for the weekend of basketball action. Other projects were planned as quality-of-life upgrades for people who live here, but moved up in the schedule to be done in time for the tournament.

Officials hope to avoid a repeat of the last time the NCAA brought tournament play to town, in 1994.

Then, to say the least, the national spotlight on Wichita did not cast a flattering reflection. The big story off the court was the remoteness and “barnyard aroma” of the Kansas Coliseum, which had hosted both a pro rodeo and the Kansas Beef Expo the week before the tourney.

But the Coliseum is now a hangar for Wichita State University’s aircraft research program and the NCAA action has shifted downtown, where businesses and government have dedicated themselves to showing visitors a good time.

They’re hoping the investment in projects and parties pays off and that the tournament weekend will inject more than $10 million of commerce into the economy.

With about a week and a half left, here’s a look at what has and hasn’t gotten done:

Arena remodeling

Possibly the biggest upgrade for basketball fans was the expansion of the north entrance to Intrust Bank Arena. This $1.8 million project corrected a design flaw and expanded the lobby and security screening area to move fans into the building faster. That’s an especially important consideration as employees will have a short turnaround time to clear and clean the building between tournament games. The project increases weapon-screening stations from six to 10, nearly doubling the amount of foot traffic that can flow through the north side of the building.

Status: Done.

Arena security

At a cost of $238,000, the county has strategically placed bollards around the arena perimeter to prevent vehicle attacks on patrons. The county also spent $68,000 upgrading the outdoor lighting with bright LED lights to deter robbery and burglary around the arena.

Status: Done.

First Street improvements

This project is a resurfacing and general redesign of First Street in Old Town to slow traffic, better delineate street parking and create a more engaging streetscape.

Status: In progress. The south half of the street is basically done. City workers will clean up and move out during the tournament and start on the rest of the project afterward.

Bridge painting

In an effort to upgrade the aesthetics under railroad overpasses at First and Second streets, the city contracted with local artists to design and paint murals in the undercrossings. A design inspired by Dutch impressionist Vincent Van Gogh was selected and painting got under way before winter shut the project down.

Status: Not finished, but a substantial improvement from before.

Naftzger Park

The city had hoped to completely reconstruct Naftzger Park, a small park near the arena, in time for the basketball-themed “Fanfest” that the city is contractually obligated to provide for the NCAA. The project envisioned flattening the site and tearing out the existing pond, gazebo and landscaping, replacing them with a dog park, pavilion and open area for outdoor events. The project was popular with residents of upscale apartments nearby, but prompted complaints from activists who saw it as a thinly veiled attempt to push homeless people out and create a “dog pee park” for neighbors. The influential Design Review Board objected to being largely excluded from the planning process and development of adjacent property that will be taxed to pay for the park reconstruction was delayed.

Status: On hold. The city is still planning to rebuild Naftzger Park sometime after the tournament, but will hold the Fanfest in the street and parking lot adjacent to the park.

Arena Wi-Fi

This may seem basic, but it became an issue at last year’s tournament weekend in Tulsa. Coverage inside the BOK Arena was inadequate for the hoard of reporters covering the event, although management was able to scramble and fairly quickly get wireless Internet to the seating bowl. Intrust Bank Arena managers who observed Tulsa’s tournament weekend vowed not to come up short on bandwidth.

Status: Complete. Arena management and the county have installed a $385,000 Wi-Fi system they say should be robust enough to handle the load for the reporters (and tweeters and Facebookers) at the games.

Pigeon poop

The Douglas Avenue bridge under the BNSF railroad tracks is a key walkway linking the arena to the bars, clubs and restaurants in Old Town. Problem was, it was encrusted with years’ worth of pigeon poop. The city had hoped to make structural repairs, replace the lighting system and clean and paint the undercrossing in time for the tournament so tourists wouldn’t have to step around (or through) the mess.

Status: Ongoing. The city got the railroad’s permission to work on the bridge only about month ago, so major work is out. Cleaning up the pigeon poop and temporary additional lighting are about all that’s going to get done in time for the tournament.

Arkansas River Walkway

Extension of the waterfront path along the east bank of the river from the WaterWalk to the Lincoln Street Dam.

Status: Delayed. The city encountered unexpected design issues and was unable to start the project in time for the tournament.

Douglas Avenue, Main to Washington

The city has made several improvements including pedestrian safety upgrades, more clearly delineated parking and new bus shelters.

Status: Done.

Douglas and Hydraulic

Using a grant from the state, the city is adding dedicated left-turn lanes to the intersection to reduce a high accident rate.

Status: Pending. Construction is ongoing and should be finished by the tournament if the weather holds.

WaterWalk

Replacing the tilework around the “dancing waters” fountain.

Status: Done.

Commerce Street Art District

Resurfacing parking lot serving Commerce Street south of the arena. The street itself will be closed for outdoor parties on tournament game days, March 15 and 17.

Status: Done.

Old Cowtown

Project to improve drainage, install new boardwalks and improve outside lighting at the city-owned Western history park.

Status: Done.

Botanica

New flooring in interior entryway.

Status: Done.

Sources: Sedgwick County Manager Michael Scholes, county spokeswoman Kate Flavin, Wichita City Manager Robert Layton, Wichita Public Works Director Alan King.

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 11:07 AM with the headline "From arena remodeling to pigeon poop cleanup: How ready are we for NCAA March Madness?."