Letters: A costly skybridge, Lowes comes through; state rep. doesn’t want postcards

A bridge too much

I object to the Kansas Department of Commerce spending $5 million of American Rescue Plan Act money on a bridge between a private office building and a hotel (“Council OKs millions more for Riverfront Stadium district,” Eagle April 24).

I think the money should be spent on things that benefit the citizens of our state. Where is the accountability?

Let’s reconsider giving public money to private business for use and enjoyment of a few wealthy individuals.

Thanks for the shrubberies

Thank you to Lowe’s for donating shrubs, perennials and mulch to beautify beds around Century 2 in time for the River Festival.

And thanks to all the community volunteers , including the police officers from the Broadway Corridor unit, that did the planting in downtown Wichita on this past Earth Day.

I believe it is disgraceful of Wichita city management to let downtown public spaces become so derelict.

I understand that funding for the parks department has been cut at a time when even our tree canopy in Wichita is depleted.

Years ago, when Chris Cherches was city manager, each year he directed all unused funds for snow and ice removal to be used to plant new trees throughout the Wichita area.

I hope that Wichita city management will recognize that everyone wants to visit and live in beautiful cities and that can only be achieved by maintaining public spaces, parks and gardens rather than just funneling taxpayer monies to new developments.

Thanks to Lowe’s generosity, there will be another community planting event on May 17 and 18 at A. Price Woodard Park.

Postcard problem

On April 25, a group of parents, students, and educators held a rally for public schools at the Maner Conference Center in Topeka.

Speakers addressed the projected loss of 1,300 teachers, many of whom are special education, as funding for that has been greatly reduced in the proposed budget.

Attendees addressed over 2,000 postcards and retirees volunteered to hand them out to legislators.

Since the post cards were slippery, I dropped a few heading to Rep. Kristey Williams’ office.

She was also heading to her office, and asked if I needed help.

I said “actually several of these cards are for you” and after picking them up, tried to hand them to her.

She said, “just leave them on my assistant’s desk” and walked into her office with me following. I asked her if I could just hand them to her, and she repeated “put them on my assistant’s desk.”

Somehow I was able to put them in her hand. She then tossed them on her assistant’s desk.

Williams is chair of the Education Committee and the K-12 Education Budget Committee and this is how she treated me, as I simply wanted to hand her postcards from Kansans concerned with public schools.

Medicaid and disabilities

I read with interest the article written by Cammie Funston (“Mom: Disabled need help on health care and Schmidt’s in the way,” April 27).

I agree with her 100%.

When I was in active practice in Hill City in northwest Kansas, I saw many patients with disabilities.

They need help. Medicaid should be expanded as proposed by Gov. Laura Kelley to cover all those disabled people.