City of Topeka Fire Station #6 is the second oldest fire station in Topeka, built in 1935, and is an integral part of the Oakland neighborhood. When the road around Fire Station #6 was redone the fire hydrant was put out of commission and replaced. The Firefighters at station #6 saw an opportunity repurpose the decommissioned fire hydrant and turn it into public art to honor the Oakland neighborhood. The Firefighter union donated funds to sandblast and prime the fire hydrant and local artist Andy Valdivia painted the hydrant to reflect the rich cultural heritage in Oakland. The fire hydrant is painted to show the Hispanic and German cultures in the neighborhood along with the historic fire station building.
“The firefighters who work in Station #6 love the Oakland neighborhood and its rich culture. We are so excited to repurpose this decommissioned fire hydrant into public art for all our neighbors in Oakland to enjoy,” said Fire Marshal Mike Martin. “We hope that this fire hydrant will remind people of fire safety in their homes and help be a reminder to check your smoke detector to make sure it is working.”
The fire hydrant will be unveiled to the public on Saturday, January 26th at noon at Fire Department #6 located at 1419 SE Seward. At the unveiling the Fire Department will be handing out applications for free smoke detectors. The American Red Cross will also be in attendance to talk about their Sound the Alarm campaign that will be in the Oakland neighborhood on April 27th to install free smoke detectors in homes in the area.
The City of Topeka Fire Department is committed to making sure that our citizens have working smoke detectors in their home in case of a fire and fire safety knowledge. In 2018 there were 7 fires in Oakland that resulted in one death, two injuries, one firefighter injury and approximately $210,000 in damages.
Homelessness in Kansas and across the country is on the rise. In the past year, the Topeka Rescue Mission has seen record numbers of guests in the shelter with the biggest increase being in persons with mental health challenges. Kansas schools have also seen large increases in homeless children and youth.
It is important for the City of Topeka to obtain the appropriate level of funding so that we can provide needed services to those experiencing homelessness and those at risk for homelessness. To receive funding for programs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to complete a point-in-time count of the homeless every year.
This year’s Point-In-Time Count will be held on Wednesday, January 23 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Topeka is committed to helping the homeless in our community. The point in time homeless count is the first important step to see where the most need is,” said Corrie Wright, Division Director of Housing Services for the City of Topeka. The information gathered will help Topeka to:
• Understand the face of homelessness within the community;
• Make sure services are meeting the needs of homeless persons;
• Raise public awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness; and
• Measure community progress towards preventing and ending homelessness.
Help us make sure that everyone is counted!
Persons who are experiencing homelessness or know someone who is, please call 785-368-0168 between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on January 23rd, or drop by the Rescue Mission or Let’s Help and complete a survey that day. Interviewers will also be available at the City Offices – Holliday Building. 620 SE Madison, Holliday Conference Room from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on January 23th.
The Topeka Zoo and Mohan Construction have been awarded the Associated General Contractors of Kansas (AGC) State Building Award of Excellence for their work on the Camp Cowabunga exhibit.
“We are honored that Camp Cowabunga will receive the Award of Excellence from both the AGC State Building Awards and the Kan-Struct Collaborative Awards,” said Steve Mohan the CEO of Mohan Construction. “These awards are the result of the work and cooperation of the City of Topeka, The Topeka Zoo, GLMV Architecture, Studio Tectonic and the many subcontractors and suppliers on this project. This is a great addition for the Topeka Zoo and the City of Topeka, and Mohan Construction is proud to be part of it.”
Camp Cowabunga broke ground on July 6th, 2017 and was completed and opened to the public on August, 31st 2018. Camp Cowabunga was the largest project in the Topeka Zoo’s history and creates the atmosphere of being on a safari in Africa, with the exhibit honoring Gary K. Clarke’s safari experiences in Africa as a tour guide. Camp Cowabunga houses several animals including African lions, African painted dogs, Red Patas monkeys, guinea fowl and ostriches. Camp Cowabunga also features interactive learning experiences that are fun and education for guests. Opening weekend of Camp Cowabunga saw 9,857 guests who enjoyed their first experience of the Topeka Zoo’s master plan. Camp Cowabunga cost $4.5 million and was funded privately and through sales tax. Private donations to Camp Cowabunga were represented by donors in 38 states.
“It is an honor to receive the AGC Award of Excellence for Camp Cowabunga.” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Camp Cowabunga gives our guests a chance to experience what it is like to be on an African safari. Mohan Construction perfectly executed the vision that we had for Camp Cowabunga and it has been wonderful to see all of the positive reactions from zoo patrons.”
The award will be presented on Friday, February 1st 2019 in Wichita at the Associated General Contractors of Kansas State Building Awards Luncheon. Head to the Topeka Zoo to experience the award winning exhibit. The Topeka Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the gates closing at 4:30 p.m. The Zoo will be closed on New Year’s Day.
The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center will be accepting used live Christmas trees again this year beginning as early as December 26 but the Zoo is asking that a different tree drop off location be used.
It is as easy as dropping the tree off at our new location just east of the horseshoe court parking lot inside Gage Park. When entering Gage Park from the 10th St. entrance, take your first right on Munn Memorial Drive; heading northwest. Look for the orange snow fence and place your tree in the grass, behind the “Trees Here” sign.
“There is no need to make an appointment,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “We’ll find them and get them to the animals that can use them.”
In order for the trees to be able to be used by the zoo animals, the trees need to be free of ornaments tinsel, tree stands and not in plastic bags.
“This allows the trees to be used beyond the holiday season,” said Wiley. “Animals that benefit from them include lions, tigers, owls, mountain lions, giraffes, elephants, bears and many others.”
Once the animals have had plenty of fun with the varieties of conifers donated, they will be ground up through a chipper and made into mulch for continued reuse.
The zoo will accept the trees through Jan. 8th 2019.
The Topeka Zoo wants your old worn out and broken Holiday Lights. Tired of trying to figure out which one of those little bulbs is causing that strand of lights to stay dark? Join the Topeka Zoo’s Holiday Lights Recycling Drive!
The holiday lights recycling drive is designed to prevent thousands of pounds of unused, unwanted, or broken holiday lights from going to a landfill. Through the holiday season when so many holiday lights are found to be broken or unwanted, simply drop them off at the front entrance of the Topeka Zoo. Holiday lights dropped off will be collected and turned in where their parts will be separated, allowing 100% of each light unit to be recycled.
All drop-offs of holiday lights must be deposited in the marked containers at the zoo’s front entrance, and can be accepted at any time of the day seven days a week. Rope lights, garland lights, C7, C9, mini lights, and LED holiday lights are all accepted. Yard light displays can be accepted as long as they contain electric wiring and can be broken down to lay flat for storage and transportation. Please do NOT drop off holiday trees with lights still attached to them. Separate lights from the trees before drop off.
Holiday lights can be turned in for recycling from November 15th, 2018 – January 15th, 2019. Lights cannot be accepted after January 15th.
For questions or more information on the Topeka Zoo’s Holiday Lights Recycling Drive, please contact Dennis Dinwiddie at ddinwiddie@topeka.org, or 785-368-9134.
12/13 Update
If you are concerned about the exposure of your credit or debit card information, please access www.IC3.gov to file a complaint. The Internet Crime Complaint Center or IC3 accepts online Internet crime complaints.
In order to file a complaint on IC3, you will need personal information, including your address, telephone, and email. You will also need financial transaction information, specific details on how you were victimized and any other relevant information that you believe is necessary to support your complaint.
When filling out a complaint with IC3, please be sure to include Click-2-Gov in the description part of the incident form. The City of Topeka is cooperating with the FBI and your input and information are valuable to support cooperation efforts.
Original Post
On the afternoon of December 7th, the City of Topeka was notified by our Utility Billing Payment System software vendor Central Square that the City of Topeka has been a potential victim cyber-attack. This potential data breach has not been confirmed at this time. Central Square has turned over their information to a forensics investigator to confirm the potential breach of the City of Topeka Utility Billing Payment System. On Saturday, December 8th the City of Topeka Information Technology team went through the data breach system and did not see any malicious activity. As a potential victim of a cyber-attack, the City of Topeka wants to keep our costumers information safe and city Information Technology staff worked with the software vendor on December 7th to transition the current online Utility Billing Payment System to a more secure platform as advised by the software vendor. Local law enforcement and the FBI have been notified of the potential breach.
The City of Topeka is working with very limited information at this time regarding the potential cyber-attack. The data breach occurred between October 31st and December 7th. The data breach would affect any City of Topeka Utilities customer who made a one-time payment or set up autopay during this time. E-checks and customers who set up autopay before October 31st will not be affected. While this potential compromise has not been confirmed by a qualified forensic investigator yet, the City is strongly recommending, as a precautionary measure, customers who make credit card or debit card transactions using the online Utility Billing Payment System between October 31st and December 7th to contact their credit card issuer for advice related to the potential exposure of their credit card information.
As the potential victim of a cyber-attack, the City of Topeka has identified that up to 10,000 customers have been potentially impacted by the data breach. City of Topeka Utilities Department will be sending a letter to customers whose information has potentially been impacted.
Information on the potential breach will be on the City of Topeka website front page and updated as information becomes available. You can find more information on how to respond to a data breach at: https://www.ftc.gov/data-breach-resources
The Topeka Police Department is proud to announce a new collaborative state-of-the-art initiative to help the unsheltered and indigent population in Topeka.
TPD has started issuing official City of Topeka Personal Identification Cards, an initiative that has never been done in Kansas. The cards are meant to bridge the gap for the unsheltered or those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford or have the proper documentation to apply for a state issued ID. The city issued ID cards are free and available to anyone in need.
The City of Topeka issued ID card will include the person’s legal name, photo, signature, date of birth, personal demographics, address or last know location, and Kansas State ID card number if applicable. In order to qualify, individuals must go through the Topeka Police Department for this process.
The City of Topeka issued IDs can be used to apply for a job through Day Labor Services, apply for residency and more.
“We are very excited to have partnered on this progressive effort to aid the unsheltered population in Topeka. These ID cards will allow people to gain access to a wide range of services that otherwise would not be available to them,” said Chief Bill Cochran. “Proper identification is a crucial element on the path towards gaining self-sustainability for this section of our population. We are here to help them along the way.”
In Kansas, to apply for a state issued identification card, you must have proof of identification. Many unsheltered people don’t have proof of identification, making the process nearly impossible.
In partnership with the Kansas Department of Revenue and Kansas Department of Health and Environment: Office of Vital Statistics, the Topeka Police Department is streamlining this normally difficult process. KDOR will be accepting the city issued ID card as proof of identification, which will then allow a person to get a temporary one-year state issued ID card. With that temporary state issued ID, the person has one year to go to Vital Statistics to get a copy of their birth certificate. With the temporary state ID card and the official copy of their birth certificate, they are then able to go to Social Security to get a copy of their social security card. After this process is complete, they can then go back to KDOR to get their official state ID. There will be a cost associated with applying for the temporary state ID card and official state ID card.
The identification process for the City of Topeka issued ID card will be in depth, to make sure that the person is identified correctly. This process will take anywhere between a week to a month.
The Topeka Rescue Mission will be assisting in our unsheltered and indigent outreach efforts as we work to identify those who can benefit from this initiative.
“One of the greatest barriers to success for unsheltered individuals is the inability to obtain legal identification. Without this identification, unsheltered individuals and families are unable to obtain employment, open a bank account, attend many educational opportunities and often move into safe and affordable housing. All too often they have nowhere else to turn other than the shelters of the Topeka Rescue Mission or the streets,” said Barry Feaker, Topeka Rescue Mission Executive Director. “Once again, the Topeka Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Bill Cochran and dedicated Officers like Sgt. Josh Klamm who has spearheaded this initiative, have created an innovative way to serve those most in need. I believe this new initiative may prove to be one of the greatest tools to breaking the cycle for unsheltered individuals that we have discovered thus far and undoubtedly will be replicated in other communities. It’s an honor to work alongside the men and women of TPD as they continually look for ways to protect and serve all of our citizens.”
It is important for people to understand that the city issued ID cards are free, but will not come with the same rights as a state issued ID card, driver’s license or passport, which will come at a cost.
Anyone interested in getting a City of Topeka Identification Card can email Sgt. Mathew Rose at mrose@topeka.org. You can also come down to the Law Enforcement Center located at 320 S Kansas Ave. Suite 100 and speak with an officer at the front desk for assistance.
All northbound lanes on SW Fairlawn from SW 25th Street to SW 28th Street closed this afternoon due unstable subgrade near a manhole that is about to be removed and replaced.
“The contractor will begin removing the existing manhole tomorrow morning,” said Robert Bidwell, project manager for the City. “Once we know the extent of the sand backfill and the pavement undercutting, we can determine repair options and a timeline for restoring northbound traffic.” Southbound traffic will be continue to be allowed in the outside lane.
The problem was found when the City’s contractor began excavating for replacement of a 48-inch stormwater pipe and three manholes in that stretch. The project started Monday and is expected to be completed by January 28.
On Monday, December 3rd at noon, the Topeka Zoo will host a meeting to share updates about the storm water management project getting under way in Gage Park. When completed, Gage Park will benefit from a planted drainage swale and detention pond that will manage and clean storm water that flows through a portion of the park. The project will essentially develop two new ecosystems in the park benefiting native wildlife and presenting educational opportunities.
The project will change how areas along Zoo Parkway look. During the installation of the storm water management system, approximately 30 trees will be removed. They will be replaced by a more diverse variety as the project concludes next spring. Some of the oaks that are at the end of their life span will be used to make benches. Other trees will be recycled back into the park in different means.
“When we held the last public meeting about this project back in September, it was hard to understand the scope of the project just looking at a piece of paper,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “With areas in the park now marked, we want to provide another opportunity for the community to ask questions.”
The meeting will be held on Monday, December 3rd at noon in the Gary K. Clarke Living Classroom at the zoo.
For the past several years, Trumpeter Swans hatched at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center have been released back to the wild to bolster the wild population. This morning, two wild Trumpeter Swans dropped in for a visit with the pair of Trumpeters that call the Topeka Zoo home.
In the early 1900’s, Trumpeter Swans nearly became extinct. With laws in place to protect them and active breed and release programs, the species has made a dramatic turnaround and the population today is estimated to be in excess of 35,000 birds.
Trumpeter Swans range from Alaska and Western Canada down into the Northern United States. Kansas is typically not considered to be part of their normal range. The weather front that passed through this past weekend most likely pushed them further South.
The arrival of the visiting swans made for an interesting morning at the zoo. “It definitely got our attention,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. ”We don’t know how long they will stay with us but they are welcome for as long as they want.”