Bel Aire, KS - Celebrating 30 Years

City of Bel Aire

Celebrating 30 Years

On November 26, 1980. the City of Bel Aire incorporated and was recognized as a city in the State of Kansas. This year the Ctiy is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. We will be sharing stories and pictures from our history throughout the year, and at the end of the year we will have a community event to celebrate this period in our City's history. Check back for updates.

Bel Aire Triva:

Originally formed in January 1955 as an improvement district.
Incorporated as a City on November 26, 1980 and became a Third Class city.
Received State recognition to become a City of the Second Class in 1998.
The one-million gallon water tower was constructed in 2002 along with a water and sewer plant.
The City of Bel Aire received the "Kansas Pollution Prevention Award" from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in 2002 for establishing a curbside recycling program.
The City of Bel Aire first received the Tree City USA designation in 1996.
Prior to firestation #7, the closest firestation was located at Broadway and 53^rd Street (over 5 miles away).
The first Bel Aire Day took place on October 3, 1981. At that time it was called "Celebration Day"
The second Bel Aire day took place on August 21 & 22, and it was called "Bel Aire Fun Days."

Did you know?

City of Bel Aire Seal:

One afternoon, artist Becky Frock and City Clerk Carol Conine met and in less than an hour sketched out what became the city seal for Bel Aire. The main features include a whet field, windmill and stream. Each item has meaning relevant to the history and origins of this city, which is listed below.

The stream represents water which had been an issue from the beginning. Farmers began to settle in this area as early as the 1860s when government officials began opening more Indian lands. In the early 1950s, Tom Pearson, a wrestling Coach from Oklahoma, was intrigued with the development in the area that is now Bel Aire. He decided to purchase some land and start a farm, but he needed a reliable water supply. Pearson went to the City of Wichita asking to be part of their water system but received a sharp rejection. In 1955, several neighbors in the area went to Sedgwick County and petitioned to create an improvement district for water. Less than 30 years later, the City of Wichita and what is now the City of Bel Aire had a legal battle lasting 2 years over Bel Aire's ability to incorporate as a town. The Case was taken to the Kansas Supreme Court where it was deemed that Bel Aire had the right to incorporate as a city in Kansas.

The wheat fields were part of the surrounding landscape. In the early 1980s when the seal was conceived, Bel Aire had a total population of less than 2,500 people. In the late 60s, someone from this area would have to drive to 13^th and Woodlawn for a hamburger at McDonalds or to go shopping (Sweetbriar shopping center). The closed movie theater at that time was at the drive-in in Park City, which is also where the closed grocery store was located. There was a convenience store—Shopeze— located at 45^th and Woodlawn , which became the hang out place for many local teenagers. Between the late 60s and early 80s not much had changed as far as retail development near Bel Aire. Instead of shopping centers and office buildings, the citizens of Bel Aire were surrounded with farmland and wheat fields, which is exactly why they moved out here to begin with. These individuals were looking for the values and lifestyle of country living with the closeness of the bigger city.

The windmills some say were put on the seal because the first mayor of Bel Aire, Mayor Brookhouser, liked them. Windmills were and still are used in Kansas as an alternative energy source, and it is expected that windmills were a commonplace image of the City of Bel Aire in its origin.

In addition to these main images, the city motto "A City of the Future With Respect to its Past." made its first appearance along the edge of this city seal design. On the bottom edge of the seal was "Est. by the Will of Its Citizens—Nov. 26, 1980." a declaration of local independence.