A Monthly Message to Citizens July 20, 2006 Dear citizen: Welcome to another edition of Insight, a monthly e-message from me to you with updates on the City and community. Sister Cities International recently awarded our commitment to partnering with international cities. We are celebrating summer with National Parks and Recreation Month. Kansas City International Airport now offers free wireless Internet access in all terminals. Finally, our capital improvements office continues to be a model for effective project delivery and is sharing its success story with other cities. Kansas City Sister Cities program earns international award Subscribe Sign up to receive monthly e-messages Read previous messages The City received the 50th Anniversary Award from Sister Cities International for its long-term commitment to develop Sister City programs. The award was given at the Sister Cities 50th Anniversary conference in Washington, D.C. this month.  Kansas City has been involved with the Sister Cities Program since 1967 when it first partnered with  Seville, Spain. The City now actively collaborates with 13 sister cities in 10 countries and will host the 2008 Sister Cities International Conference. Learn more about our partnership with Sister Cities International and how to get involved. Free wireless Internet now available at KCI Kansas City International Airport now offers free wireless Internet service in all terminals. KCI has undergone a $450 million overhaul since 2001, including terminal renovations, an economy parking lot, the addition of restrooms and concessions inside departure lounges and a consolidated rental car facility. Find out about these projects and others the Aviation Department has under way. Celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month Help celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month by visiting some of the City's 212 parks. The newest additions include: Loose Garden Center Japanese Tea Room at Loose Park, 52nd Terrace and Summit Street The Discovery Barn and Peek-A-Boo Tree at the Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Drive Children's Film Festival on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at Hyde Park, Gillham Road and 38th Street Swimming pools, aquatic centers and spray grounds CIMO shares its success with other cities The Capital Improvements Management Office continues to set precedence for cities as a model for effective capital project delivery. CIMO staff are sharing this success with other cities. Recently, officials from New York City came to Kansas City to learn how to implement some of CIMO's innovative practices, including organization restructuring, key performance indicators and comprehensive communication plans to overcome project backlog, delayed contracts and poor communication. Kansas City also has hosted delegations from Atlanta and Ft. Worth, Texas. This summer, CIMO workers will visit Las Vegas and Miami to talk about our success story. Find out more about CIMO. Aug. 8 election on the City's Charter On Tuesday, Aug. 8, Kansas City voters will have the opportunity to consider six questions proposing revisions to the City's Charter, and one question on the sale of approximately 1.7 acres of park property near 22nd Street and Gillham Road. I urge citizens to go to the polls Aug. 8 and vote on these important questions. As always, I appreciate your feedback as a citizen. Please feel free to e-mail questions and comments to my office at Insight@kcmo.org. Sincerely, Wayne A. Cauthen, City Manager City of Kansas City, Mo.