Business leaders want to keep downtown safe during revitalization phase

As revitalization comes to the downtown area, so do concerns about the potential for increased crime.

Wednesday members of Downtown Topeka Inc., along with business leaders and property owners sat in on a webinar presented by the International Downtown Association.

They learned about safety and security issues.

DTI President and CEO Vince Frye said his mission is to keep downtown a safe place as it grows.

"Well it's very important to have a community that is safe," Frye said. Certainly we have been fortunate because downtown is one of the safest, if not the safest place in all of Topeka. We just want to make sure it stays that way and so we gathered today to kind of get some other ideas that are being used throughout the country that maybe we can take advantage of and incorporate here in downtown Topeka."

Frye says he's looking forward to the opening of the Cyrus Hotel and the Iron rail, plus, the Brew Festival Saturday.