Multimedia Reporting (Bradford-Noland)

As universities become larger, the demand for student housing becomes just as great. Neighborhoods, landlords, and renting tenets, namely students, have all seen little or no affect of zoning regulations.

The City of Lawrence recently won a case in District Court that dismissed the plaintiff’s case that city inspection of rental homes was unconstitutional. Housing inspections have not been of priority in the City of Lawrence, though, and landlords and their tenets still do not know about the zoning codes.

“Most students do not even pay attention to that quite honestly,” said Brian Jiminez, City of Lawrence code enforcement manager. “Each owner, there’s a responsibility on their part to obviously know the rules and zoning rules so they don’t violate it.” Many times with landlords this is not the case.

In a scenario similar to Lawrence’s zoning ordinances, Iowa City, Iowa, and home of the University of Iowa, has had many problems with its rental housing zoning codes where only a certain number, usually three unrelated people can live together.

“Landlords are partly to blame,” Karen Howard, associate planning director for Iowa City. She said that a lot of times when rental properties change ownership, the new owners fail to realize what their rental permits state as the allowed number of unrelated occupants. Many landlords also choose to neglect the zoning ordinances because city officials rarely enforce them.

“It’s usually a complaint driven type of inspection,” Jiminez said. “We don’t do inspections to see if properties are occupied properly.” He went on to explain that there are no scheduled inspections, but there are structural inspections. Neighborhoods play the major role in these types of zoning code infractions.

“I know people that get cited for noise complaints, but I haven’t ever heard of people getting in trouble for having too many people living in a house,” said Nate Stafford, Overland Park senior. Noise complaints are the leading causes for inspections, and are the problems for tenets and landlords alike.

“We’ve dealt with (over occupying) many times in the past,” said Jiminez. “We’ll go into a house for a structural inspection and see that there are eight people living there.” Many of these people who are caught over-occupying a property are unaware that there are consequences of doing so.

“We do have complaints that come through our office, typically they come from single family districts,” Jiminez said. “Too many people living in a place will typically draw the attention of the neighbors who do know the ordinance, and that’s typically where the problem starts.” In some cases, these zoning infractions can be dealt with by compliance by the property owner and tenets, but municipal court penalties can be implemented.

“Ultimately, we want people to comply so they don’t have to go to court. The landlord can say that he didn’t know or whatever, but we don’t want to see them go to court. It is ultimately up to the municipal court judge to impose any kind of fine or penalty,” Jiminez said.

A task force in Iowa City has been put together to help students that are looking for off-campus housing to understand these rules and regulations that are overlooked by many here in Lawrence.

“I think something could be done by the city to help people fully understand the rules and regulations because I don’t know anything about it, and I’m pretty sure not many students do (know the zoning codes),” Stafford said. Zoning codes are important, especially in a college town like Lawrence. Noise and refuse problems are the target of this zoning code.

“People who own their own homes and have families who live in these congested areas of students are just trying to live a nice family life, but it becomes difficult when eight college kids are living in a five bedroom house next door,” said Brooke Anderton, Gage Management employee. Gage Management deals strictly with rental properties in Lawrence, and his been faced with this problem.

“I have received complaints from neighbors who say, ‘You got those college kids down there partying every night,’ and (the neighbors) don’t let that slide,” Anderton said. “If I find out that there is an illegal roommate living at a property, I will serve that tenet notice.” Serving a notice helps protect the tenet and the rental agency from further penalties. “Zoning infractions can cause problems with the tenet’s deposit return,” Anderton said. Other landlords often fail to recognize these laws and put themselves and their tenets in jeopardy.

“Some companies and landlords are negligent, but we take that stuff very seriously because it is a liability,” Anderton said. Both students and landlords can face penalties without even knowing it.

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“After having a stroke, I could not keep my motorcycle standing up, and that’s how I came to find scooters,” West said.

West drives one of his multiple scooters almost every day April through October, when the weather is conducive to scooters. During those months, West said that it was the perfect form of transportation for driving around town and completing errands. Considering West’s main concern for having a scooter was his stroke, he has also found that using a scooter was a lot cheaper than driving his car.

“In a year, I expect to only pay $64 in maintaining my scooter. This includes gas and maintenance,” West said. A lot of the appeal of scooters is just that. Since gas prices have reached usage levels, and oil has been such a large issue, scooters ability to go a long ways on a single tank is very pleasing. Scooters average between 85 and 115 miles per gallon. More people are beginning to buy scooters as an alternate way of transportation.

“From what I have seen, when gas prices are higher, more scooters are sold,” West said. West is a usual at Sub Sonic Scooters and has seen these trends of sales.

Sub Sonic Scooters, 624 N. Second St., has been the local scooter provider in Lawrence for almost four years. West keeps some of his other scooters at the store, where his friend and owner of the store, Mike Degraw, looks after them.

Degraw has been a scooter enthusiast for many years, but about four years ago he decided he would bring the usage to Lawrence. He talked about how he wanted to bring a global industry to Lawrence.

“I went to Asia many years ago, and it was there that I began to really like scooters,” Degraw said. “Scooters are absolutely huge in Asia and European countries.” He also saw how scooters had become abundant on the coasts of the United States.

Naz Ferishta said she used to ride scooters in her home country of India. Ferishta is the manager of Jayhawk Food Mart, 701 W. Ninth St., and says that she wouldn’t ride one here because of safety concerns.

“I would not drive one in Lawrence because people are a lot more aggressive when driving here,” Ferishta said. Many people do choose to ride scooters, but who is driving them may be surprising.

Degraw explained that there are many different types of people that come into his store looking to buy a scooter.

“When coming into this business, we thought that students would be almost 100 percent of our sales,” Degraw said. “It ended up that only 25 percent of sales comes from students.” He said that his sales range from anyone from a student to a 70-year-old.

“I sell a lot of scooters to those people of the Baby Boomer generation. A lot of them have arthritis but still want to be out on the road on two wheels,” Degraw said. Scooters can be a lot less intimidating than motorcycles, and are much easier to handle due to their weight.

Karl Gustke, Overland Park junior, rides his scooter to class and to run errands.

“I like having my scooter because it doesn’t cost anything really to keep it. I really bought it because it was fun to drive,” Gustke said. Gustke owns a dirt bike and a car, but prefers to go about Lawrence on his scooter.

“I ride my scooter whenever there is nice weather, even if it is in the middle of December,” Gustke said.

In the state of Kansas, any scooter with a motor that is less than 50 cubic centimeters can be driven without insurance and without any type of motorcycle license. These kinds of scooters, often called mopeds, come with 49cc motors and are popular among students.

“Most students buy the 49cc models because they are less expensive and they come in models that offer a retro look,” Degraw said. Many students and non-students have come into his store to buy 49cc scooters because they have had their licenses suspended because of a driving infraction. They also do not need insurance to drive one.

There are much larger scooters on the market that require insurance and a motorcycle driver’s permit. Scooters can come in any variety of 125, 150, 200, 250 and even a 600cc touring model scooter. Where a 49cc scooter weighs around 200 pounds, a 600cc scooter can weigh nearly 600 pounds.

The scooters that Degraw has for sale all come from overseas, but he does not directly deal with the manufacturer to import them.

“All of my scooters come into the country by way of a private importer. This private importer is where I access all of the models that I need,” Degraw said. Degraw said that he could order a specialty scooter for a customer and have it in Lawrence in five to seven days. “When the scooter arrives at my store, it is 95 percent assembled,” Degraw said.

Sub Sonic Scooter’s models come from companies including Kymco, TNG, Tomos, Daelim and United. All of these brands of scooters are manufactured in either Asia or Europe. Kymco is the best selling scooter in the United States, and is why Degraw chose to sell them.

“They are all good distributors. There is not much competition over the Internet to sell them,” Degraw said. Scooters from the manufacturer cannot be sold over the Internet because they must be sold out of a store.

Selling scooters during the winter months can be a difficult task.

“It’s tough (selling scooters) in the winter. It all ends up being a numbers game,” Degraw said. During the winter, Sub Sonic Scooters usually sells three or four a month. Summer brings an abundance of business. Degraw said that they normally sell two or three scooters a day. The scooter market has boomed in Lawrence since Degraw has been in business.

When Degraw first started selling scooters out of his downtown office space three and a half years ago, business “started off slow,” as Degraw said. He sold between 60 and 70 scooters his first year. Since that first year he has nearly doubled that by selling 150 and more a year.

Ferishta said that she probably sees 8 to 10 scooters outside of her store a day, most of which are driven by students. She often hears about them from people that don’t have one.

“I hear people talk about buying a scooter all of the time because they want a way to save money and not have to pay such high gas prices,” Ferishta said.

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Professor Schrodt, political science professor at the University of Kansas, said that North Korea has been known to do rash things. Schrodt, like many other people, is uncertain what North Korea will do with nuclear weapons.

On October 9, 2006 North Korea reported that they had successfully conducted an underground test of nuclear weapons.

Professor Schrodt said that this upset many people. Not only has the United States been at war with North Korea since the 1950s, but also China, which borders North Korea, also has reason to show concern.

Schrodt said, “I think it worries a lot of people because North Korea has been know to do a lot of rash things. I think the concern is that they will not just have a nuclear weapon but use it possibly on South Korea, because they have a long history of sort of militant actions.”

According to the Kansas Department of Commerce Website, Kansas has an international representative in Korea. This representative serves as a connection between the business world in Kansas and the business world in Korea.

Schrodt said that there is a fair amount of trade between Kansas and Korea. Schrodt said that the nuclear testing would affect the economic well being of Kansas and Korea.

According to an article in the Lawrence Journal World by Ron Know the Kansas Department of Commerce reported about $173 million exported trade to the Korean peninsula. It was also reported that Kansas provides a large amount of wheat to North Korea.

The effect that the nuclear testing will have on University of Kansas Students was not as definable for Schrodt. However, he said that there are a fair amount of Korean students of the university. He also feels that the students on campus should be involved.

Schrodt said, “I think students should be concerned about it. Just like they should be concerned about anything that affects the international community.”

The North Korean's announcements of nuclear testing will not only affect the international community, but it will also affect the University of Kansas. Our Students, and our commerce will be tested.

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Third time's a charm for David Vertacnik, University of Kansas associate professor of ceramics. After applying for the Lawrence Percent for Art program twice before, he never imagined that he might get the opportunity to provide an original art piece for the new fire station on Wakarusa.

The Lawrence Arts Commission sponsors the Percent for Art program in Lawrence. A percentage of the construction funds are set aside to support an artist to design and construct artwork to accompany every new municipal building. Vertacnik is one of three finalists to create art for Fire Station No. 4.

"I'm a farm boy. The body and nature of my work shows a relationship to the land; it has a connectedness. This piece of work I am working on typifies that. I'd be honored to have it here in Lawrence," Vertacnik said.

With 40 applicants from around the country, the Percent for Art committee narrowed the selection down at the end of September. The three artists are now busy at work to create their proposals for presentation.

This specific committee is formed of "art experts" in the area, including a Lawrence arts commissioner, the fire chief, and an architect for the station.

"We are very fortunate in Lawrence to have such a successful Percent for Art program. We have a very high percentage of the construction money that each piece of art gets. The new project has $38,000 to work with, which is about two percent of the funds," said Liz Kowalchuk, co-chair of the Percent for Art committee and Lawrence arts commissioner.

The fire station is set to be complete in late November. With construction complete, Kowalchuk and the rest of the committee will evaluate the artists on Dec. 1. The evaluation will include a presentation of each artist's proposal and a model of the artwork. It will also include a timed question and answer period. From this, the committee will decide on the artist whose work will portray what will be best for the new fire station and its surrounding area.

"I think our local society really enjoys art. For the new station, not only will it be art, it will also represent a profession. We are hoping for it to be more abstract to incorporate our profession, the community, the area of eastern Kansas and Lawrence," said Rich Barr, Lawrence fire marshal and committee member.

This is the third station that will have an accompanying piece of artwork. At Station No. 5, the new headquarters for Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical, the Percent for Art program just completed its commission for a bronze firefighter statue. It will be installed before the end of the year, Kowalchuk said. The Percent for Art program has provided 17 other art sculptures and displays around Lawrence since 1988.

Julee Kessinger, Overland Park senior, took ceramics one and two, both taught by Vertacnik. The classes were required for her textile design major, but she said she was thankful to have Vertacnik as a teacher.

“He was amazing. He loves his work and cares a lot about the success of his students. I think this is a great opportunity for him to show off his talent,” Kessinger said.

Vertacnik could not agree more. When he first started a career as a professor, he did not have much time to create a lot of work of his own.

“I guess I didn’t have the luxury to really venture out on my own. But, as my studio grew here, I was given the opportunity to work on bigger projects. I have always been interested in large scale art, especially in the public,” Vertacnik said.

In December, the Percent for Art committee will announce the chosen artist, and the original art piece will be installed summer 2007, Kowalchuk said.

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The festival will be on Eighth street between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., and will feature a stage with two bands, food vendors and a beer garden. The block will be closed from 1 p.m. Friday until after midnight for cleanup.

Festival planners designed the $40,000 project to attract people to downtown. The festival’s originally planned location, the 600 block of Massachusetts street, made owners of some area businesses feel that the increased congestion would actually deter people who would usually come to shop and dine on a Friday evening.

Bob Schumm, owner of Buffalo Bob’s Smokehouse and Mass Street Deli, estimated that his sales drop by 50 percent each time the flow of traffic is disrupted to this magnitude.

“People will change their traffic patterns,” Schumm said. “We’ve got regular customers that come here and they see that and they say well, we’re not going to go in today, we’re gonna drive somewhere else.”

Judy Billings, executive vice president at the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said festival supporters weren’t worried about the traffic being a hindrance to their turnout.

“Would you rather drive and park in front of a shop, or would you want to walk a little bit, but there’s something happening when you get there,” Billings said.

Organizers hope the festival will bring an additional 2,800 people downtown, but Schumm said this crowd isn’t necessarily the crowd on which many Massachusetts street businesses rely.

“This is a very viable downtown,” Schumm said. “But when you close the main avenue of being able to drive up in front of somebody’s store to run in and get a hammer or nails or a haircut, they go somewhere else, it’s just that simple.”

Billings said the chamber isn’t aiming the project at those regulars, but at people who wouldn’t usually come to Massachusetts street.

“We’d really like to see some new people downtown,” Billings said. “We want to provide something to all people around town.”

Festival organizers had originally planned the event for the 600 block of Massachusetts Street to accommodate a larger crowd. But Schumm and others argued that closing the street at such a busy intersection would be the worst thing to do.

“Having it in the 600 block would have necessitated shutting down practically the entire street,” Schumm said. “It’s just like a stream, you put a dam in it somewhere, and it pushes the water somewhere else. It’s the same way with people’s perception of whether the street’s open or not.”

The manager of Quinton’s Bar and Deli, 615 Massachusetts St. said he was upset with the festival happening on their block because of outdoor alcohol sales. The chamber, in association with Quinton’s competitor, Freestate Brewing Co., would be selling alcohol on the street, but people wouldn’t be able to buy beer at Quinton’s and take it outside.

“Basically, we would have lost money in sales and just served as a bathroom for the crowd outside, who’s got the option of us or the porta-potty in the alley.” said Greg Mann, Quinton’s manager.

The move off Massachusetts street was a compromise for the opposition, who wanted the festival
moved off the street altogether.

Schumm said he is glad the festival will take place, and that it will now be on a side street. But with three parks in the downtown area, the festival could draw a crowd and no street would necessarily need to be closed.

Festival supporters said taking the Get Downtown Festival off Massachusetts Street would defeat the project’s purpose, and this venue could provide people who want to be downtown with a place to go.

“We looked at the dates when people would be in town to get as much draw as we could,” said Chuck Magerl, owner of Freestate Brewing Co. “It’s good to get as many people downtown as we can.”

“On homecoming weekend, there are a lot of people in town,” Billings said. “There are so many that restaurants can’t accommodate everybody, so rather than sending people away from a restaurant, we wanted to provide them with something to do either while they’re waiting to get in, or after they’ve eaten so they don’t leave downtown.”

Jennifer Sanner, Sr. Vice President of Communications for the KU Alumni Association, estimates at least several thousand extra people to be in town for Homecoming weekend.

Though opposition from some downtown businesses still remains, the chamber is confident about the turnout, expecting the capacity 2,800 crowd for the Get Downtown Festival’s maiden voyage.

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The Riverfront Parking garage is part of the parking garage improvement plan this year. It will be one of the two lots improved. The project has already entered into phase one of construction, which is the improvement of the east side of the lot. But it is the deteriorating stairs that lead from the lower to the upper level that need the most improvement.

“The stairs were really beginning to age,” said Debbie Van Saun, assistant city manager. “This is just some maintenance work that needs to be done around Lawrence.”

The deterioration is because of aging and metal and concrete exposure that caused ice corrosion and cracking of the stairways. They will be replaced with pre-cast stairs. This will make it easier to repair the stairways more often in case of further damage.

The replacement of the two sets of stairs was bid on separately from the parking garage bids because of the type of work being done. According to Tracy Green of B.A. Green Construction, his company is handling this replacement. Their bid was $62,969, which is under the original engineer bid of $75,000.

The Riverfront Parking Garage was built in 1989 and has 510 available parking spaces. The third phase of this construction at the west entrance will keep about one-third of these spaces unavailable for a few weeks.

Offices at the Riverfront Plaza and other business such as Abe and Jakes Landing and the SpringHill Suites use this garage for customer and employee parking. According to Steve Bennett, buildings and structures manager, one of the busiest times for the parking garage is on Friday and Saturday nights at Abe and Jakes, one of the hottest bars in Lawrence. But businesses are not worried about any affect from the loss of these spaces.

“To my knowledge, no safety complaints have ever been received about the stairs,” said Alan Johnson of Abe and Jake’s maintenance repairs. “But you definitely don’t want to get one of your toes or your shoes caught in the metal.”

The parking garage off New Hampshire is the other lot that is under construction for this project year. The improvements for the two parking garages were bid on together with a winning bid of $316,701. As part of the city’s parking garage improvement plan, projects such as this one occur every three to five years. The funds come from Capital Improvement and Parking Reserve Funds.

“I’m glad to hear they are finally repairing those stairs,” said Alyson Beach, Winfield senior. “I always wear heels when I go out to Abe and Jakes and I am always tripping on those holes. You can never see them when it’s night.”

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A delegation of 10 Lawrence community leaders will be in Washington D.C. next Monday to meet with staffs of Reps. James Ryun and Dennis Moore and of Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts about several issues pertinent to the Lawrence community.

"Throughout the years our office has had an excellent, productive relationship with Lawrence, Douglas County, and KU," said Howard Bauleke, chief of staff for Rep. Moore. "Meetings like these give us a great opportunity to talk about legislative priorities, and what we can do at the federal level to make sure those priorities are being considered in the legislative process."

The delegation will consist of Mayor Mike Amyx, Vice Mayor Sue Hack, Lawrence City Commissioners Dennis Highberger, David Schauner, Mike Rundle and City Manager Dave Corliss. County Commissioner Bob Johnson will be representing Douglas County. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lavern Squier and current chair Pat Slavin will be representing the Chamber of Commerce. David Johnson, CEO of Bert Nash Mental Health Center will also attend.

The delegation members plan to request more federal funding for projects such as highway and road maintenance, the Community Development Block Grant program. They also plan to discuss lobbying the Census Bureau about the alleged Lawrence population drop in 2005 and discuss issues like a sales tax on e-commerce, that would affect people nationwide.

Mayor Amyx said almost all of the issues discussed can be seen as potential tax savings. “We look forward to see how we can participate in our tax dollars coming back to our community.”

The delegation will be requesting federal money to pay for renovations at intersections on Kansas Highway 10 at the former Farmland site and the East Hills Business Park.

“It is the federal government’s responsibility to fund the maintenance of highways, so this is something we just need to let them know about,” Corliss said.

The Census Bureau estimated a drop in the Lawrence population in 2005 by 27 people. But utility connection and building permit numbers were on the rise. If the government sees the population as not growing, federal funding will slow down as well.

“We want to appeal the Census Bureau to revise their methods in counting the population,” Corliss said.

The Community Development Block Grant program, introduced to Lawrence in 1975, together with the HOME program provide money for energy efficiency, emergency and weatherization programs, for low and moderate income homeowners, as well as first time home buyers in the community.

Officials inspect the low-income resident’s house, and determine the extent of renovations that need to be done.

Funding for the Community Development Block Grant program was $816,981 in the 2006 fiscal year, a 13.8% decrease since its 2001 allocation. The delegates hope to be successful in getting that funding back up in Lawrence.

“The cuts in CDBG funding are a really important issue for us on this trip,” Highberger said. “It affects so many people in the community.”

The delegation also hopes to talk about national issues such as a sales tax on e-commerce.

City Manager Dave Corliss said that sales tax is important because it pays for things like police salaries and road construction projects. But, because sales tax rates are different for every state, arguments arise as to what sales tax needs to be charged to the consumer.

The delegation will suggest that a sales tax on e-commerce be enforced and collected by the purchaser’s state. Therefore, if you live in Kansas, and you buy something from a company in Arizona, Kansas would enforce and collect the sales tax for that purchase.

“They make it sound really complicated, but in all actuality, it really is an easy solution,” Corliss said.

Vice Mayor Sue Hack said the city commission usually travels to Washington D.C. to speak with congressmen in March for the League of Cities meeting, but city commissions from all around Kansas are there too, always asking for the same thing.

“If we could get out of that cycle a little and go in on our own, it will be much more effective,” Hack said.

Other issues to be discussed include promoting continued federal support for the Lawrence Transit System, Lawrence Municipal Airport and Haskell Indian Nations University. The delegation will also be asking for congressional support in providing research grants for The University of Kansas.

The delegation members will leave Sunday, Oct. 15, meet with Reps. Ryun and Moore’s staffs Monday morning, and Sens. Brownback and Roberts staffs in the afternoon. They will be back in time for the city commission meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

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Considering Lawrence’s steady growth and an ever-mounting desire to expand south, the city has set plans in motion to build a second water reclamation facility.

The facility and all other acquired land would span a 600 acre plot of land in South Lawrence, framed off by the Wakarusa River and a “39 Street” border, and would provide a way for future housing and business developments to have waste water carried away.

“The new facility will serve two functions,” said Dave Wagner, Director of Wastewater Utility Treatment and Collection. “First, it would alleviate an impending congestion on the current and only other [reclamation] facility, which is capable of serving up to 100,000 people, as well as enhance current treatment.”

Wagner said that the other function of the new facility is to allow service for up to 150,000 people. Coupled with its location in southern Lawrence—referred to by the city as the Urban Growth Area (UGA), an area located south of the Wakarusa River—this facility would be a large step in the direction of expansion for Lawrence.

“Since our population is projected to exceed that number [the 100,000 that the current facility can comply with], providing treatment facilities that will meet that growth is a basis for the project” said Debbie Van Saun, assistant city manager and supervisor to the production of the facility.

Any reservations the community may be having, are being addressed and considered in great detail. Mike Orth, project director from Black and Veatch Corporation, says he has been heading up several public meetings and has even organized a public advisory committee made up of peer groups, city hall members, stakeholders, and other environmental, governmental and neighborhood organizations.

“We realize this plan isn’t just for today or tomorrow, it’s for many many tomorrows from now,” Orth said about how important it is to make sure that all citizens know all the facts about the project and all concerns are relieved.

Amongst the concerns that have arisen are flooding impacts, traffic generated, property values, and the general smell of a facility built to handle wastewater which includes human excrement. Orth assured not only citizens but also board members at a meeting on Wednesday at city hall.

Another concern raised is the possible contamination of the Wakarusa River; the facility’s emptying site. Dave Wagner assures that there are strict guidelines set by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) that they have to adhere to, and in all actuality, the facility they plan to build could actually improve the quality of the Wakarusa River.

“There are a few standards to siting and building a wastewater facility, but the city has put a lot of time and effort into the facility, so they’re in really good shape so far,” said Rob Geisler, Chief of Municipal Programs at the KDHE.

Currently Mike Orth and his company say that they are working on acquiring the land needed to build the facility. The first step is only a 20-acre “fingerprint” of land in which the actual facility will be built on. They keep in mind that they don’t want to relocate any residents, keep distant from neighbors and still fit in with the future growth and projected future land use.

From here, Orth says that his team will have land acquisition done by the end of this year, start zoning in the beginning of 2007, design the facility into late 2008, and begin excavation in early 2009.

“We want to start moving dirt in one way or another within the next 12 to18 months,” said Dave Wagner. The only thing that could slow the project down is problems with acquiring land, and getting pipe laid to run to the new facility as well as hook into the old facility.

The city’s only other wastewater treatment facility is located at 1400 E. 8 St., and is capable of treating 12.5 million gallons of water each day according to the Lawrence utilities website. Mike Orth says the new system will be capable of treating 7 million gallons of water a day when it initially opens. The original facility will be able to deal with the majority of north and central Lawrence, and the new will handle southern Lawrence and all developments in the UGA.

The board members in charge of the new facility are excited and consider this, “one of the most significant recommendations.” Debbie Van Saun said that the project, in all, will cost roughly $90 million and will be funded by ratepayers both present and future.

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Amidst little league practices, waiting on mom or dad to have time to help and enjoying some much needed down time, some grade school students are not finding time to complete their homework. As a result Broken Arrow Elementary School started the after school program Extended Learning Opportunity Program this fall to help 4th, 5th and 6th grade students complete their homework.

“The program is for students who fall behind,” Brian McCaffrey, Broken Arrow principal, said. “It provides them with an opportunity to catch up and have more one-on-one contact with a tutor, which helps many students learn.”

The program is designed for students who come to class with incomplete homework or haven’t turned in assignments that are past due.

“Students don’t really have a choice to come,” Alyson Cistola, reading resource teacher, said. “Their parents are contacted and the students are told they need to stay for extra help.”

Extended Learning Opportunity Program, which is held three afternoons a week for 30 minutes immediately after school, has a different environment than a typical classroom setting. With approximately only 15 students attending, those there can get more individual help. McCaffrey said usually one teacher is working with a maximum of four students. It’s also different from what students experience during the school day in that a faculty member who isn’t necessarily their teacher teaches them. Cistola said that a variety of staff members collaborate to help anyone there.

Duke University Researcher Harris Cooper recently published a report that examined if homework is necessary for grade school students. His results show that the only homework grade school students benefit from is reading practice and work that develops basic skills and concepts.

In accordance with these findings, Extended Learning Opportunity Program focuses on math and reading. When the program started last month, it focused solely on homework completion, but when October rolled around the program also started to include the math and reading focus.

Emily McEnroe, Lawrence sophomore, volunteers at Pinckney Elementary School’s after school program said she agrees with Cooper’s findings.

“Too much homework is assigned to elementary kids. Homework is not a productive use of students’ time because the learning occurs at school. Homework, like busy work, doesn’t help students, but some teachers still assign it, but not all do. An after school program is good because it helps students stay focused.”

Teachers at Broken Arrow saw this lack in focus last spring when they started developing Extended Learning opportunity Program. The development of the program was seen as necessary because the school did not have any sort of after school program to offer students, McCaffrey said who is new to the school this year.

“Teachers in the past years have seen the need for an after school program,” Cistola said. “A lot of kids don’t have the home life to support getting homework done. Teachers have a hard time distinguishing if students don’t understand the material, or they chose not to do it.”

“Students don’t do the homework for a wide variety of reasons,” Cistola said. “Some don’t have a good home life, some don’t understand it and some struggle with motivation. A lot of the problem is motivation. We try to overcome these obstacles any way we can.”

McCaffrey said the program was necessary in order to accommodate different learning styles.

“Different types of learners need extra time to master concepts.”

Federal education laws, such as No Child Left Behind, which requires students to take standardized tests that evaluate their skill level and understanding of basic material also impacted the creation of this program, as all students are requires to meet reach nation-wide standards

“Regardless of No Child Left Behind, the ultimate goal is to have kids at the grade level and we’ll do whatever it takes to get them there,” McCaffrey said.

Putting the concept of Extended Learning Opportunity Program into action was a result of community participation.

A parent of a Broken Arrow student who works for one of the school’s business partners, CMP Technology, worked with teachers to write a grant to fund the program. The school received a $10,000 grant, which enables the school to run a late bus after the program. The bus picks the students up at the school after Extended Learning Opportunity Program is over and drops them off at their usual stops. McCaffrey said it is important to have the late bus to ensure all students who need this extra help can receive it.

While Broken Arrow just added the after school program this year, other local grade schools have had after school programs a while. McEnroe who has seen children improve academically as a result of these programs said she sees the benefits of after school programs.

“A lot of kids’ parents don’t get off work until late and after school programs keeps them out of trouble during times when they’d be on their own,” McEnroe said. “They like to stay because it is better than the alternative of being home alone. It is good because it is supervised.”

Posted by Jyl Unruh at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Student Legislative Awareness Board at the University of Kansas is creating a proposed legislation for tax-free textbooks for all students in the state of Kansas. The proposal is hoped to be finished near January 8, 2007, the next time the Kansas Legislature will reconvene. Before then, SLAB works hard on deciding the specifics of the proposal.

“We want to keep the dialogue (about tax-free textbooks) open as long as we can, so we have a good bill to present to the legislature,” said Student Senate legislative director Ian Staples, Lawrence senior. Staples will ultimately write the bill which will be passed on to Kansas Legislature for consideration.

According to Staples, though the proposal is relatively short, it encompasses the buying of textbooks and their supplementary materials tax-free. These materials include electronic and print instructions, workbooks and manuals, including things like CD-ROMs. Things like notebooks, binders and writing utensils will not be included as tax-exempt materials in the proposal.

Fifteen states in the United States currently offer textbooks completely tax-free to students. Also, many states have tax-free weekends before school starts for students to buy needed supplies. Missouri, for example, has a three-day period at the beginning of August for consumers to purchase school necessity items, such as clothing, tools, computers and other state determined items, without paying tax on them. Kansas has nothing like that now, said Staples.

“It’s frustrating that we have to spend so much on textbooks,” said Shawnee, Kan., junior Katie Janke, who spent $380 on textbooks this semester. “College kids have lots of things to pay for, something l like that (tax-free textbooks) would really ease the burden.”

According to the National Affordable Textbook Campaign website, students spend $900 each year on textbooks, which is 20 percent of tuition at an average university and half the coast of tuition at a community college. Textbooks have increased four times the rate of inflation since 1994.

“Textbooks are the final blow to students,” said Dodge City, Kan., junior and junior-senior CLAS senator Hannah Love. “Students pay tuition, housing and other fees and then books. Books cost $398 (every semester) on average and most students don’t budget that in and aren’t substantially ready for the inflation.”

Last fall KU joined the national campaign to lower texts’ costs by passing a resolution through student senate stating a committment to fighting for affordable textbooks. After joining the campaign, Love created the affordable textbook team and textbook task force, which both strive to reduce the price of texts for KU students. So far, Love and her teams have successfully created an online KU book exchange, promoted the use of e-reserves and encouraged professors to order texts earlier so bookstores can find used copies more easily.

Love attributes the rising expense of textbooks to the primary publishing companies who constantly put our new editions and package books with extra, costly materials.

“The biggest publishing companies are bundling the books,” said Love. “They are putting out software and extra materials and printing high definition pictures- it’s all nice, but not for a college students’ budget.”

Staples and Love are working hard with their teams to make textbooks affordable to students. Staples and SLAB have some time before they find out the results of their efforts for tax-free textbooks. After their proposal is complete, they will have to find a sponsor to present it to the Kansas legislature, who will then decide what to do with the proposed legislation. This can be a very timely process.

“All we can do is cross our fingers, once the bill is in the process it is out of our hands,” said Staples.

And until Staples and SLAB uncross their fingers, students will continue to pinch their pennies.

Posted by Margaret VanBuskirk at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Kansas will step up the number of classes it offers during summer session. Following its mantra of “graduate in four,” the University is reviewing which classes fill up quickly or are difficult to pass. More of these classes will then be offered in the summer or possibly during a proposed intersession term between fall and spring semesters.

“We’re trying to design a summer session that would enhance the opportunities to get out in four,” Don Steeples, vice provost for scholarly support said. “We’re in the process of looking at what classes would be most in demand; then, how can we provide staff and facilities for those classes that are most needed and in demand.”

Steeples also said that the University will advertise for summer session during the Spring 2007 semester. Steeples was unsure as to how many classes would be added this summer.

According to a 2005 report submitted by the Graduate in Four Task Force at the University, only 29 percent of undergraduate students graduate in four years. This percentage ranks the University of Kansas fifth in the Big 12. The University of Missouri is first with a 37 percent success rate.

On-time graduation is key to making the University of Kansas a more efficient and competitive University, Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, said. “Students who take longer to graduate end up spending more on tuition, fees and books and, in addition, forego income that would be earned while taking the additional semester(s). It's not necessarily ‘bad,’ but it is not the best use of one's time and resources.”

Overall, the Big 12 schools’ four-year graduation rates are no comparison to the University of Virginia’s 83 percent four-year graduation success rate or the University of North Carolina’s 70 percent four-year success rate.

The report blames difficult prerequisite and entry-level classes as one problem that contributes to the low graduation rates. It cites several courses, including English 101, several beginning Spanish courses, Astronomy 191, Atmospheric Science 105, Communications 130, and Philosophy 148.
The report calls Math 002 “particularly problematic,” and says that approximately 20 to 30 percent of freshmen don’t successfully complete their first math course.

According to Vice Provost Steeples, the University’s goal is to offer more of these difficult classes in the summer so that students have an alternative time to take them, or at least another chance to pass them.

“The University’s efforts to strategically develop course offerings for summer session and intersessions will enable students to complete needed courses in a timely fashion,” Vice Provost Roney said. “In some cases, completing one three-credit course during summer session is all that will be needed for a student to graduate ‘on time’ the following spring.”

Brett Terp, Missouri senior, said he has taken two summer school courses: a Statistical Analysis course and an introductory Health, Sport and Exercise Science course. He took them during the summer because they conflicted with another class he had to take in the fall.

The Graduate in Four report also says freshmen hinder themselves by not taking enough credit hours at the beginning of their college careers. While most majors require an average of around 15 credit hours a semester, the average undergraduate took only 13.4 credit hours per semester in 2004. This has dropped from 14.7 credit hours in 1982. Also, undergraduates who take 12 hours one semester generally do not take more credit hours the next semester to make up for their deficit. This leads to delayed graduation.

“All students who intend to be full-time students are now strongly advised to enroll in and complete no fewer than 15 hours per semester,” Vice Provost Roney said. “This is a new initiative that was started during orientation in summer 2005 and continues. The statistics for the 2006 freshman class show that this is beginning to make a difference.”

Roney said she was unsure why students took fewer hours than they needed for an on-time graduation, but that the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center is working on finding an answer. “Work also continues in order to understand whether or not there are institutional ‘roadblocks’ that prevent students from graduating on time, and, if so, to eliminate those roadblocks,” Roney said.

While it published the year-old Graduate in Four report and appointed Vice Provost JoAnn Smith to develop a comprehensive plan for improving summer session last spring, as of now the University has made no definitive policies for reworking or augmenting summer session.

Posted by William McCullough at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The future of Lawrence looks green after the city commission agreed to proceed with another stage in an ongoing project that plants trees around the city. On Oct. 3, the commission approved the $85,120 necessary to plant 448 trees between now and the end of March 2007.

"What you see in Lawrence is a really good job of incorporating trees to make it a pleasant place to live. Healthy trees don't happen by accident," said Kim Bomberger, a community forester in the Kansas Forest Service.

The newest effort is part of a project called the Master Street Tree Project, which aims to preserve and advance the natural beauty of Lawrence through the planting of trees on city and residential property.

According to Crystal Miles, horticulture manager for the Lawrence Department of Parks and Recreation, the ordinance was created at the request of the Lawrence Homebuilder's Association and the Neighborhood Resources Department to try to get street trees in neighborhoods in a consistent manner.

"This is our sixth year of doing this and for the most part it's worked out pretty well," Miles said.

The ordinance calls for one tree to be planted per 40 feet of street frontage in new residential areas. Homebuilders pay for the trees at the same time they pay for the building permits, prior to the construction of a house. Miles said the cost per tree this year was $190, compared to past years when the cost neared $225 per tree.

Pat Pinkerton, a project estimator for Shawnee Mission Tree Service, the company that will plant the trees, said most of the trees will be located just outside the city right-of-ways, about 20-25 feet away from the curb, toward the houses.

Pinkerton said his company will plant trees all over town, with the majority headed for locations in west Lawrence.

"Based on the specs and the contract, we have to have a third of it done by Thanksgiving, a third of it done by the end of the year and then the last third of it done by March 30 of next year," Pinkerton said.

The trees are considered medium or large and are classified as either canopy shade trees or ornamental trees. The ordinance requires that the canopy trees have a trunk caliper of two inches at the time of planting while the ornamental trees must have a 1.5-inch trunk caliper. Canopy trees can reach a height of 45 feet or more and ornamentals can grow to a height of 20 feet.

Pinkerton said the trees can only be dug and transplanted at certain times of the year.

"There's a lot of trees on this tree list that have to be dug in the springtime. Otherwise they'll die. So we have to wait on the last third of trees to install until spring when they can actually be dug out of the ground," he said.

The project makes it easier for homeowners to enjoy new, healthy trees without the hassle of having to plant the trees themselves.

"We install them and water them in. Then, basically, it's turned over to the homeowner and it's their responsibility to continue watering it," Pinkerton said.

If the tree dies within one year, the company is required by the contract to replace it. If the homeowner neglects to care for the tree and it dies, it is the responsibility of the owner to plant a new tree.

Fred DeVictor, Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department director, said the city provides the homeowner with the proper information necessary to maintain a healthy tree.

"Part of our program is to educate property owners after the trees are put in about how to care for them," DeVictor said. "I think it's a good program to try to make sure that street trees are planted in areas of town. Trees are very important. It's an investment."

Since the project focuses on newly developed areas, the trees won't be planted until after utility lines have been installed. Planning for the location of the trees should keep the maintenance of the trees low.

"Probably about 40 or 50 percent of the addresses that we're going to be installing these trees at already have an irrigation system which will take care of a lot of the watering for us and for the homeowners. So they won't have to actually hand-water them with the hose," Pinkerton said.

The plan includes different species of trees to ensure that the trees won't be susceptible to insect or disease damage that could spread throughout the entire tree population. Workers will plant a different number of species depending on the size of the lot and how many trees it requires. For example, a lot of 11-20 trees requires at least two species.

Bomberger said projects like this have helped Lawrence receive the honor of being a "Tree City USA" city for 28 consecutive years. The National Arbor Day Foundation awards the distinction annually to those cities that have community forestry programs that meet certain requirements, such as having a budget for the community forestry program of at least $2 per capita.

"It's really easy to think about trees when you're in Lawrence because there's so many nice specimens," Bomberger said.

Posted by Samuel Carlson at 7:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Workers in the energy conservation industry are not satisfied with the efforts being put forth by the local government to increase public awareness and participation in the energy issues.

State and local legislators, energy experts and area residents gathered on Sunday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds for the sixth annual Home Energy Conservation Fair to discuss energy conservation issues and demonstrate new advances in technology recently made in the field.

Some of the workers in the industry, such as Bill Roush of the Heartland Renewable Energy Society, left the fair unimpressed with what they heard from those in local government.

“The only way the government is ever going to help make the public more energy conscious is if they make energy savings a priority for themselves,” Roush said.

The government, mostly on the federal level, has taken some action towards encouraging the public to make their homes more energy efficient. In 2005, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act that established tax credits of up to $2,000 for builders of all new energy efficient homes. The act also includes manufactured homes constructed in accordance with the Federal Manufactured Homes Construction and Safety Standards. These state that a home is eligible for the tax credit if it meets the standards established by the Department of Energy and it is built to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent relative to other homes in that area.

Still, people in the industry think that more should be done. Gary Hogsett of Tetra Tech EM Inc. believes that energy companies like his have actually lost ground over the past decade because of the lack of public awareness on the issue.

“Hundreds of companies have introduced exciting new products that save amazing amounts of energy, but no one ever buys them so the companies soon go out of business,” Hogsett said.

He went on to say that the problem seems to be worse here in Kansas.

“The federal government has some very attractive tax credits in place to encourage energy conservation, but few people in Kansas take advantage of them. Most other states offer tax credits in addition to the federal credits, so the people in those states do a lot more of these types of projects than Kansans,” he said.

When asked what could be done to help solve these problems, Hogsett said that there were no easy solutions.

Hogsett went on to say that “people are lazy and don’t want to be inconvenienced" by doing the things that it takes to be energy efficient.

"There are no easy answers, unless we were willing to add a tax of maybe $5 per gallon on gasonline and a similarly high tax on natural gas and electricity, which we will never do for a myriad of reasons.”

Members of government don’t see things as pessimistically as people like Roush and Hogsett. Douglas County treasurer Paula Gilchrist believes that the effect of government on the issue has been overstated.

“I don’t think we can expect government incentives given the current requirements for education, social security, health care and other governmental functions,” Gilchrist said.

“It would be nice, but I think the tides are turning with or without government assistance.”

One thing that those in local government and those in the energy business do agree on is the importance of getting the message about energy conservation out to all local citizens. Michelle Crank of Lawrence’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Division thinks that it is vital to spread the word about how energy conservation is an important topic for everyone.

“Alternative energy is more reliable, adaptable, clean and attractive than it used to be,” Crank said.

“With today’s energy prices, it is also very cost effective, which should be attractive to those in the public. Energy efficiency can be incorporated at the construction phase, or modular elements can be added to existing construction, meaning everyone can get involved.”

Those who attended the fair seemed to lean towards agreeing with the people in the industry rather than the government.

“All of the new equipment they have on display here is very nice and useful, but unfortunately people like me who actually come to these types of events are already aware of energy issues,” said Dwayne O’Neal, a resident of Overland Park.

“It’s the people who don’t know anything about this that are wasting energy, which is why it’s important for the masses to be educated.”

Despite what people in the industry say, Gilcrhist thinks that the government is indeed doing its part.

“All new construction plans will incorporate environmental consciousness and energy efficiency,” she said.

“The city of Lawrence has done a wonderful job of educating the public and bringing these issues front and center.”

Posted by Joseph Caponio at 7:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At the city council meeting last night, the five commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of changing the tax amendment for the city development code, allowing parks to be placed every quarter of a mile apart, instead of every half a mile. This allows for more parks to legally be developed in the era. The development and improvement of five parks received approval by the city council this year, including Greenbelt Park, Clinton Park, the Sesquicentennial Point Park, the Burroughs Creek Trail Park, and the Centennial Park’s new addition to the skate park.

“The new areas west of Iowa want new green spaces because all the areas east of Iowa have a park every quarter of a mile,” Mayor Mike Amyx said.

Alan Cowles, the president of the West Lawrence Neighborhood Association, worked towards getting approval for specifically Greenbelt Park. The first step was to get the commission to authorize a creation of bonds (that would be sold and pay interest) for the development of parks. As more residents became concerned about getting a green space, Cowles went back to city hall to encourage funding. The council used $870,000 from the bonds to give to the construction of Greenbelt.

“The residents are enthused about getting a new park because parks are quite popular,” Cowles said, “It’s unfortunate that we don’t have more parks out this way.”

Over the next couple of months, the construction of the new Greenbelt Park will begin in the West Lawrence Neighborhood. Planning for the project started in 2004, but recently, the West Lawrence Neighborhood Association made it a high priority because of the neighbors’ urgency to get a park in their area that is within walking distance.

“A lot of residents have talked about how they wished they could go to a green space with a playground or play area that was a little bit closer,” said Susan Chi, the chair of the parks committee for the West Lawrence Neighborhood Association.

The 40- acre park, east of Langston Hughes Elementary School and north of Bob Billings Parkway, is going to be a nature-trail park, according to Lawrence Parks and Maintenance Superintendent Mark Hecker. “There aren’t a lot of parks like this one,” Hecker said. “The other neighborhood parks in Lawrence have more playground equipment, shelters and restrooms.”

The plan for the construction of Greenbelt Park is to build in two phases, and Hecker estimates that it will take up to two years to be finished. It will contain a two-mile hiking trail with an outdoor classroom, primarily for the Langston Hughes Elementary School to use. The classroom will contain some sort of seating, such as benches. A Native Grass Area, planned to be in the park, will be helpful for students’ education as well. The park will also contain a large mowed area for fields, but they won’t be marked for specific sports.

Two-thirds of the trails are mowed throughout the area already, and people have started walking on them. According to Cowles, approximately 700 families will benefit from the park.

The Greenbelt Park will be a new addition to the other 53 neighborhood parks in Lawrence. The four other parks that received approval for funding will get money for additions and improvements, but they won’t be turned into new parks. Over the past ten years, the community asked for more green spaces in developing areas, so the city council will continue to help fund the Parks and Recreation Department because that’s what the developing community seems to want.

Posted by Jessie Fetterling at 7:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Blowing into a breathalyzer to gain admittance into high school dances irks Free State junior Kelsey Allen, but this practice is now the norm at area high schools. The school board enacted policy JCABBC last December, which requires that every student entering a school dance pass a breathalyzer before entering. Some students disagree with administrators’ claims that attendance is back to what it was before detecting beer breath became a priority.

“A lot of people kind of rebelled because they don’t think it’s right that they give breathalyzers,” Allen said. “I miss the fact that I could go to my high school dances and see all my friends. One of the best parts of high school is gone because people aren’t going.”

According to Julie Boyle, the director of communications for USD 497, a task force wrote the policy after students, parents and school board members expressed concern about widespread intoxication at dances. Boyle said the task force included Free State Principal Joe Snyder and Lawrence High Principal Steve Nilhas along with school resource officers, a Bert Nash employee and the district prevention specialist.

Money for the breathalyzers comes from a $9 million federal grant awarded to the school district in 2002. Boyle said that the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant also pays for after school programs for junior high students, a drug and alcohol prevention program for sixth-graders and security cameras for school parking lots.

Boyle said the only change to the policy this year amended language to clarify that junior high administrators do have the authority to give breathalyzers to students suspected of intoxication.

She said she thinks the breathalyzer policy works well overall for the district.

“People have adapted to the policy. Students aren’t showing up drunk and that’s what we wanted,” she said.

When students fail the first test, dance chaperones bring them to a room to wait 15 minutes and blow again. Lawrence High Assistant Principal Beryl New said a few kids failed the first breathalyzer, but the second test cleared each one.

“One kid was chewing minty gum that set it off. He kept promising us that he wasn’t drinking and the second test confirmed that,” New said.

Administrators admit that attendance initially dropped because of the policy, but claim students show up in numbers comparable to the crowds beforehand.

Neither high school collects official attendance records at dances, but the estimates of students and administrators differ wildly. Boyle, New and Free State Assistant Principal Ted Berard all reported normal attendance at dances so far this year, which New estimated to be around 500.

“It happened so quick that it’s kind of woven into the fabric of how we do things,” Berard said.

Allen said many fewer students attend this year compared to last fall when breathalyzers weren’t in place. She estimated about 150 students showed up at the most recent Free State dance.

“I think a lot more people do go drink and do something else,” she said.

Joe Harvey, whose son attends Free State High School, said he thinks enforcing the policy is the right thing for the district to do.

“I think it’s a sad deal that they have to do that,” he said. “It’s a sad commentary on the state of things.”

Lawrence High hosts a Halloween dance on Oct. 28. Free State’s next dance is a winter formal on Dec. 16. Students caught under the influence of alcohol can’t attend dances for a calendar year. In addition, seniors lose privileges to attend prom and graduation ceremonies with their first offense according the policy.

Posted by Kyle Carter at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As Halloween approaches, local retailers on Massachusetts Street are beginning to prepare for one of the biggest holidays of the year.

BIGresearch, an online marketing research web site, predicted last year that consumers would spend $3.29 billion on Halloween alone, with an average sale of $50.75 per person. According to Kyle Billings, owner of the toy and costume store Fun and Games, average sales were around $40.

“Half of our yearly business comes from Halloween,” Billings said. “My wife and I have owned this store for six years and it grows 10-20% every year.”

Philip Chiles, owner of the vintage store Wild Man Vintage, has seen a similar increase in sales during Halloween season.

“We’re like a toy store around Christmas,” he said. “We need to be constantly restocking. We are 75% bigger during the month.”

Due to the massive demand for Halloween merchandise, some stores are setting up earlier than they had in previous years.

“They’re ready before I am,” said Leslie Ahlert, the owner of Stitch on Needlework Shop, Inc. “We sell a lot of Halloween fabrics as early as May and people are asking for Halloween decorations around Christmas.”

For the majority of Halloween retailers, business doesn’t pick up until closer to Halloween as customers search for the perfect costume right before the holiday.

“We begin to really set up for Halloween around the first of October,” said Corey Sievers, manager of Arizona Trading Co. “We already have a small rack of possible Halloween costumes.”

Because of the increased business, some retailers opt to lengthen their hours in order to serve more customers in the few weeks leading up to Halloween.

“During the last two weeks of October, we stay open two extra hours to accommodate everyone,” Billings said. “We literally have people coming in non-stop.”

According to Kathy Barland, owner of Sarah’s Fabrics and More, a store that contains Halloween Costume rentals in its basement, women tend to rent much earlier than men when it comes to Halloween costumes.

“Men are more needy,” she said. “They usually come in at the last second and want something right away.”

Although businesses prefer to be prepared for a holiday as big as Halloween, some vendors like Chiles don’t like to shop for merchandise too early.

“Because this is a vintage shop, finding something for Halloween might mean it has to go in storage until Halloween season. That means no profit for months off of that item,” Chiles said.

Once stores start selling their Halloween merchandise, they quickly accommodate to the age range of customers.

“We do the best with an older crowd,” Chiles said. “Everyone comes into our vintage store wanting to be a ‘70s person. All they would need are polyester pants and shirt. The older parents always brag to their kids that they used to own all of this stuff.”

Other stores, like Fun and Games, see a total mixture of customers from infants to children to University students to parents.

Despite the availability of other alternatives, the classic Halloween costumes prove to be the most popular during the holiday season.

“You’ll always have the normal witch costume every year,” Billings said. “Other costumes are always determined by popular movies and political events.”

Billings doesn’t predict that the big box office movies will influence this year’s costume choices as much as they have in the past.

“In past years, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ sparked a lot of people to look for pirate costumes,” Billings said. “But now, I think that pirates will only be really popular for the younger kids. The older crowd is kind of over the idea.”

When deciding where to get the most unique costumes, Lawrence consumers have a wide variety of options. These include vintage, trade/sell shops, costume shops, or rental shops. Ahlert works with customers who go to fabric stores to make their own.

In the months leading up to Halloween, Ahlert says that customers are always asking her for supplies to make their own costumes. These include leopard fabric, fabric for wings and fairy fabric.

If customers would rather buy a costume already made, Fun and Games has a wide selection to choose from.

“The selection is unusual here,” Billings said. “You can start here and finish here. We have over 600 costumes with a knowledgeable staff that’s very helpful so you won’t wander aimlessly around the store.”

Renting is also an option for the consumer who wants a new elaborate costume every year without paying a lot of money.

On average at Sarah’s Fabrics and More, a single rental costs $35.

“We’ve had to raise our prices slightly due to the increased cost of dry-cleaning and upkeep,” Barland said. “We just want the best possible product for our clients.”

With increasing sales, sales clerks also benefit from the Halloween rush.

“We always have to hire more people during Halloween season,” Billings said. “All employees get bonuses. It’s a fun time of year. We always bring in family friends to help with the Halloween rush.”

Ahlert said she finds satisfaction in the feel of the season.

“It’s a fun time of year. I love to watch people get so excited by it. It makes them happy. I think this season is an escape. It’s just fun therapy.”

Posted by Laura Evers at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Lawrence City Commission and various members of the Douglas County commission will travel to Washington, D.C. Oct. 15 through 17 to meet with legislators on federal issues and how they pertain to Lawrence.

The commissioners agree that this meeting will be vital to Lawrence’s future.

“I don’t think you can overstate the advantage of having people in power know who you are,” said Commissioner David Schauner.

Issues to be discussed at the meeting include seeking federal funds for the Lawrence Transit System, opposing fund cutting for the federal Community Development Block Grant program, federal support for the Haskell Indian Nations University, opposing unfunded mandates from federal government and challenging the 2005 federal census estimates for Lawrence, which said that population had decreased when it had increased.

Though there are many, the issues that are important with commissioners mostly concern education.

“As a former educator, unfunded mandates are very important to me,” Vice Mayor Sue Hack said.

Hack also expressed an interest in increasing funding to Haskell.

“It’s an important resource to our community,” she said. “If we believe Haskell is to be preserved and protected, it’s our call.”

Commissioner Dennis “Boog” Highberger echoed Hack’s sentiment.

“Fundraising for Haskell is key,” he said. “They’re an important part of this community.”

Those going to D.C. include Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx, Vice Mayor Hack, Commissioners Highberger, Schauner, Mike Rundle, City Manager David Corliss, Douglas County Commissioner Bob Johnson, Chamber of Commerce President Lavern Squier and Chamber Chair Pat Flavin.
Because of this year’s elections, the city and county officials won’t get the opportunity to speak directly to Representatives Dennis Moore and Jerry Moran or Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, but to their staff instead. They are certain that this should not present a problem, though.

“Our anticipation is that we’ll be meeting staff,” Hack said. “We’re fine with that, because they’ll deliver the message.”

Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx stressed the importance of the meeting.

“I don’t think people really have a clue how much pressure is on for getting these dollars,” he said. “We’re going there to bring out tax dollars back home.”

Amyx also spoke last night about the issues that he thought were most important to discuss.

“The biggest issues are the CDBG programs and the continued transportation funds,” he said. “I think we need to go onto any block in our community and see the CDBG funds.”

Corliss emphasized the meeting would be between the commissioners and the federal staff, and not just towards the staff.

“It needs to be more than a model, it needs to be a dialogue,” he said. “We need to hear from them as well.”

The officials will fly from Kansas City to D.C. on the 15, spend the 16 meeting with the federal staff, and return on the 17.

At last night’s meeting, the commissioners discussed the planned trip, illustrating the importance of it to the public.

“If we don’t say what we want, no one else will,” Hack said.

Commissioner Schauner emphasized this point.

“It’s not that no one else will, it’s that everyone else will say what they want,” he said, “and we’ll be left behind.”

Posted by Jared Duncan at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lawrence public schools are discovering the secret to academic success.

In just over a year, the new program entitled “Whatever it takes, learning for all” is showing significant advancement of grades for students through one-on-one attention and individual learning plans.

Still in its beginning stages, the program is improving with the help of Board of Education members and teachers. Last month, the program went district wide.

“Our mission is to have learning for all,” said Board of Education vice president Linda Robinson. “We no longer ask ourselves, ‘Did we teach it?’ Instead, we ask ourselves, ‘Did they learn it?”

According to Child Trends Data Bank, 10 percent of students dropped out of high school in 2004, leaving them with minimal skills to function in today’s job market. Instead of following the trends, Lawrence schools started a new system dedicated to the success of every student.

“If our staff takes the extra mile, kids will understand that they’re there to succeed,” said Board of Education member John Mitchell. “That is why we created ‘Measures of Academic Progress.’”

Measures of Academic Progress or M.A.P. are online assessments of each student’s advancement throughout an academic year. The system allows students to answer a series of questions on a computer.

With each correct answer, the following question becomes more difficult. If a problem is answered incorrectly, the next question is easier.

Identifying each child’s weak points allows a teacher to recognize what they need to focus on for the student individually, instead of looking at a class as a whole. If a child continues to have difficulty, they are tested at a more frequent basis to identify the problem.

“I’m so excited because you can look at a 10th grader who only reads at a fourth grade level and by the end, they are reading across the curriculum,” Robinson said.

Current reading levels and growth of each student for M.A.P. are measured using Lexiles. After a student completes a M.A.P. assessment, they are placed into one of three categories.

When a student receives a score of 1000 and above, they are placed into the standard curriculum. A student whose score is below1000 is required to take a supplemental language arts class in addition to a developmental reading class. If scores fall below these two levels, students take a communication skills class that immerses them fully in literacy.

“This system is such an improvement from before when we relied solely on grade level,” said Suzie Micka, certified reading specialist and literacy coach for Lawrence High School. “There is such an overlap in children’s reading levels. This system gives us much more information.”

The developmental reading instruction class is based on the book “Yellow Brick Roads” by Janet Allen. The course gives students below the required level additional practice in read alouds, fluency, writing, and shared, guided and independent reading.

“If we want students to be successful, they have to be able to read,” Micka said. “The class allows us to give additional instruction for students who need support.”

Lawrence faculty has also created a system to help the children who perform above the curve. For each of these students, labeled “gifted,” an I.E.P. or Individual Education Plan is created.

Every student placed in this program will meet, along with their parents, with the gifted education teacher and principle to set goals for themselves and start the child thinking about future career aspirations. The school then works on giving the child real-world experience to further them in their path.

“I.E.P. allows instructors to present the same textbook to students at different levels,” Robinson said. “This way, every child will be challenged, no matter what level they are at.”

Currently, administrators for the Lawrence public schools are working on the possibility of creating and I.E.P. for every student, not just gifted students.

At the moment, new ideas are stirring to make it easier for gifted students to attend higher level classes. As it stands now, junior high students are required to travel to the high school to go to the courses they need.

“For years we didn’t want to label kids, but it’s hard to address everyone’s individual needs in the classroom,” Robinson said. “Research has proven that methods such as these raise the success of kids on the lower side of the grading scale while allowing the high flyers to fly higher.”

Talks are ongoing on how to provide the same higher education, without forcing the child to go to another school.

Sue Morgan, Board of Education president endorses the idea of a virtual school. With this method, students who failed a class can retake the course faster. A benefit of this is graduation isn’t delayed.

“The virtual school measures what the student has mastered and only re-teaches what they were missing,” Morgan said. “Kids aren’t all the same and should be allowed to move at a pace they’re comfortable with.”

In addition to Individual Education Plans and Measures of Academic Progress, Lawrence public schools are incorporating ways to improve teaching techniques as well.

Every Tuesday, students are released from school 90 minutes early. In this time, instructors meet to discuss particular students in their classes that experience difficulty. These meetings allow the teacher to receive feedback on how to better the academic progress of the student.

“It’s a collaborative process,” said Robinson. “Teachers can work together to discuss two or three students per week and come up with a solution.”

Overall, the new system has seen drastic advances in academic success in a year’s time. The old system, closed spring 2004, required struggling students to attend an alternative high school, located in a separate facility.

“Students just weren’t succeeding and were falling behind on credits,” Morgan said. “The one-on-one help these kids needed wasn’t being provided.”

Oftentimes students in need of help were placed on extensive waiting lists to enter the program, leaving them at a standstill. The service was discontinued in an attempt to provide aid to all students, not just a select few.

“The feedback we’ve received is amazing,” Robinson said. “This new program separates us from other school districts and gives Lawrence a real edge.”

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Lawrence Public Library’s expansion continues to gather speed toward finalization. Still, behind the scenes plans for the new library have included the possibility of moving locations or simply expanding at the current location.

Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. opened at the current location in 1972. Bruce Flanders, library director, said the library was deemed inadequate and crowded by the Library Board and staff in the mid-90s.

According to the United States Census Bureau Lawrence’s estimated population in July 2004 was about 102,786 compared to the census’ 2000 recoding of 99,962. The library accommodates nearly 1,600 patrons daily. Plans for a new library have been underway since the mid-90s, still no solid plans have been made.

In the spring of 2006 the city of Lawrence began accepting proposals for the new facility. David Schauner, city commissioner, said the proposals put the cost of a new library between $40 million and $50 million.

“The initial cost put a lot of people off,” Schauner said.

The city recently unveiled new plans that scale back the size of the library expansion lowering the cost to around $30 million. Flanders said the original plan was for 139,000 feet in the current location, which would put a price tag for the library at about $50 million.

Schauner and Flanders both agree that the ultimate decision would be left to voters.

“Utlimately, we feel that the library project will go to the voters as a bond issue election item, so we want the amount to be perceived as reasonable,” Flanders said.

Schauner said voters could increase sales tax as a way to financially support the library.

“I’m not sure how the community would support that idea,” Schauner said.

Moving locations would sever the history the library has downtown. The library first opened in 1904 on Vermont Street and Ninth Street. With the location being a prime spot in the summer with the Lawrence Aquatic Center is open and the park is in full swing.

“The ideal would be to stay downtown,” Sherri Turner, assistant director of the library said.

The very first plans for the library focused on a modest upgrade of sorts, including satellite libraries.

“The current City Commission made it clear that they wanted us to focus on expanding the library downtown, first and foremost,” Flanders said.

Flanders said he believes that the library serves as a magnet for getting downtown and moving would hurt downtown.

Expansion at the Vermont Street location would most likely require building over the current parking lots. Schauner said that one proposal calls for building on the current parking lot, while installing underground parking.

Expanding in the current location would require a phased plan for library operations, which would expend the construction. I’d say about 18 months to 24 months. Construction in a new location would probably be more like a year, Flanders said.

Regardless of expanding or moving library patrons will be happy with the benefits that come with a state of the art facility believes Schauner.

The primary benefits would be a greatly expanded space for children’s and teen’s rooms, a computer literacy training lab, four times the number of Internet computers, and more meeting space, according to Flanders.

“The library is a cultural center for the community. It becomes a gathering place to share common interest,” Schauner said.

Raina Volkmer, a Lawrence teacher and mother of four, enjoys the library’s children’s room. She said it’s a way to keep her children occupied.

“The library does a wonderful job of keeping the community involved. It’s not just a place for kids to read, they have crafts and story time that really keep them interested,” Volkmer said.

Volkmer said she looks forward to the new expansion as her children grow and will use the library more often.
Nicole Ridge, Iola junior, visits the library on a weekly basis for its selection of movies and music that is readily available to residents.

“I think its fine as it is, but you could always use a bigger library,” Ridge said.

Flanders said the city is considering five plans on the table, one for the current site and four at new locations. Proposed sites include moving the library to New Hampshire Street or to the riverfront, across Sixth Street

“Some appear more promising than others, but the final determination will not be made until later this month,” Flanders said.

Schauner said a time line for deciding which plan to use has not been set out. He estimated a final plan decided upon in spring 2007.

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A newly proposed fire code might leave some students without use for their grills come tailgating season next year.

The Fire Code Board of Appeals will present this proposal sometime this year to the Lawrence City Commission for adoption into city code. The code would all but ban grills from many porches and patios around Lawrence.

The more accurate fire code states: “Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 ft. of combustible construction.”

A “combustible construction” is typically considered a construction that will burn, as well as wood joists, studs and plywood decking.

This could cause problems for students who live in apartments or older homes in Lawrence, and grill on their porches for social enjoyment or more importantly for tailgating.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to completely ban grills from peoples’ porches,” said Virginia Leonard, Overland Park junior. Leonard, who said she often tailgates on a friend’s deck during football season, thinks it is more necessary to educate students on fire safety.

Other students don’t feel as affected by this proposed ban.

“I guess if you live in an apartment and have a grill you might care, but if not, then I would say no it isn’t a big deal,” said Vincenzo Burdi, Chicago junior.

No matter how it affects students the state of Kansas thinks it is pertinent to improve fire safety. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and the state fire marshal, Jack Alexander declared September Campus Fire Safety Month. The state of Kansas was also ranked fifth by the Center for Campus Fire Safety for the number of fatalities on campus due to fire.

Regardless of what students think, Lawrence Fire Marshal, Richard Barr said both himself, Fire Medical and the Board of Appeals believe it is a prudent requirement.

“There may be some resistance to this requirement but we have had fires caused by this very issue and it makes common sense to not have open flames too close to combustible wall surfaces,” said Barr.

For those people who do violate the code, the proposal includes hefty fines and the possibility of severe punishment. The penalty section of the code specifies fines for violation as anywhere from $100 minimum to $200 maximum for each infringement or possibly six months in jail.

“Typically we allow 30 days for compliance on code violations unless they are zero tolerance,” said Barr. Zero tolerance violations would include exits being blocked, sprinkler systems that are turned off or alarm systems that aren’t working.

Although these are just proposed provisions, Barr hopes the adoption of the code will occur by year end. Enforcement will only happen through adoption by the city via the city commission.

At this point no date has been set for proposal to the city commission. Barr will be meeting the Board of Appeals this Wednesday to set a possible agenda and review the proposal.

Before the commission receives the code proposal there will have to be a public comment meeting.

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Students living off campus and Lawrence residents using “short cut” routes through local neighborhoods such as West Hills might discover trouble transporting to and from campus in the near future.

At their Oct. 3rd meeting, The Lawrence Traffic Safety Commission recommended that a NO LEFT TURN be implemented during specific times on Iowa Street at Orchard Lane, University Drive, Stratford Road and Oxford Road.

“The recommendation requested a NO LEFT TURN be implemented Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m.,” David Woosley, Transportation/Traffic Engineer for the city of Lawrence, said.

The specific times, which are the same time periods implemented on 23rd Street, were chosen because they are considered peak traffic times along Iowa Street, Woosley said.

The NO LEFT TURN recommendation came after a Traffic Safety Commission member requested the issue’s placement on the meeting agenda. The October meeting was the first time the issue was discussed.

Based on crash history at the intersections along the corridor, the Traffic Safety Commission recommended a 90-day trial.

“The 90 days will not begin until the issue is approved by the City Commission and signs are installed,” Woosley said. “The recommendation is expected to reach the City Commission’s agenda in the next two weeks.”

While the recommendation expects to better traffic flow along Iowa Street, it could also increase delays for left-turners at 15th Street and at Harvard Road.

“Not allowing a left turn from 4 to 6 p.m. is understandable because of the evening traffic,” Stacey Wales, Lawrence junior said. “However, not being able to use those roads to get to campus each morning will open up even more traffic conditions along the main intersections near campus.”

Although no West Hills residents have placed concerns to the Traffic Safety Commission regarding traffic problems in the neighborhood, residents have noticed a significant increase in traffic during campus hours.

“I see a lot more traffic through the neighborhood during the school year,” Lenoir Ekdahl, West Hills resident since 1968, said. “I don’t see any problems, but I’ve noticed quite a few accidents traveling south on Iowa.”

Ekdahl uses 15th Street or Harvard Road to avoid traffic on Iowa Street. If the NO LEFT TURN is implemented, she said it will not affect her usual route, despite possible traffic conditions at those intersections.

If the request is approved by the City Commission, signs will be posted in the near future at each intersection, similar to the signs on 23rd Street between Louisiana Street and Learnard Avenue.

Penalties for drivers who fail to the NO LEFT TURN signs will be answered by the Lawrence Legal Department.

Students such as Ashley Helbert, Leawood junior, opt for long term revisions to accommodate both Lawrence drivers and off campus student residents.

“Putting NO LEFT TURN signs up would truly have no effect unless there was an officer or somebody else watching at those times,” Helbert said. “If I was running late I would probably turn left to avoid being tardy for a class, fined for being late to a meeting or even taking the chance of missing a test or quiz!”

The Traffic Safety Commission’s future plans include widening streets to provide a separate left-turn lane out of through traffic in order to settle traffic concerns as an alternative to implementing the NO LEFT TURN, Woosley said.

With rush hour traffic concerns growing for Lawrence and off campus residents, the City Commission’s approval may encourage drivers to choose alternative routes in the near future as an attempt to decrease Iowa Street traffic dilemmas.

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Federal legislators are currently in Kansas campaigning for the midterm elections. But that won’t stop Lawrence city commissioners from going to Washington, D.C., to establish a relationship with congressmen.

The city commissioners will be in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, Oct. 15, until Tuesday, Oct. 17.

Vice-mayor Sue Hack said the city commissioners had not realized the Kansas legislators would not be in Washinton, D.C., when they had planned their trip, but the commission will proceed as planned.

“Now we will meet with the staff. We’ll have work sessions, a meet and greet,” she said. “We have to talk about funding, Internet sales-tax. If we don’t talk about it, nobody else will. It is important to go there twice a year. It is important to have our faces there.”

“We cannot overstate the value of having people in positions of power knowing who you are when you call,” said David Schauner, city commissioner. “A lion’s share of the work is done by staffers, and we don’t normally know staffers. ... If you know staffer X and he can put a face with your name, when you call later, the conversation will be different than an impersonal phone call out of the blue.”

Dave Corliss, city manager, said that there was no definite budget for the trip. He said the budget would be limited to traveling expenses and that the commissioners would carpool to the airport.

“There are no formal earmark requests,” Corliss said, adding that the commission should make formal budget requests in the future.

“It’s a great value to the community to spend a few hours with the staff,” Corliss said.

Schauner said the trip is a good value for tax-payers.

“It will be pretty bare bones. Just a plane ticket, a hotel, a taxi-cab,” Schauner said. “It is a very good value. I have other things to do. I’m taking two days off work. It’s cutting into my weekend. But I feel this is an important trip, both for the city council and for tax-payers.”

Mayor Mike Amyx said the trip could actually save money because the city commissioners will be present for budget discussions.

“We will see how tax dollars come back to us from taking part in these discussions,” he said.

The city commissioners plan to meet with legislators in Washington, D.C., twice a year.

“We’re looking to reinforce relationships with senators and representatives,” Schauner said. “We want to get onto their radar screen.”

Schauner said since Kansas senators and representatives would be in Kansas, the commission may plan an event to meet them in Lawrence.

“We may plan a gathering for Ryun and Moore, or whoever is elected in November, here in town,” he said.

The city commissioners will return in time for the City Council meeting Tuesday night.

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Kansas incumbent representative Mark Treaster (D-Pretty Prairie) plans on reintroducing House Bill 2546, more commonly known as the seat belts on school buses bill, during the 2007 legislative session. With this, he will also reintroduce the common debate about school bus safety.

The bill, filed in 2005 for the 2006 legislative session, had a hearing in the House Transportation Committee, but was never voted on. Because no vote happened, the bill died in the process and must be reintroduced during next year’s session if it is to ever reach a clear yes or no from Kansas lawmakers.

The old bill called for all buses to have lap and shoulder restraints, at a cost of about $70 million.

“When I saw that price tag, I knew not even a miracle could save it,” Treaster said.

He said it would be up to the school districts to financially accommodate a state mandate, as no tax increases or district revenue increases would help fund it.

Treaster wrote the first bill in response to the 2004 Haven School District bus accident that killed a junior high girl. He said the girl’s mother petitioned for the seat belt mandate.

Since the Haven School District bus accident, no other school bus fatalities have happened in Kansas.

Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas all show records of one bus-related fatality each.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that from 1995-2005, 119 passenger and school bus driver deaths occurred, compared to 1,109 deaths of occupants of other vehicles.

The plan for the revised bill will require all new school buses to have lap and shoulder restraints, and would phase out older buses in 20 years.

“I would only support the use of seat belts if they also included shoulder restraints. The ones I’ve been on that had any seat belts were only lap restraints, which are more dangerous than having nothing at all,” Kyle Kitson, Hays junior, said.

Kitson refers to studies showing that lap belt users may experience severe head, neck and spinal injuries during frontal crashes when the upper body projects forward into a seat during impact.

But many transportation experts disagree with the idea of lap and shoulder belts on new or old buses.

Rick Gammill, director of special operations for Lawrence Public Schools, cites national studies and personal experiences in his school district as reasons for not supporting state-mandated seat belts on buses.

“I’ve had probably two phone calls in the last three years from parents concerned about bus safety,” Gammill said. “The safest place for a kid to be is on a school bus.”

National studies show that school buses provide protection to passengers with safety features such as compartmentalization, or close-spaced seating with energy-absorbing seat backs, and emergency exits. Gammill echoes the “safest place for a kid to be” phrase emphasized by The Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Board reports that “every year more than 800 school-aged children are killed as occupants in other motor vehicles or as pedestrians or bicyclists during normal school transport hours,” and goes on to state that “most of these deaths could be prevented if children rode in school buses.”

But some still aren’t buying it.

“The ‘safest form of transportation’ is a relative term. If you’re comparing riding a bus to riding a bike in traffic, then sure the bus is safer,” Sonja Combest, Baldwin City junior, said. “However, if you compare riding a bus without seat belts to riding a bus with seatbelts, then riding a bus with seat belts would be safer.”

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“Fashion trends tend to come from watching people, usually people who tend to be risk takers with regard to fashion. The best places to find them are New York, London, L.A. and college campuses,” said Laurel Wilson Curator and professor at the University of Missouri department of Textiles and Apparel Management.

Skinny jeans have hit the University of Kansas campus and Lawrence downtown retail stores. The Gap, Urban Outfitters and Abercrombie and Fitch are selling the trend to a large number of college students. Skinny jeans hug the hips and have a straight, narrow fit to the ankle.

“There have been a lot of college students trying on grey skinny jeans and lots of our employees, mostly sophomores and seniors in college, own the black or grey pair as well,” said Kristy Lacombe, Bloomington, Minn. senior and women’s associate at Urban Outfitters in Lawrence.

“There have been a lot of college students trying on gray skinny jeans and many of our employees, mostly college students, own the black or gray pair as well,” said Kristy Lacombe, Bloomington, Minn., senior and women’s associate at Urban Outfitters, 1013 Massachusetts St.

Last week, Lacombe folded the “jean wall” at Urban Outfitters, a task that took “all day.” Among the jeans, Lacombe folded six different styles of skinny jeans in four different colors. Urban Outfitters carry LUX and BDG brand skinny jeans that sell from $49 to $68.

Gap also carries the skinny jean. In its latest promotion, Audrey Hepburn, wearing skinny pants, dances to ACDC’s 1980s rock hit “Back in Black.” Gap bought the legal rights to the clip and offer the “Audrey pant” for $48 at stores nationwide. Along with the Audrey pant, Gap carries two other skinny jeans, the most popular being their original straight leg. The cost is between $49.50 and $58.

Magazines such as In-Style and Redbook have also been encouraging the new trend. And celebrities such as Nicole Richie and Kate Moss have been pictured donning skinny jeans in fashion and tabloid magazines all season.

“I saw the trend in magazines and on celebrities,” said Callie Knoll Omaha, Neb. senior and skinny jean owner. “They are form fitting and different then the style of jeans that I have ever worn in the past.”

Urban Outfitters manager Jill Cavender says the skinny jeans are influenced by the 1980s, which recently has been a renewed source of fashion inspiration in the last couple of years. Young celebrities sporting the trend all summer made the look popular. In contrast, Gap’s marketing muse and original trend inspiration is Hepburn from the late 1950s.

“You can trace the trend of thin, cropped pants back to Audrey Hepburn,” said Candice Rhodes, assistant manager for Gap, 647 Massachusetts St. “She has been a style icon for years.”

Rhodes says Gap chose Hepburn as its model for the fall trend because, like the actress, the pants have a casual elegance.

Whichever era the trend can be attributed to, the overall look is generally the same. Skinny jeans are marketed with ballet flats, big belts and long sweaters. Marketers chose bigger tops to balance the smaller bottoms.

Along with how to wear skinny jeans, is the question of who can wear skinny jeans. As the name of the trend suggests, skinny jeans may currently be most popular and best fitting for slender consumers.

“Skinny jeans are not flattering for all body types. They are exclusive,” said Cavender. “They are best for people who are not very curvy.”

But, the popularity of skinny jeans is still in high demand.

“I have been going to the gym and working out every day, so I can buy a pair and look good in them,” said Ashley Ballweg, Leawood senior.

According to Leah Melvin, Illinois Institute of Art junior and Mark Shale sales consultant in Chicago, people of all sizes are trying on skinny jeans and designers are working hard to make the trend more wearable.

“Designers are coming out with new styles, so women will feel more comfortable in them. They are making skinny jeans more flattering by adding texture and playing with their length,” said Melvin.

As for skinny jeans going out of style any time soon? Slim chance.

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She’d already dealt with a broken eight button on her cell phone for months. Albuquerque, N.M., junior Patty Richards decided she needed a new phone when the earpiece stopped working and she could no longer hear who she was speaking to. Richards called her cellular provider, Verizon Wireless, to report the broken phone and ask for a replacement to be sent. Richards paid a monthly fee for an insurance policy in case of situations just like this. After waiting more than a week for a new phone, Richards was not pleased with what came in the mail.

“It wasn’t even new,” Richards said of the replacement phone. “There were a bunch of scratches on it and some of the buttons stuck.”

All major cell phone companies provide insurance options for their phones. The insurance protects against lost, stolen and broken phones in most situations. Water damage is one main exception with some companies, but a Cingular representative said that other exceptions are few and far between.
Most companies charge a few dollars a month for insurance. According to store employees, Cingular’s fee is at $3.99 and Verizon’s is $4.99. T-Mobile charges between $3.99 and $5.99 depending on the type of phone.

Though the monthly insurance fee adds onto the bill sent out by the cell phone provider, a separate company manages the policy. Most major cell phone companies use lock/line to provide insurance. Representatives at all three companies previously mentioned said they assisted customers in filing insurance claims on a regular basis. The companies forward claims to lock/line where they are processed and a new phone is sent through the mail. The same model of phone is sent unless it is out of stock, in which case a similar model is sent according to a lock/line representative.

Richards said that the battered phone she received in the mail was not the quality she was expecting. She called Verizon to complain and was referred to lock/line. She said lock/line was not helpful and she was not satisfied with the insurance policy overall.

Minor scratches are not abnormal on replacement phones according to a Cingular employee. The replacements are refurbished phones that have been returned for various reasons. The employee recommended the insurance policy even though the replacement isn’t new because it is a much cheaper option than buying a brand new phone.

Along with the monthly fee, customers pay a deductible each time they request a replacement phone. Representatives at Cingular and Verizon said this fee is $50 and is added on to the plan’s monthly bill. A T-Mobile employee said the fee varies depending on the phone but that it is between $70 and $100. Without an insurance policy, representatives said that a customer would have to pay full retail price for a new phone, which can be anywhere from $200 for basic phones to around $600 for newer models with more features.

Not all college students seeking replacement phones rely on insurance policies. Paul Dundee, Sabetha senior, said he broke his phone when he threw it against a wall after an argument with his girlfriend. Dundee said that a friend told him to look online for a new phone to avoid paying retail price. After spending a couple hours on e-Bay he won an auction for a Nokia 3300 at $70 and received his new phone in the mail about a week later. Dundee said he saw the same phone in a local store for $250. He said he was glad he decided against an insurance policy.

“I would’ve gotten a crappier phone for only $20 less,” he said. “I’m glad I did it this way.”

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Gone are the days of college students eating beans from a can in their dingy, cramped one bedroom apartments.
With all of the extra amenities apartments are offering now, the college living experience of yore is gone and the
new one resembles that of a five star hotel.

With students seeking a higher standard of living, Lawrence complexes have taken notice and are offering several extras to compete for their business. These facilities don’t fall short of tanning beds, DVD rentals, fitness areas, car washes, and swimming pools.

“There’s so much competition out there. Students see that every property is trying to be the best, so we try to get their attention,” said Cara Heck, property manager for Parkway Commons in Lawrence.

Parkway Commons is part of First Management, Inc., a construction and property management company based out of Lawrence that was added in 1991.The company has 20 residential properties in Lawrence alone, seven of which include swimming pools, fitness facilities and optional security systems.

Parkway Commons, which is about 80 percent students, includes a free continental breakfast, free DVD rental, a swimming pool, a hot tub and a workout area. It is also a gated community.

“I used them [amenities] every week. Like I went to breakfast three to four times a week. When the pool was open I went almost every day,” said Shalan Mill, Overland Park, junior. Mill, a former resident of Parkway Commons, now lives in a smaller complex with no extra facilities.

Like Mill, there are still students who opt for affordability and quality service over fancy additions. Mill now pays $275 for rent each month for a three bedroom apartment that she shares with two roommates. Her three- bedroom at Parkway Commons cost her $350 a month (not including utilities), where she says the customer service was less than hospitable.

“Management is horrible at Parkway Commons, because there are so many residents; they don’t have time for you,” said Mill.

Even smaller leasing companies, who pride themselves on customer service, are jumping on the amenities bandwagon.

“It’s how you treat people,” said Kelly Hayes, property manager of Hawks Pointe apartments. “You have to really respect them [students] for who they are.”

Hawks Pointe, one of the smaller apartment chains in town, is owned by Aspen Square Management. It has three properties in Lawrence and 750 residents. It is currently installing a tanning bed at its Hawks Pointe I residence, located at seventh and Florida Street.

Not only has Hawks Pointe invested in features like swimming pools, fitness rooms and business centers, but it has put interest in advertising. Recently they created the Hawks Pointe wristband.

The wristbands give their residents discounts at participating local businesses. Places like Movie Gallery, Mango Tan, Pizza Hut and 12 others offer specials to residents. Movie Gallery gives a buy one get one free movie rental and Mango Tan offers 20 percent off any multiple session package purchase. These specials last until August 2007, around the time leases end.

Although the wristbands don’t cost the residents or the business anything extra, Hayes thinks it adds just that more convenience to students’ lives.

“It’s nice to have things in one place, because students are so busy.” said Hayes.

According to the census bureau, the real median household income has increased 30.9 percent since 1967. This could possibly explain the availability of funding for students living in these nice communities. With parents’ income increasing and enrollment growing by 21 percent from 1994 to 2004, it’s no wonder students expectations have soared in this competitive field.

With the lives of students changing so immensely over the last ten years or more, some students are looking to simplify.

“Personally I don’t think the amenities are that important. I think a simple life is more suiting, because you appreciate
things more when you leave,” said Mill. “For me the gym was convenient but everything else wasn’t that important.

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Erin Adams, manager of Joe-College.com at 734 Massachusetts St., said game days bring in the most business. During the week Adams estimated the store sells around 100 items.

“On game days our sells quadruple.” Adams said, “Our products are $5 to $20 cheaper than anywhere else.”

The store, which opened in January 2006, is not officially licensed by the University. It targets 18 to 25 years old.

Across the street at Jock’s Nitch, 837 Massachusetts St., manager Ryan Owens said game days also bring the largest revenue. The store, which opened in 1988, has items ranging from Jayhawk Chap Stick for $3 to a Jayhawk neon light for $350.

Sports shops are not the only businesses that profit from tailgaters. Liquor stores see a spike in revenue on game days. Dustin Polok, sales associate at Cork and Barrel 901 Mississippi St. said, that on big game days there could be a line of 20 people outside.

Last year during the K-State game, Polok recalled having four $500 transactions. The top selling item on game days for Cork and Barrel are 30 packs of beer. Between 80 to 85 percent of all sales are beer, according to Polok.

Polok estimated that sales at his store on a game day could reach $15,000 to $22,000 depending on the opponent of the game.

“Game day shifts are very hectic. It’s the least favorite shift, no one wants to work,” Polok said.

At Stadium View Apartments, across from Memorial Stadium, game day means kegs, beer bongs and food. For roommates Tom Cabin, Chris Reed, Matt Green and Jowee Lyons, game day isn’t about making a profit but having a good time.

Each home game Cabin, Reed, Green and Lyons buy five kegs to seven kegs, spending roughly $500 on beer. Throughout the afternoon, they grill about $30 worth of burgers and hot dogs. Food is free for party goers but cups cost $5.

The tailgating party serves as a way for friends to get together and hang out before the game.

“The last few weeks we had around 70 to 100 people come,” Lyons said.

In front of Memorial Stadium tents dot the grass on game day. Each tent had a group of tailgaters.

David Vaughn, Lawrence alumni and Mark Beardslee, Leawood alumni tailgate every home game.

“I’ve only missed a handful of games since I was seven,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn and Beardslee pay a price for their prime tailgating spot. In order to park in front of the stadium fans must donate to the University’s Williams Educational Fund. Vaughn donates every year. The amount of the donation determines what spot someone will receive for tailgating.

Vaughn said he donates between $5,000 to $10,000 dollars each year, but wouldn’t specify an amount. According to the Williams Fund’s Web site donations start at $100.

Donating is just the beginning of these tailgaters’ expenses. A parking permit for their tailgating spot costs $90. Beardslee, who doesn’t donate to the Williams Fund, parks down the street and usually pays $20.

Vaughn and Beardslee’s group has about 50 people, mostly families.

“It’s a great way to spend time as a family and enjoy a football game,” Beardslee said.

On average Vaughn estimated spending $300 to $400 a week on tailgating. As a group Vaughn and Beardslee estimated they spend about $2,500 a week on alcohol and food. The families bring enough food, on this game day, to fill the back of an SUV. Coolers full of beer surround the tailgaters.

Each man also purchase family zone tickets for the games. Family zone tickets cost $300 and include two adult tickets and two youth tickets.

For Vaughn and his family, tailgating for a season of football could add up to $8,000 or more depending on the size of his donation.

Still the Vaughns and Beardslees say they won’t miss a game. They plan to attend the next game, Homecoming, on Oct. 7 against Texas A&M.

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Sean Galloway, Sioux City, Iowa, senior, makes minimum wage working at Diane's Liquor, 1806 Massachusetts St. Galloway said the $5.15 per hour isn't much, but he isn't complaining.

"I think that it definitely should be a little higher but you take what you can get. I don't necessarily blame it on the businesses. It's the government that sets the minimum wage, not the business," Galloway said.

With textbooks, tuition and other expenses that come with being a student, it would be very difficult to live off minimum wage. According to Galloway, it's next to impossible.
Six states, including neighboring Colorado and Missouri, are considering raising their minimum wage. Kansas, however, is not.

In the past two or three legislative sessions, bills have been introduced to raise the minimum wage in Kansas but have quickly died, said Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence.

Sloan also said he didn't expect a better fate for any similar bill in the 2007 Legislative Session.

Missouri and Colorado will vote on the issue in November. If approved, Missouri's new minimum wage would be $6.50 while Colorado's would be $6.85, effective January 1, 2007.

Still, some students have jobs that pay well more than minimum wage. Maggie McCoy, Winfield senior, works 12 hours per week at the Kansas University Center for Research. McCoy said she earns $8.68 per hour.
"I started out at $8.20 an hour, which was very good for a campus job. And because I was looking for a job, I would have taken it regardless of the pay," McCoy said.

She also said she wouldn't be able to keep up with bills if she was paid less, but she understands why students take low-paying jobs.

"Minimum wage is better than no wage," she said.

Epic Apparel, a new clothing store at 11 W. 9th St., pays workers based on their experience. Manager Kate Turner said she pays employees between $9 to $10 dollars depending on their past involvement with fashion.

"Whether they came from a higher end fashion store or more of a corporate level is the consideration I take into play," Turner said.

Congress set the $5.15 minimum wage in 1997. Congress would need to pass a bill that would then require the President's signature to change the minimum wage.

While several states including Colorado and Missouri will vote next month to increase the minimum wage, workers in Kansas are facing a different situation.

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For some it’s a hobby. For others it’s a way to make personalized gift. And for others, yet, it’s their livelihood. Regardless if it’s used for leisure or a source of income, the business of scrapbooking is popular.

“Scrapbooking is a multi billion dollar industry; it’s absolutely huge,” Beth Ridenour, Stampin’ Up demonstrator, said. “This whole industry is just wild right now.”

Ridenour has tapped into the scrapbooking business by holding workshops through Stampin’ Up company. Like Tupperware parties, Ridenour’s events are hosted in a home and give friends a chance to catch up while looking at the latest stamps and paper.

“I can give them a lot of service. I show them how the products work and how they can use it,” Ridenour said.

Another popular facet of the scrapbook business is scrapbook specialty stores, specifically those in bigger cities and suburbs. With sales associates who scrapbook themselves, customer service is key to these stores. Archiver’s Photo Memory Store in Overland Park is part of a chain that has stores throughout the Midwest. Sarah Brown, Archiver’s store manager, said that she sees a wide variety of clientele shopping in the store.

“We’ve been open for two years and have had a steady flow of people coming in the entire time,” Brown said.

Not all avenues of scrapbooking are thriving, though. Lawrence scrapbook supply stores have been going out of business lately.

Scrapbook Barn, 711 W. 23rd St., closed its doors this year and more recently, Crafty & Company, 918 Massachusetts St., called it quits this month after being open for a year and a half. While local specialized stores have a greater selection, they often have a hard time competing with low prices big chain stores offer.

“I usually shop at Hobby Lobby because they put their stickers and paper half off. But, if I need something specialized, like stickers for a specific theme, I go to a scrapbook store because they’ll have what I want,” Melissa Cooper, Ovideo, Florida, junior, said.

Another reason Lawrence scrapbook stores have struggled to stay open is they aren’t as well known as the big chains.

“I go to the big stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels,” Minh-Tu Pham, Overland Park junior, said. “I don’t really know about the little ones.”

Even if scrapbookers purchase supplies that are on sale, this hobby is an expensive one. Not only do scrapbookers pay for developing of picture, but there is the cost of the actual scrapbook, which averages between $15 and $40, paper that can cost from 25 cents to $1, stickers, which range from $1 to $4 a sheet, and any other accessories used to dazzle the page, according to Brown. Additionally, in order to preserve the photographs, stickers and glue must be acid free, which is more expensive.

“For one scrapbook I spend $70 to $100,” Pham said. “If you buy the paper, the stickers, the little letters, the markers and the mini stickers for accents it is really expensive.”

“Scrapbooking is fun for me, so I am willing to spend some money on it,” Cooper said. “But I have to budget my money other places. Like I usually don’t go to the theater to see a movie, I wait for it to come out on DVD.”

Kelli Martin, Pratt junior, said prioritizing how to spend her money is key in order to budget for the expense of scrapbooking.

“Usually I won’t scrapbook as much if my budget is tight,” she said. “I’ll spend my money on other things and put scrapbook supplies last.”

Ridenour said many scrapbookers justify the cost by giving the finished product to family and friends as birthday or Christmas presents.

“I scrapbook for gifts, mainly,” Pham said. “Scrapbooks are sentimental. It’s not like I went to the store and bought a shirt. It’s a gift that goes straight to the heart.”

Other people create scrapbooks for more personal reasons. This hobby is a way to relax.

“This is like therapy,” Ridenour said. “It’s something that’s not hard, but fun.”

With midterm exams around the corner for KU students, any source of stress relief is welcomed. For experienced scrapbookers, turning to their hobby to reduce stress seems natural.

“It’s therapeutic when school is very stressful and my life is very hectic,” Martin said. “It’s a good way to forget about the bad week or day I’ve had and focus on the good times.”

This time of year isn’t popular only for college students to scrapbook, but many scrapbookers start projects in the fall. Ridenour said women in their mid 30’s to 50’s are her biggest area of clientele, most of whom are mothers. With their children returning to school, working on a scrapbook to commemorate the summer or preparing gifts for the holiday gift-giving season is a natural way to fill extra time.

“In the fall, after school has started and the weather has cooled, soccer moms don’t have as many soccer practices to go to,” Ridenour said.

With the biggest scrapbook season of the year currently taking place, the biggest trends and scrapbookers favorite techniques are becoming apparent.

“I really like to play with different types of paper and patterns. Like vellum is a little bit see through so it’s fun to play with,” Pham said.

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Stephen Downing is on time with his style. He wears a custom-designed, diamond-encrusted watch on his left wrist and has a top of the line video cell phone in his right pocket. For Downing, his cell phone meets his needs for high end technology, but his watch keeps him feeling sophisticated and stylish.

MSNBC.com reported that in 2005 Packaged Facts, a consumer marketing agency, found that watch sales in the U.S. dropped 4.9 percent. Despite the steady decline of watch sales over the past five years, retailers are confident that the “accessorizing” aspect of wristwatches will keep customers interested in them, even if not for practical use.

“A fine watch is basically a bracelet that tells you what time it is,” Brad Parsons, President of Mark’s Inc. and manager of Mark’s Jewelers, 817 Massachusetts, said.

Parsons said his business, which carries watches from $150 to $15,000, has not felt the affect of the national decline.

“It has not been a noticeable change for us,” he said.

Parsons recognizes the differences in people who invest in a regular wristwatch and people who invest in fine jewelry watches.

“You can easily buy a watch for $20 that will tell the time, but for some people, a watch is a status symbol and an ornament that also tells time,” Parsons said.

This status trend carries over into the cell phone generation, where style and performance must be of top grade for the electronic-savvy.

Downing, manager of the Sprint retail store in Overland Park, Kan., understands why cell phones have come to replace the standard watch. Appearance, function and style can all come together in a sleek cell phone design, he said.

“With cell phones, you can get whatever color you want to match all your outfits, tell the time, e-mail and plan events. With watches there is just very little you can do,” he said. “A watch can’t remind you of your anniversary the way a PDA can.”

Downing estimates that about 80 percent of cell phone buyers look for features such as mp3 players, planners, e-mail access and built-in cameras when shopping for a new phone. He says the other 20 percent buy just based on function.

“Most 18-35 year old men look for the high-tech qualities while the females are looking for appearance and size of the phone,” he said.

On the University of Kansas campus, cell phones pop out at every blow of the whistle, another time-keeping device unique to the University. The whistle sounds at the end of class times during the school week.

“I usually try to program my cell phone’s time to match the whistle so I know how long I have to get to my classes,” Michelle Archambault, Katy, Texas, junior, said. “I get a more accurate reading from the digital display than I would if I was trying to tell the time on a regular watch face.”

These qualities in cell phones carry over from what people used to look for in watches, except on a more technologically advanced level. Anita Gueary, fine jewelry supervisor at J.C. Penney, 3311 Iowa St., says that most customers look for watches that are lightweight, durable and stylish.

“The newest thing with watches is magnetic closures, but most of the standard features remain the same,” she said.

Watch sales at J.C. Penney fell 54.1 percent in 2006, compared to 2005 sales, but the market for promotional watches, or “fashion” watches, experienced a 233.3 percent gain.

“Now it’s all about the way something looks. Appearance is everything, whether it’s a watch face or a phone face,” she said.

Though overall watch sales were down, fashion watches, with features such as interchangeable bands and color swatches, experienced enormous growth. She relays it all back to the concept of style versus quality.

“For some young customers, it’s just easier to get a ‘disposable’ watch to have fun with and change out to match everything,” she said.

But Downing swears by the combination of fashion and function for both watches and cell phones.

“You can tell a lot about a man by the kind of watch he wears,” Downing said, “and also by the kind of toy he carries in his pocket.”

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With the recent drop in gas prices, companies that provide private and public transportation services are starting to feel the various financial effects, both positively and negatively.

The price of fuel is a double-edged sword for public transportation. With a steady increase in unleaded gasoline prices over the past two years came additional riders, as people who could not afford or were unwilling to pay the additional cost for fuel looked to other transportation alternatives.

Cliff Galante, an administrator for the Lawrence Transit System, said that although this would seem like a good thing for those in the transportation industry, it also has a downside.

“On the other hand, operating costs increased substantially with the rise of gas prices, breaking the budgets of many transit systems that were not prepared for the significant increases in fuel,” Galante said.

As gas prices reached record highs in late 2005, increasing to $3.50 per gallon in some states, transportation companies both large and small enjoyed never before seen success when it came to drawing in customers. From major national corporations like Amtrak and Greyhound to local bus systems in small towns, the transportation industry was seeing more customers than ever before, and companies in Lawrence were no different.

In May, the Lawrence Transit System set a single day ridership record with 2,038 trips conducted. On the average day, they provide 1,600 trips.

“With my truck, it can cost me up to $50 just to fill up the tank,” Lawrence resident Drayton Jackson said. “To me that is just too much, so I started taking the bus, and I wonder why more people haven’t done the same instead of just wasting all that money on gas.”

Fuel prices have started to come back down to normal levels over the past few weeks, providing relief to frustrated drivers like Jackson. The average cost of a gallon of unleaded gas reached a five-month low in Lawrence last week, dipping down to $2.08 per gallon. Some gas stations in the Kansas City area were selling gas as low as $1.99 per gallon.

With the steady decline in gas prices, the question is whether the money lost by a reduced number of customers is made up for by the money saved when operating and filling up the tanks of the vehicles transportation companies use to transport their customers.

The answer to this question seems to differ depending on whether it is a private or public transportation company that answers it.

Bill George is an associate for the Kansas City Transportation Group which offers airport shuttle, taxi cab and limousine services throughout eastern Kansas and western Missouri. He said that private companies like his actually make more of a profit with lower gas prices and fewer customers.

“We are definitely much better off when fuel prices are lower,” George said. “Even with fuel surcharges of 5 to 8 percent whenever the price of unleaded gas goes over $2.40 per gallon, we can’t recoup the full cost of increased fuel prices when they get up to ridiculous levels like they did last year.”

While the Kansas City Transportation Group has seen a 7 percent decrease in customers using their taxi cabs over the past month, their profits have actually risen by four percent over that span.

The major reason for private companies being better off with cheaper gas prices is that their customer bases are not influenced as greatly as those of public transportation services. George believes that this is because people use these services for reasons other than saving on fuel money.

“People are going to rely on our airport shuttle services because they are trying to avoid having to pay for long-term parking at the airport or bugging friends or relatives for a ride, not because they don’t want to spend all that money on gas,” he said.

Public transportation services are affected differently. Galante said that operations like his see more of a change in business that is tied closely to the rise and fall in gas prices.

“As a relatively young transit system, this is our sixth year in existence, we have enjoyed double digit growth in the number of riders we get annually as gas prices have gone up,” Galante said.

“Before the gas prices started to dip at the end of August, our ridership was up 15 percent from a year ago, and we were on track to provide 500,000 rides this year,” he said.

But with gas prices going down, Galante said his company is starting to see a slow decline in the number of people who use the transit system, although it is too early to see exactly what kind of financial hit the transit companies will take. Still, he remains hopeful that the Lawrence Transit System will see continued success.

“We believe that our increase in riders will continue despite cheaper gas prices because of the greater acceptance of public transportation in the community due to our significant efforts in marketing, education and public outreach,” Galante said.

George has a much more pessimistic view for the future of the industry.

“Public transit will never be profitable again due to its inherent nature, as it will always have to be subsidized in order to remain affordable to the general public,” he said. “The operators of public transit organizations need to be vigilant in keeping their costs low, although that may now be too much to ask.”

One aide for local and national transportation companies to stay successful when dealing with problems like a loss of customers due to low gas prices or an elevated amount of operating costs during times of high gas prices is the newly enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users. President George Bush signed this act into law last year and it authorized federal transit and highway programs through the 2009 fiscal year.

The bill provides a record level of federal transit investment, $52.6 billion over the next five years, a 46 percent increase over the amount of funding granted in previous legislation. It also increases the annual guaranteed transit funding to $10.3 billion, a 43 percent increase that ensures long term funding stability for all public transportation services.

“The new SAFTEA-LU authorization has solidified the financing for public transit, and it will be very helpful,” George said.

Despite all of the stress caused to those who work in the transportation industry, public citizens are still the group that feels the greatest effect of the fluctuating fuel prices. Lawrence resident Allan Henderson is one of the local drivers who are fed up with being subjected to changing gas prices.

“The gas issue is a big deal because it’s something we all deal with every day,” Henderson said. “Hopefully this little dip in prices we’ve seen lately is a sign that things will be getting back to affordable levels because it really is a hassle that everyday people shouldn’t have to deal with.”

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