March 2009 Archives

The Lawrence City Commission voted Tuesday to rezone North Town, a 58,000-square foot building owned by North Town Development, allowing the firm to finish pursuing its plans for the site and enacting a change that will bring much-needed improvement to the area. After two months of sifting through red-tape, Steve Glass, head of North Town, convinced the Commission to change the zoning requirements of a property at 725 N. 2^nd street, in order to use it for G-Force Athletics, a local gymnastics and cheerleading training organization. "This has been a frustrating process," Glass said.  "We're hoping to move forward quickly after tonight."

The case with North Town Development was the first instance the City Commission has faced concerning zoning specifications since updating the code in 2006.

 

 

North Town acquired the Northeast Lawrence property in 1966 when it "was a junkyard and an eyesore."  The firm converted it to an asphalt plant and, in 2005, to a building intended for small businesses. Unfortunately for Glass, the slump in the economy and commercial development has hindered the success of the North Town site. "We misread the market, and it hasn't really taken off," Glass said.  "G-Force would be a great help."

The North Town Development will provide G-Force Athletics, a gymnastics and cheerleading training organization, with a permanent training facility

               

Two KU graduates and former members of the cheerleading squad started G-Force, a family-friendly gym, to provide students with cheerleading, tumbling and trampolining lessons.  The gym had a peak enrollment of 300 in 2002, but the number of students has fallen to 55, in large part because the gym has no permanent facility.  Previously located on 23^rd street, G-Force has recently relied on facilities owned by Lawrence Parks and Recreation.  However, the agreement with the city will soon expire, and the parks department is considering discontinuing G-Force next year.

 

North Town Development, though, came to the rescue. In January, G-Force Athletics signed a lease to rent the 2^nd street property for its gymnastics  facility. 

 
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However, renovations stalled when the city denied Glass a building permit because the property was zoned for industrial use only, beginning an unnecessarily long and costly process for Glass.

 

"To accommodate use we have had for 42 years, we're paying thousands of dollars for something horrid like gymnastics to come into our community," Glass said. His frustration, though, was not with the community but instead with the out-of-date zoning classifications in North Lawrence. Originally intended as the industrial center of Lawrence because of the railroad, North Lawrence has steadily declined over the past several decades; however, because industrial areas tend to change less than commercial or residential areas, it is more difficult to obtain building permits in industrial zones, according to Glass.

 

Though this was the first time this issue has been raised since the commission changed the developing code in 2006, the commissioners were quick to express their concerns about the problem, particularly since revitalizing North Lawrence has been a priority of the city for some time.

 

"Property owners will be in for a surprise if they're marketing a property for a use it's not zoned for.  That's a serious problem," Commissioner Mike Amyx said.

 

Residents of the area were in favor of the rezoning.  They informed the commission about a previous instance in the area in which a high-end photography studio wanted to move into an empty building in the area and found out about the zoning restrictions only after it had rented the space.  "North 2^nd Street provides a first impression for visitors to Lawrence.  We need to bring the zoning up-to-date so businesses can thrive," one resident said.

 

Commercial developments in North Lawrence frequently change leasers and remain empty because of the slump in the economy and the development market.

 

The commission recognized the lack of "industrial corridors" beyond the turnpike and voted unanimously to switch the zoning status of North Town.  The rezoning may be the springboard for a complete overhaul of the specifications for zoning classification further down the road.  "This is something that has unfortunately slipped through," Commissioner Sue Hack said.  "We don't have any problems moving forward."

Kansas state agencies are deciding where their share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds will be spent. The Kansas Department of Transportation is one of these agencies.

As part of the $787 billion stimulus package, $26.6 billion dollars will be used to help reconstruct the nation's highway infrastructure, according to recovery.gov, a Web site that informs the public how stimulus money is being spent. Kansas will receive $350 million to repair highways, roads, sidewalks and other projects.

Large portions of the $350 million allocated to Kansas will be distributed across the state for localized governments to decide where the money is needed. District #1, which is defined as the Wichita and Kansas City areas, will receive $38 million dollars. Lawrence, which is included in District #1, will receive $11 million dollars, according to the City of Lawrence Public Works Department. Lawrence will also receive $1.9 million for public transit, said Stan Whitley, spokesman for Kansas Department of Transportation.

Charles F. Soules, director of the public works department in Lawrence, said there are many projects fighting for federal funds. These projects include:

·         Renovation of the Carnegie Library, 901 Vermont, at a cost of $1.5 million. These renovations would allow the Carnegie Library to act as a welcome center for Lawrence, as well as housing the Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

·         Reconstruction of the brick streets on New York Street, South Massachusetts Street and Ohio Street, totaling $2.1 million dollars. 

·         Repair of Clinton Parkway's multi-use path with concrete instead of asphalt, costing the city $700,000. The current asphalt is crumbling in some places.

·         Extension of the Burroughs Creek Trails, totaling $1.1 million. This would connect trails to new neighborhoods and expand the size of the trails in general.

The Department of Transportation said that federal stimulus money will help create between 10,000 and 11,000 jobs for Kansas, which was one of the major concerns for Congress when creating the stimulus bill. Before the stimulus bill was passed, KDOT had put construction jobs on hold because of economic uncertainty. Lawrence will have jobs created as well with its use of the $11 million allocated.

In a statement released by KDOT in November 2008, its main focus was to be sure it could pay its bills before starting more projects. This new influx of money allows the state to focus on new projects that are not only important to the people of Kansas, but also create jobs that help a damaged economy.

Other parts of Kansas will receive federal money as well:

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The Watkins Memorial Health Center provides health insurance to
students for a $250 deductable.

Sara Hocking has a lot on her plate right now. As well as trying plan her wedding, she just found out that her health insurance is going to be raised by 50 dollars for every six months of coverage.

"I'm finding it more difficult to pay for health insurance because as I get older, it seems to go up and with the economy being so bad, it causes my rates to go up," Hocking said.

Hocking is one of many students who are finding it harder to pay for health insurance and health related services in these hard economic times. According to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services, health care costs are expected to reach an average of as much as $8,000 per person. As a student, Hocking is having a tough time dealing with the idea of paying so much for something she needs.

"It's harder to pay for health insurance as a student because it gets harder to work full time and pay for everything else and go to school. Each month, you hope and pray you make ends meat," Hocking said.

 
The Watkins Memorial Health Center has a lot of information on various
health issues, such as drinking and smoking.

According to an article by Kevin Sack, "although the proportion of Kansans who are uninsured remains well below the national average -- 12.7 percent versus 15.3 percent -- it has grown seven times as fast in the state than in the nation." However, when it comes to college students in Kansas, there is a different side to the story. If students use the health care provided by the campus through the Student Health Services, some insurance providers will see it as out of coverage. That means that even though a student really needs to have health care on campus, some insurance providers will not pay for the services used.

According to the Student Health Services website, the health insurance provided for KU's program is through United Healthcare. Under the student health care policy, students pay only $250 a year, but if students use the Watkins Memorial Health Center instead of using outside campus care, the visit is free with no deductable. To qualify for the insurance, undergraduate students need to be taking only six hours and graduate students need to be taking three hours. However, there are restrictions to this. Students taking internet classes, T.V. classes, home study classes, or correspondence classes are not counted as the hours that students need, leaving many students out of the running for insurance.

Many college students do not understand what health insurance
actually means. Some just pay for it and leave it alone. Here are
some reasons to have health insurance.

However, for some students, like David Finch, even $250 a year is too much money to spend on health insurance. Even with a part time job and going to school, Finch has decided not to have health insurance and to save his money for other ventures.

"I'm too poor right now to afford health insurance," Finch said. "I don't think I need it right now."

When using the Watkins Center, students do not have to pay a
deductible if they are under student health insurance.

For Hocking, not having health insurance isn't an option. She said that even though it may get harder for her to pay, she still needs to have it.

"It is extremely important to have health insurance, especially for a woman. You never know when you're going to get hurt and need that money," Hocking said.

As for her own financial situation, Hocking has decided to pass the responsibility for paying for health insurance to her mother, at least until the wedding. She is also in the process of changing her service provider and even though there are more restrictions to her new provider, she said that it is worth the switch.

"Only five doctor visits a year, higher deductible, no hospital visits unless you are dying. But it is cheaper than my insurance I have now," Hocking said.

View Larger Map
This map is a comparison of how much the deductibles of student health insurance are at the Big 12 schools.

Residents of Brook Creek Neighborhood, the Woods on 19th, and Barker Neighborhood will 

soon see some changes to the infrastructure of East Lawrence.

Lawrence Parks and Recreation will build a recreation trail and linear park stretching from 11th 

Street to 23rd Street in East Lawrence.  The trail will extend along the abandoned rail corridor 

west of Haskell Avenue, according to a City of Lawrence Memorandum.

"Projects like this are usually completed in phases," said Ernie Shaw, the interim director of 

the Parks and Recreation Department.

The first phase of the Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park Development involves the 

construction of a 10 foot wide and 6 inch deep concrete path from 11th Street to 23rd Street, 

Shaw said.

"Funding is completed for the first phase of the project," said Mark Hecker, Superintendent of 

Parks and Maintenance. "We received $500,000 from the state, and with the sales tax 

increase passed in November we will receive an additional $300,000."

Construction for the first phase of the project is set to begin in the late summer and continue 

through the fall, Hecker said.

"When the railroad was abandoned, the land reverted back to the original owners," Shaw said. 

"We are in a time strain because we have to go back and acquire the land from the owners."

 

The Parks and Recreation Department must also work with surrounding neighborhoods that 

When residents drive across the bridges crossing the Kansas River they are passing over a piece of history. 

            The Bowersock Dam was established in 1874 and supplies a basis for waterpower to the Lawrence community.  Although this structure is a landmark in history, it hasn't had major upstream repairs in 30 years.  The condition that the dam is in has become a cause for concern among regulatory agencies.

            According to Bowersock Mills and Power Co. if the Bowersock Dam were to fail, streambed degradation would cause the river water level to lower which would make it difficult for both the Kaw Water Treatment Plant and Bowersock Mills and Power Co. to function properly.

            Matt Scherer, Program Manager for the Division of Dam Safety Water Structures, said that the Bowersock Dam has prevented the degradation in the Kansas River thus far and a potential long-term issue, if the dam were to fail, would be major degradation.  They are also concerned with the long-term damage to bridges upstream and the cities water supply.

            "Dam's are a little like people when they get old," Scherer said.

            A City Commission Meeting was held on March 3 and the Bowersock Dam was on the agenda to discuss possible maintenance and funding options.  The decision the city commissioners came to will occur in two stages, short-term and long-term.

Bowersock Mills and Power Co. recommended building a cofferdam to fix the short-term repairs to facilitate more detailed, long-term, repairs.

            Mike Amyx, City Commissioner, said that building a cofferdam hasn't been done in over 60 years but he believes the construction of this one is necessary.

            "This truly will give us an opportunity to allow us to have a look at the dam from a safety standpoint without the water around it," Amyx said.

Amyx said that under a capital improvement plan they have $1.1 million and that they want to take care of the short-term emergencies that have been needed first.  Based on the estimates so far, the price for repairs is proposed to be $750,000 and the cofferdam will cost about $350,000.

            Bowersock Mills and Power Co. presented some potential solution repair costs to the city commission.  Filling the eroded concrete areas would cost around $100,000 and repairing the failed shotcrete would cost $20,000.  The proposed long-term repair where they would have to seal the upstream face of the dam would have an estimated cost of around $7,500,000.

Scherer said that although there is an estimate, no one would really know the exact costs of the long-term phase of repairs until the city engineers look at the dam and evaluate what needs to be done.

Lisa Taylor, the Director of Communications for the Division of Water and Resources said that the Department of Water Resources has to approve repairs on the dam and that there are other organizations and agencies involved such as the U.S. Army Core of Engineers, one of the biggest dam building organizations in the U.S..

The 135-year-old Bowersock Dam has seen better days and the city is trying to avert any sort of lasting damages to the area.

Boecker said that the direction at this point is to go ahead and proceed with the short-term repairs and get a report back regarding when we can get the long-term underway.

           When Colleen Schmidt, Chicago junior, takes a stroll down Massachusetts Street, the first thing she notices is the blooming plots of flowers that adorn the corners of the streets.

          Due to possible budget cuts to the Parks and Recreation Department, however, projects like the seasonal flower plantings might be limited this year.

          "It's definitely not business as usual," said Crystal Miles, Parks and Recreation Landscape Supervisor. "We're going to tackle the problem the best way we know how."

          Mark Hecker, Parks and Recreation Superintendent, said that the flower plots align the whole of Massachusetts Street and are changed out four times a year, one for each, depending on the season. If the proposed budget cuts go into effect, the department would cut the four plantings down to two. On top of that, Hecker estimates that a total of $70,000 would be cut from the department's $4 million budget. 

         So far, the cuts are all speculation. Parks and Recreation won't know anything concrete until the next month or so, Hecker said. 

        Until the budget cuts are announced, Hecker said the department will continue with the year's planned projects, although certain other programs may also be affected, including cutting hours at the community pool. Volunteers are being recruited to help plant the spring flowers. Hecker estimates nearly 20,000 seeds and bulbs are planted each season.

       According to the City of Lawrence Web site, Parks and Recreation "maintains 3500 acres of parks and six recreation centers." Two and a half percent of the $146 million city budget spent on the department. 

    

     "Mass. Street is the heart of Lawrence," said Megan McHenry, manager of Third Plant Imports, a shop that sells hippie clothing and goods, 846 Massachusetts St. "Anything we can do to draw people to downtown is good. If they cut the budget, that would make us very sad."

     Casey Millstein, manager of the Casbah Market, 803 Massachusetts Street, agrees.

     "The atmosphere of downtown Lawrence really affects the people and (cutting the landscaping) could have an adverse effect on our business, as well," she said. "Having more vegetation provides more of an attraction and an atmosphere."

     Hecker's not worried, though.

     "We just don't know what's going to happen," he said. 

The planters on Massachusetts Street sit empty gray. But very soon, they will burst with color: pansies in orange, yellow and blue. 

An empty mid-block planter between
10th and 11th before the Spring transformation.

On Monday, March 23, 50 volunteers are scheduled to dig their hands and trowels into mid-block and corner planters from 7th St., to 11th Street.

The volunteer effort is part of a four-year downtown beautification project meant to increase tourism along Massachusetts Street. The project ends this year.

            The Lawrence Department of Parks and Recreation is gathering volunteers for the to planting of pansies. The department has been planting flowers using volunteers for 6 years as part of a four-year downtown beautification plan finished this year. The project's aim is to improve Lawrence tourism. Started in 2006, it consisted of cleaning up the streets and sidewalks of downtown, replacing old trees, fixing the concrete planters and having colorful flowers year-round.

Fresh pansies much like the flowers being planted March 23rd
found at the Sunrise Garden Center on 15th and New York St.  

           Flowers may just be the solution for drawing people downtown due to their ability to heighten moods. According to a study conducted by the Evolutionary Psychology Journal, flowers increase happiness. in people. The presence of flowers is said to improve mood and social tendencies.

 

Different plants are grown on Mass St. depending on their compatibility with the season
to keep downtown looking colorful and fresh.

            "Both men and women presented with flowers were more likely to smile, to stand at a social distance rather than at an impersonal distance and to initiate conversation," the study concludes. It is important to the plant to keep downtown aesthetically pleasing and pleasant all-around. 

            According to Crystal Miles, horticulture manager with Parks and Recreation, there are over 50 volunteers already signed up for the week of March 23^rd to help out, which Miles says is the highest turn-out ever. Previously there have only been high schools and small groups that have contributed.

Miles attributes the increase to the easy on-line volunteer sheet. Most volunteers don't sign up until the second planting of the year.

"It's a good activity for people to get involved with, exercise and enjoy doing this activity. It also gets the work done quickly," Miles said.

            Shawnee sophomore at KU, Jacob Mirocke signed up to volunteer this year. Being a transfer student, this is his first year in Lawrence and he wants to help liven up Mass St. for summer.

"I decided to volunteer to be a part of improving the community," Mirocke said.

Mirocke enjoys the downtown area and looks forward to the change.

"I go downtown a lot and seeing it in the winter isn't too appealing so it will be nice to see more vibrant colors downtown, and know I was a part of it," Mirocke said.

Mirocke believes it is his duty to help the area because it helps people be more environmentally aware and locals can unite through this task.

"I think it's important for my generation to take charge of becoming more conscientious of the environment. I hope it brings about a sense of community. It'll be nice planting flowers with others that are concerned for the environment like I am," he said. "I hope it will make people want to go downtown more," Mirocke said. 

             Plantings take place four times a year and $1,500 is dedicated to the 1,500 pansies being planted downtown. The pansies are chosen because they can withstand the weather of early spring like frost and cold weather. Late this spring the pansies will be replaced by heat-loving annuals for the rest of the summer. According to the official budget of the $8,000 is budgeted for the planting of flowers, shrubs and trees on Mass St.

More empty planters at the intersection of
10th and Mass St. ready to be planted.  

            The four-year re-landscape project was proposed due to the old trees, plants and planters scattered around downtown. Landscape around downtown hadn't been changed since the 1970's.

Some rare facts about the flower that will be
brightening up Mass St. by the end of March.
Source: www.theflowerexpert.com and Freethought Today

      Just outside Fort Scott, a small blue building sits in the expansive monotony of rural Kansas with a smiling cow painted on the side. On this day, a 2000-gallon stainless steel holding tank inside is filled to the brim with milk at 38 degrees, milk waiting for a mid-afternoon pick up by a truck that will take it to processing. It was a good milking this morning for Lynda Foster at her family-owned dairy in the room next to the tanker, where cows are milked four on either side.
       The truck that will haul away Foster's milk is one of a few left. That's because Foster uses a synthetic growth hormone, recombinant bovine somatotropin or rBST, to get more milk out of her herd. More and more, trucks and processors and farmers are going rBST-free with their cows. Retail dairy items like milk, cheese and ice cream are often labeled as rBST-free. Because consumers have shown a willingness to pay more out of these products, processors are paying a premium to farmers.
       Foster defends her choice to use the hormone as just another aspect of dairy management, and says that cows don't go to auction as fast as before.
       "We don't use anything that's not legal and doesn't use sound science," Foster said. "We keep cows in our dairy longer."
         Foster doesn't have issue that some dairies have chosen to not use this hormone, approved by the FDA in 1993. She does complain, though, that some milk bottles and other dairy products scream this fact on their packaging with words like 'rBST-free' and 'no growth hormones added.' She says this is misleading.
         Foster wants the Kansas legislature to force dairies that say these types of statements to follow it up with an FDA statement that the two are not significantly different. In the same font. In the same size. On the same side as the package. She took her case to the house agriculture committee on February 26 arguing for House Bill 2295, sponsored by the Kansas Dairy Association. The bill would make Kansas be among the most restrictive states in the country in setting disclosure requirements on milk bottles, because statements like 'no growth hormones added' or 'rBST-free' would be outlawed. The bill is still in the agriculture committee and may be combined with other legislation soon. 

At a dairy case near you...

         Kraft Foods has recently rolled out some packaged cheeses with the claim of 'no added growth hormones' on the front of the package. Ben & Jerry's, which submitted written testimony to the committee hearing, currently says on their packaging that 'the family farmers who supply our milk an cream pledge not to treat their cows with rGBH (recombinant growth hormone.)
         "The proposed Kansas rule would apparently deem (our claim) to be misleading because the (FDA) statement it contains is in a smaller font size than the rBGH claim,' Walt Freese, Ben & Jerry's representative, said. "The additional cost to Ben & Jerry's to produce and distribute uniquely labeled products for the Kansas market would be very significant and possibly prohibitive.'
          The FDA has dealt with this issue before. It crafted the disclaimer statement in 1993, when it approved rBST for use.  It said that rBST was virtually identical to naturally occurring somatotropin in cows. They issued a warning in September of 2003 to manufacturers that were using 'hormone free' or 'no hormones' that those claims were false.
          While the Kansas Dairy Association and its Topeka lobbyists are supporting this bill, Donn Teske, president of the Kansas Farmer's Union disagrees with the bill.
         "The statement 'rBST free' would make a truthful statement unlawful (with this bill,) said Teske. "If a producer not using rBST and states that his product is 'rBST free' he is making a true statement and should have the right to do so.
        Currently, Foster sells her milk to Dairy Farmers of America, a farmer's cooperative. The cooperative does have a program to pay a farmers premium for milk from cows not treated with rBST, about 40 to 60 cents a hundredweight, or a hundred pounds (There are 8.6 pounds in a gallon of milk.) When milk prices are up, increased production out of cows is enticing to farmers, but the no-rBST premium can supplement today's sagging milk prices.  Some processors have demanded quicker action.

Milk prices down

Milk prices have taken a dive in the last few months, making using rBST to
pump out more milk out of cows less appealing. Also, some processors pay
more for milk from cows not injected with rBST.

        "One company decided not to do it overnight," Foster said. "Some farmers had to go off rBST cold turkey."
         Both sides say they are helping the consumer. Supporters say consumers are not being given all of the information about the safety of milk from cows not treated with rBST to make an informed decision and need to know that the FDA says it is safe.  Opponents think this is stunting consumer choice because dairies that decide not to use rBST can't make a clear claim saying so.
         The Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa Street, has put 'consumer alerts' on the doors of their milk coolers alerting their customers to contact their legislature to shoot down this bill because this could potentially hurt small farmers who say 'rBST-free.'
         "I think that's what we want, is to know how food is grown and processed," Nancy O'Connor, director of education and outreach at the Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa Street. "I work with consumers every day to read labels and make informed choices."
          Foster points out that there is no test for rBST in milk. It is left up to a farmer not using rBST on their cows to sign affidavits saying so.
        "You can take a sample and verify the milk," Foster said. "No test can prove the difference, until someone wanted that niche market. Milk is milk."
          Even if the legislation passes, the labeling requirements are constrained to bottles and package. Tim Iwig, owner of Iwig Dairy in Topeka does not use rBST, but doesn't say that on the package, either.
          "You can put the claim on a door label, brochure, on a website. You can put it anywhere you want," Iwig said. "All (the legislature) is regulating is the package. Why waste time on it?"
           Foster doesn't let that stop her.
        "Some opponents feel like we can't get anywhere, so why do it?" Foster said. "Even if we are not successful, we have woken a lot of people up. I am not scared of the fact we use rBST."

More on the Web

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PDF on House Bill 2295, currently in commitee

FDA News Release on False 'hormone free' claims, Sep. 2003

            Lawrence citizens will see more of the familiar flashing red and blue lights of the Lawrence Police Department this summer as the department is currently training a new group of police officers. However, this increase comes at a cost.

            The Citizens' Academy, a 30-hour program designed to teach Lawrence citizens the ins and outs of local police operation is in danger of being canceled this year due to the department's increased focus on training new cadets, said Sergeant Bill Cory. The department's training unit, which is responsible for organizing the program, is running two back-to-back cadet academies to groom new cadets rather than planning for the Citizens' Academy.

"The back-to-back cycles will only get us back to what we are allotted to have," Cory said.

            The department is set up to have 142 full-time officers. Currently, they are 19 short. Cory said that the department is not expanding. The recent staff shortage is simply due to natural cycles of retirement and officers leaving for other reasons.

            Last year's Citizens' Academy was the 18^th time the department has taught the course.

            "We do this to help the community understand better why we do the things that we do," Cory said.

            Throughout the course, the officers go through in detail what the police department does and the protocol it follows, including traffic stops, investigations, and officer safety. The course is for people 18 or older and typically holds no more than 12 people.

"We're here not only to protect but to serve as well," Cory said. "One way to serve is to better inform how we do business. It's good to do that interaction with the public."

            While the Citizens' Academy may not occur in 2009, the department is continuing to work in other ways to continue to be visible in the community.

            Police Camp is a one-week camp during the summer for children to become acquainted with and interact with officers. The camp explains police cars, motorcycles, fingerprinting, and other aspects of the department that children may find interesting. The camp is full for this summer and has always filled up in the past, Cory said.

            Another way the department interacts with area children is in the form of sponsoring a seventh-grade football league. The program is run by Captain Mike Pattrick, and each junior high school in Lawrence has its own team. All of the coaches in the league are volunteer police officers, and they are a huge influence to Lawrence youth.

            Cory and Pattrick believe that the program lets kids see police officers in a different light other than in a uniform, and also helps officers in the future.

            "They come across players later in life," Cory said. "And players remember their coaches."

            School Resource Officers are popular in the community as well. Cory says that the program puts officers in a position to deal with high school kids on a day-to-day basis. Not only do they deal with crime and problems in school, the officers also teach some classes and simply provide an adult that kids can turn to.

            "Unless you were in trouble you didn't really see them," said Alex Chamberlain, Lawrence sophomore and Lawrence Free State High School graduate. "But they were nice and always talked with students."

            A recent addition to the department's community involvement is the creation of two Neighborhood Resource Officers. These officers work with Lawrence communities and neighborhood organizations to deal with basic quality-of-life issues, including graffiti and noise complaints. The department hopes that this program reduces the amount of run-down areas in Lawrence and keeps these concerns from becoming a further problem.

            These programs are all vital parts of the department's five guiding principles laid out by Chief Ronald Olin. These principles include existing to serve the community, having a personal touch, being fair but firm, doing the job professionally, and representing civility and order.

            Sergeant Cory cites the first two as the important principles driving the programs he oversees. He hopes these programs improve the department's service and involvement in the Lawrence community. However, he does see other benefits.

            "I stress crime prevention when we do these events," Cory said. "It's good to get these crime prevention tips out there as much as you can."

            While the Citizens' Academy is popular and one of the best ways to increase police visibility and involvement in the Lawrence public, the department hopes that its other community programs pick up the slack that could be caused by canceling this year's Academy.

            "It's tough because Lawrence is growing," Cory said. "But we believe it's important to have this interaction. The public responds well, and this is something we do that other agencies may not do."

Sounds of cheering and laughter filter through the classroom's doorway into the halls of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Facility.  It's the end of the quarter for the therapeutic classroom students, a cooperative program between Bert Nash and the Lawrence Public Schools.

"They're playing Wii bowling," Lanell Finneran, special education teacher and drama therapist for therapeutic classrooms.  "We ordered pizza and are just letting them hang out for their end of the quarter party."

Therapeutic classrooms is one of the programs offered to students through Bert Nash and USD 497 that assists mental health needs.  Services like therapeutic classrooms, and WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) are available to students at no cost or charge.  With impending budget cuts for both Lawrence Public Schools and Bert Nash, these services' funding could become particularly vulnerable.

Bruce Passman, Deputy Superintendent at USD 497, said Lawrence Public Schools and Bert Nash have a long standing relationship that's lasted over ten years.  He said while it was difficult to say what changes would be made to these specific programs' budgets, right now it was looking like millions of dollars would be cut from the district budget.

"We're just waiting for Legislature to take action," Passman said. "But the way it's looking right now, it could have a serious impact on programs."

Finneran said that therapeutic classrooms gives students with emotional disorders a safe environment to learn.  The program buses students in grades seven to twelve from Lawrence Public Schools to the Bert Nash Mental Health Facility where the two classrooms are located.  It provides daily psychological therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, individual psychological therapy, and what she described as wellness therapy.  Finneran said students start off full-time and the program tries to gradually transition them back into their neighborhood school.

Therapeutic classrooms is funded through USD 497 and Finneran said she hadn't heard of any large budget cuts yet.  She said possible steps to cut funds could include the district deciding to condense students onto one bus, instead of the two they use now.  She said if cuts were large enough the district could possibly even decide to move the therapeutic classroom location from Bert Nash, where they currently pay rent for space, to something like a mobile classroom in the back of one of the schools.

"Our students like being here, in this building," Finneran said. "They like not being in the maddening crowd and their schools.  I don't think it would work as well anywhere but here.  It'd be really different and I think we would see an increase in hospitalizations."

Finneran said the Bert Nash location is the safest and best place for her students.  She said the whole goal of therapeutic classrooms is to keep kids with these disorders in their homes and school district instead of having to send them away.  

The WRAP program assists junior high and high school students with their barriers to learning.  Charlie Kuszmaul,  WRAP Program Coordinator, said these barriers range from everything such as areas of depression to sexual abuse.  Kuszmaul said the program has had to cut back to eight workers, who are all master-level licensed clinicians, from at one point having 22 workers.  He estimated that WRAP assisted approximately 16,000 students last year, which includes students needing extended periods of help and those who WRAP can just do check-ins with.

David Johnson, CEO of Bert Nash Community Health Facility, said WRAP currently receives $225,000 of funding from Douglas County, and $250,000 from USD 497, an amount that Passman said could take a hit.  Johnson said funding is at times hard to find.

"Everyone seems to think these are really important programs," Johnson said, "but no one wants to pay the funding."

One thing Johnson, Kuszmaul, and Finneran are all quick to point out is the importance of reaching students in the early stages of their mental health issues.  

"It's much harder to do prevention work after a certain point," Kuszmaul said. "The earlier you can teach someone, the more likely you are to help them."

When the dismissal bell rings at Lawrence High, Samantha Hays throws her things in her car and drives to softball practice. It is the same story for her friends who play soccer and baseball because LHS does not have on-site practice fields for those sports.

As a senior on the team, Hays said this is a project that is long overdue. For her three years at LHS, every afternoon during softball season, Hays and her teammates have driven to the Holcom fields on 27th and Iowa street for practice and games.

"It's hard not having a field to call home," Hays said. "Our home games feel like away games."

That is all changing now. After months of planning, construction on the new outdoor athletic facilities at Lawrence High and Free State High finally began this winter. With a finish date of August 15, Hays will never get to play on the new fields, but future Chesty Lions will.

When planning began, the equity between the two Lawrence schools was highly considered. Free State already had on-site facilities, but the 55-year-old Lawrence High did not provide the same luxury. In an effort to save money and energy, the school board contacted Johnson Controls, an energy service company, to help plan these facilities.

Scott Morgan, Vice President of the Lawrence School Board, was an advocate of this project from the start and said they have had to think in non-traditional ways in order to fit within their budget.

For both facilities, this project includes two lit turf football fields with 4,000 seats each, one new track, two lit turf softball fields, two lit turf soccer fields, two lit turf baseball fields, a lit eight court tennis facility and 400 new parking spaces.

"The installation of turf on the fields qualifies as an energy-efficient improvement," Morgan said. "We are saving in fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide, as well as the elimination of watering, seeding, mowing and aerating."

A joint study by the county, city and school district was initiated.  Representatives from a number of groups as well as members of the community met several times over a number of months studying what we had and what we needed.  The public was surveyed and asked to rank various possibilities.  A report was issued at the completion of the study and presented at meetings at various schools throughout the community.  The school district began reviewing the study about two years ago.

Funding for this project is coming from a combination of capital outlay funds, which are set aside for building repairs.  Roughly $3 million is from what is left over from a $63 million bond issue.  That issue was approved by the voters and was for use at the secondary level and for technology.  All of the projects that had been envisioned by the bond have been completed and these are funds that are left from various projects coming in under estimates.  The school board financed the funds for the fields, lighting and expanded parking at LHS.

District staff continues to meet with Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department officials about continued use of their facilities and the replacement of the jointly operated Lawrence Tennis Center. Currently, members of the LHS softball and baseball teams use Park and Rec

When LHS uses the Park and Rec fields, they must put in request for use and then other teams wanting to use the fields are scheduled around the high school athletes. Craig Houfek, Recreation Center Programmer, said he was told to plan on LHS softball using the facilities this season. According to Tom Bracciano, Director of Operations and Facility Planning, the baseball fields are scheduled for completion by their first game on March 17.

In addition to outdoor athletic facility improvements, elementary facility upgrades are also in the capitol outlay plan. The final phase of the plan includes private and corporate partnerships to create competition athletic venues, such as a wellness campus to expand physical activity for local children.

"These are economic development issues for our community as we seek quality school facilities and competition," Bracciano said. 

Three dollars a year is the estimated household increase on stamp money this year after the May 11 price change. It does not seem like a lot of money for the average household but for some this change could make a significant difference. Joan Robison steps up to the contract postal center at Hy-Vee to purchase stamps. "You know I heard about this stamp increase and I'm happy that I got a head start so I can stock up on these stamps," Robison said, a resident of Lawrence.

                "I don't use the internet so I still use stamps everyday to keep in touch with my family and friends and without the Forever Stamps I would be spending a lot extra this year," Robison said. Robison and many other residents in Lawrence waited in line at the US Postal Service contract postal centers to purchase forever stamps before it is too late and the price changes.

The price of the First Class Mail stamp will increase from 42 cents to 44 cents on May 11. The increase is due to the change of the consumer price index. "It is a yearly adjustment, we are tied to the consumer price index so as it changes our prices change," said Judy Raney, Lawrence, Kan., postmaster.  The increase does not have an effect on large companies, schools, non-profit organizations and other institutions that use bulk rate postage.

The price of the First Class Mail stamp will increase from 42 cents to 44 cents on May 11. The increase is due to the change of the consumer price index. "It is a yearly adjustment, we are tied to the consumer price index so as it changes our prices change," said Judy Raney, Lawrence, Kan., postmaster.  The increase does not have an effect on large companies, schools, non-profit organizations and other institutions that use bulk rate postage. 

Sales of the forever stamps are up since the announcement of the increase. "We are now selling at least one and a half times more forever stamps than we were prior to when the press release went out," Raney said. Rates on postage are constantly going up all over the world, and the forever stamp is a feature only American's can take advantage of. "Even with the price increase, we still have the lowest prices in the world, and by making the forever stamp we have given consumers the ability to pay the current rate for as long as they can. It just depends on how many forever stamps they are willing to buy at this time," Raney said.

Small businesses and individuals who use first class mailing frequently are seeing this greatest negative effect from this change. Some small business owners in Lawrence have been stocking up on forever stamps. "We have seen mostly people who send several first class letters every day and small business owners buying the most forever stamps since the announcement," said Julie Stowe, Hy-Vee contract postal customer service employee.

The University and other public schools in Lawrence have not seen any change in the way they handle their first class postage because they use a bulk rate for mailing. "Prices are capped at class level, so any company, school, or large business that uses bulk rates really don't have to worry about purchasing forever stamps," Raney said.

Forever stamps are something that can make a difference with household expenses after this price change and after price changes to come. "This won't be the last increase in stamps, the yearly adjustment is tied to the economy so buying the stamps now will be beneficial for as long as you have them," Raney said.

            Flying through the air unaccompanied by plane or parachute is nothing for 14-year-old Akram Laytimi, eighth grader at Junior High School in Lawrence.  Laytimi is a tumbler.  A high-flying, gravity-defying gymnast.

            Laytimi is currently enrolled in an advanced tumbling class at G-Force Athletics, but the team has been moving from facility to facility so much that the location of their practices can sometimes be unsure.

                     Students at G-Force Athletics, have been practicing three nights a week for the past two months in Robinson Center on the University of Kansas campus since they moved out of a facility on 23^rd St.  They are now expecting to move into a facility at 725 N. 2^nd St. Under the current zoning code for the property, however, the move is impossible.

            According to Lawrence's new zoning codes that took effect in 2006, the property on 725 N. 2^nd St. is zoned IG, which is industrial zoning and does not allow sports and recreation.

            "The owners didn't know and weren't notified by the city that zoning was changed until they went to have the final papers signed for the building permit," said Gale Kiefer, treasurer and co-owner of G-Force Athletics.

            After taking the building permits to the city to get permission to build walls and a bathroom in the facility, the owners of G-Force Athletics realized they were not going to be able to practice there until rezoning was taken care of.  Needing a place to practice in the meantime, they made a deal with the University of Kansas to let students practice on the second floor of Robinson Gym.

            "I can't wait to get out of here--it's so hot," Laytimi said. "Even in a t-shirt and shorts you're sweating in minutes."

            The Lawrence Planning commission takes up the rezoning proposal on March 23, but plans for building a bathroom and walls has already been approved.

            G-Force Athletics is just one of the businesses that has moved to North Lawrence in need of rezoning. The JD Gladman Gallery, 613 N. 2^nd St., moved to a location across the street from G-Force Athletics' new location in 2006 and had to request a zoning change, but city officials complied without much difficulty.

                       Students at G-Force Athletics, has been practicing three nights a week for the past two months in Robinson Center on the University of Kansas campus since they moved out of a facility on 23^rd St.  They are now expecting to move into a facility at 725 N. 2^nd St. Under the current zoning code for the property, however, the move is impossible.

            According to Lawrence's new zoning codes that took effect in 2006, the property on 725 N. 2^nd St. is zoned IG, which is industrial zoning and does not allow sports and recreation.

            "The owners didn't know and weren't notified by the city that zoning was changed until they went to have the final papers signed for the building permit," said Gale Kiefer, treasurer and co-owner of G-Force Athletics.

            After taking the building permits to the city to get permission to build walls and a bathroom in the facility, the owners of G-Force Athletics realized they were not going to be able to practice there until rezoning was taken care of.  Needing a place to practice in the meantime, they made a deal with the University of Kansas to let students practice on the second floor of Robinson Gym.

            "I can't wait to get out of here--it's so hot," Laytimi said. "Even in a t-shirt and shorts you're sweating in minutes."

            The Lawrence Planning commission takes up the rezoning proposal on March 23, but plans for building a bathroom and walls has already been approved.

            G-Force Athletics is just one of the businesses that has moved to North Lawrence in need of rezoning. The JD Gladman Gallery, 613 N. 2^nd St., moved to a location across the street from G-Force Athletics' new location in 2006 and had to request a zoning change, but city officials complied without much difficulty.

                      "Generally we won't make a [zoning] category change," said Mike Amyx, Lawrence City commissioner.  "But we have to look at this in the point of view of IG zoning and all other businesses under this category.  This seems like a very compatible use for the building." Owners of G-Force Athletics are also hopeful for rezoning.

            "It seems very promising that our request will be approved," Kiefer said, "but all we can do is wait."

            Since 1993, when a flood destroyed most of the landscape and hurt area business, Boyle said, it has been a priority to redevelop the 2^nd St. quarter and encourage businesses to move to the area.

            "Businesses like this that aren't car dealerships and bars will improve and encourage business to move to the area," said Ted Boyle, president of the North Lawrence Improvement Association (NLIA). 

            Steve Glass, owner of the North Town Development building, 725 N. 2^nd St., said that the more varied occupants in the building, the more people who will visit North Lawrence. "It will provide businesses in North Lawrence with more exposure as a result," he said.

                     The NLIA, however, is doing more than just moving businesses like G-Force Athletics into the quarter.  Plans have been made by the city to build a hotel overlooking the river in spring 2010.  The intersection at 2^nd and Locust will also be reworked to solve on-going bottleneck problems.

            18-year-old Sara Giermann, senior at Freestate High School, said she is excited for the change in location.  "There is less traffic near the new building," she said.  "Getting to and from the old gym was really busy traffic-wise."

            "We're going from good to worse to best," Laytimi said of the recent succession of practice facilities.  "The new building is a lot bigger--and has air conditioning."

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            Many businesses have been affected by the struggling economy, forcing them to cut back on their budgets, but now some non-profit organizations such as The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence are also being affected.

While budget cuts are harmful for every business, the budget cuts of The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence affects many young children who need after school care. Most of the children attending the club come from families who cannot afford after school care otherwise, and with the unemployment rates up, it is even harder for families to afford childcare.

Hedgehogs and chickens can now call Lawrence home
            Animal regulations in the city of Lawrence have made quite a commotion in the past couple weeks. Between the local organization C.L.U.C.K and "Little Luke," Lawrence's famous hedgehog, the town will face some changes over what is considered a "domesticated" animal in Lawrence city limits.

    C.L.U.C.K,or the Coalition of Lawrence Urban Chicken Keepers, is working with the Lawrence city commission on clarifying the ordinances regarding the keeping of chickens and fowl within city limits. In the summer of 2008, the Lawrence Humane Society, acting on the concerns of state health officials, noted that there was a gap in the city ordinance that didn't clearly state regulations on fowl in city limits. Citizens were technically not allowed to own fowl, yet animal control didn't have the jurisdiction to ticket people owning the animals. This brought on the formation of C.L.U.C.K who then contacted the city commission.

            "The commission voted to move forward in changing the ordinance to allow birds, and acknowledged that the county zoning codes would also have to be amended, which would bring in the county planning commission," Bob Gent, director of C.L.U.C.K, said.
            The city planning commission and C.L.U.C.K. held a meeting March 2^nd amending the existing city code, but currently the city commission legal staff is still in the process of drafting the ordinance. "We needed to make everything that dealt with fowl, chickens and birds consistent within the ordinance. We just needed to tidy things up," Cynthia Boecker, assistant city manager, said.

            Midge Grinstead, executive director of the Lawrence Humane Society, also attended the meeting, voicing her own concerns and those of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. "Especially with the bird pandemic happening so recently, I don't know why people aren't making this a bigger deal. I really think chickens don't belong in the city," she said. She also said that any fowl would not be allowed at the humane society. Apparently confusion still surrounded the fowl dilemma though. "Sure enough, a rooster gets dropped off by animal control last week at the shelter," she said.
            No one was at fault for the instance of the rooster at the humane society, it was just proof that some topics still needed to be addressed concerning the keeping of fowl in city limits. Some other topics covered in the meeting discussed numbers of birds allowed, minimum accommodations required, how the city is to deal with loose birds, and whether roosters would be allowed (and they won't be).

            Besides dealing with chickens, Lawrence's city commissioners and Mayor Mike Dever have been focusing their animal regulations amendments on hedgehogs.
            Judson King, 11-year-old Lawrence resident has been in the appealing process with the city commissioners for almost three years, in an attempt to "legalize" his pet hedgehog "Little Luke" under city law. His hard work paid off when commissioners added ordinance # 8214 to chapter 3 of the code of the city of Lawrence, which would allow "domesticated hedgehogs" as an exception to animals prohibited within city limits.

            Diane Trybom, deputy city clerk of Lawrence, said she doesn't see many odd requests legalizing animals like Judson King's. "You do get a lot people coming in to ask about what the animal regulation ordinance does allow, though. A guy came in here earlier this week asking if he could keep bees," she said.
            Since King's victory over the hedgehog debate, the new domesticated animal is becoming a bit popularized in Lawrence. Shane Mangold, store manager at Petworld, said now that the ordinance was amended they would begin selling hedgehogs within the next couple of weeks. "We use to sell spider-monkeys some years back, but that's obviously changed since the city drafted the newer ordinance," Shane said.

            When the city did adopt a new animal regulations ordinance in 2003 it left out domesticated hedgehogs and flying squirrels under exceptions to prohibited animals within city limits. Midge Grinstead of Lawrence Humane Society said this wasn't on purpose, they were just two pets overlooked during the process. But if someone as persistent as Judson King wanted to "legalize" his or her flying squirrel, there most likely would be no problem amending the ordinance. Today though, the most recent members removed from Lawrence's prohibited list are the chicken and the hedgehog.

Bethany Poole, parent-teacher association member, worries about the affects Baldwin City's school district budget cuts will have on her children.

"They're talking about losing a lot of money here," Poole said. "I don't want my children's education to suffer or see the activities they enjoy participating in disappear."

Baldwin City USD 348 faces a $137,000 budget cut proposal for this year because of health 

insurance problems and state aid reductions. State legislatures have sent a bill to the 

governor that will cut the Baldwin school district $137,000 next month, April 2009.

USD 348 Superintendent Paul Dorathy said there are fewer participants in the district health insurance plan and it's causing the costs of claims to be higher than the amount of premium being paid. These participants include all district teachers, administrators, secretaries and custodians. The district insurance company was forced to increase the premiums to make up for the reduction in participants.

"Health insurance has been a problem for this district for many years now," Dorathy said. "The only way to halt this downward spiral is to significantly increase the number of people in the plan."

More people left the plan because of the increased premium rates. Dorathy said the proposal will fund 100 percent of the basic single plan for all full-time employees, which will double the number of people on the plan. Currently, $400,000 is used to pay for the district health insurance. Next month, $800,000 will be used to pay for the district health insurance.

Cynde Frick, director of financial operations, said the money for the increased health insurance rate will come from the building supply budget, $50,150. The building supplies that will be reduced next month include classroom supplies, such as magazines, science kits, sheet music, gym class equipment, library books, art supplies, award certificates and spelling bee fees.

"We didn't want it to come to this because all of our classroom supplies are beneficial to our students' education," Frick said, "but unfortunately the money has to come from somewhere."

Activity budgets will be reduced 50 percent, which is $29,690 in order to fix the district health insurance plan. This includes ambulance standby, league dues, medical supplies, musical royalties, sports equipment and uniforms.

Madison Pippert, Baldwin High School junior, worries about her favorite extra-curricular activity.

"I've been a cheerleader for two years now, and we've always got new cheerleading uniforms every year," Pippert said. "It really sucks, but I guess we'll just have to fundraise more or somehow pay for our own uniforms."

 Summer school and summer tutoring will also be cut this year. USD 348 schools that will no longer have summer programs are Baldwin High School, Baldwin Primary Center and Vinland Elementary School. The remaining buildings, Marion Springs, Baldwin Intermediate Center and Baldwin Junior High, will be used for state assessment preparation and tutoring. Summer band camp will be reduced $744 and summer maintenance help will be reduced 50 percent, $6,233. 

Vinland Elementary School parent, Stephanie Pina, is concerned about the summer school programs being cut.

"I always enroll my kids in summer school," Pina said. "I've got one in third grade and another in fourth grade and I don't want them home all day by themselves."

 Dorathy said USD 348 will undergo three phases of budget cuts. Currently, USD 348 is still in phase one. Phases two and three would not occur until next school year and would reduce the budget between 10 and 18 percent. A 10 percent reduction would be $700,000 and an 18 percent reduction would be $1.2 million for the district.

 

Quinetta Bibbs spends a few more dollars of her food stamps at
Lawrence Dollar General

Quinetta Bibbs, 29-year old single mother of three, walks through the aisles of Dillons grocery store located at 1740 Massachusetts St. shopping with only $56 remaining on her Vision card. Uneasy of  prices, Bibbs places in her shopping cart one half gallon of milk, one pack of chicken breast tenderloins, 2 packs of assorted frozen vegetables, a bag of rice and two bottles of juice. It is the third week of February and Bibbs does not have enough food stamps to last her for the rest of the month.

           "My two sons are growing and eating more.  I am a full-time student so finding work is extremely difficult, especially with having three kids," Bibbs said.

           Bibbs and other low-income households will now receive more money for food through the Kansas Food Assistant Program.  According to the recently passed stimulus package and under the American Recovery Investment Act of 2009, the amount of benefits for food assistants will be increased by 13.6 percent to those who qualify beginning April 1. 

 

       Previously, low-income households who do not have dependents were limited to three months of food assistants.  However, with this new act that time limit will be lifted, and this group of households can remain on food assistance for as long as needed.

 

This chart shows the maximum
amount of net income that a family
up to 5 members can receive to be
for food assistance in the state
of Kansas.
Source: Kansas SRS

 

Households that are at or below 130 percent of the poverty line qualify for food assistance and will be able to take advantage of the new benefits.  The amount of food stamps received depends on a household's income and expenses for mortgage or rent, utilities and child care.

           Bibbs who currently receives $400 in food assistance will receive $454.40 in April.

"It is so awesome they are giving us more stamps.  This is really going to take a lot of stress off of me," Bibbs said.

Amiel Kitrelle, a 28-year-old Navy veteran recently left the military and finds it hard to find a job. 

"After I came back to Lawrence, I had to start all over and it is still hard for me to adjust to civilian life."

Kitrelle has no children, but receives food assistance to help him get back on track.

"It is going to be awhile for my veteran benefits to kick-in, so receiving food stamps was a great idea.  Now I can go back to school and because the government is giving us more food stamps is even better," Kitrelle said.

While the public happily anticipates the arrival of their food benefits, workers at The Kansas Department Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) begin to adjust their working environment for the change.

"This act is expected to bring in many applications but there is no way of knowing the exact number.  Our office will not be creating more jobs to help with the new work load because Kansas currently has a tight budget.   However, we will be reallocating the work between the people who already work at our office," Michelle Poncé, the Kansas Director of Communications of SRS, said.

There is a 10.4 percent increase of household applications for food assistance from January 2008 to January 2009 and they are still rolling in.  Statistics for the month of February will not be available until the end of March.

 

This graph shows the monthly average of Kansas households that
received food stamps from 2005 to 2008.
Source: Kansas SRS

"There is a coorelation between unemployment and food assistance, so we can only guess the amount the new applicants based on unemployment," Poncé said.

KU junior, Vanessa Cunningham, who was recently informed of the increase in food stamps, is expecting her first child in April.

"I never thought in my wildest dream that I would apply for food stamps, but when I saw they're increasing the amounts, I gave in," Cunningham said.

 

 

To take advantage of Kansas' new food assistance benefits, apply online at,

http://www.srskansas.org/onlineapp/index.html

 

.

 

 

Kansas weather can be as unpredictable as a fire's path of destruction. Because of the unusually dry winter, a burn ban was in effect for Douglas County during the week of Feb. 6 to Feb. 13. During this time residents could not burn trash, open brush piles, or grass outside.

 Dry conditions and high winds increased the number of grass fires, prompting a request for a resolution by the fire townships within Douglas County. The request was forwarded to the County Commission and implemented.

The burn ban helped relieve uncontrollable burnings and fire department responses said Jillian Blair, assistant director of the Department of Emergency Management.

"Fires don't stop at property lines or the road," she said.

Under normal circumstances, burning is allowed at all times other than during an active ban. However, specific actions must take place before burning according to Teri Smith, director of Emergency Management.

Burning should not occur if there are high winds and a lack of moisture. Those interested in burning should access The Rangeland Fire Index, which describes fire danger levels ranging from low to extreme. Burning should only take place between low and moderate levels.

The National Weather Service also assesses fire risk based on wind speed, temperature, and moisture content.

"Not everyone knows the climatic conditions that may cause fires to spread," said Rich Barr, division chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical Services. "People may have a perceived greater need to burn a pasture or trash than rational thinking would support," said Barr.

The station has responded to 83 brush and grass fires since Jan., 2007.

Aside from weather concerns, a burn permit must also be obtained through the city, said Smith. Permits are available either for residential burning of leaves and brush, or for the commercial burning of land clearing operations. Those planning to burn must also notify their local fire department.

Residents of Lawrence need to obtain permits, however, the University of Kansas does not because it lies on state property. Although burning is never used to dispose of leaves, which are composted, native grass areas are burned on campus in order to maintain and replenish the area, said Mike Lang, KU landscape manager.

Lang said that the native grass plantings are usually burned over spring break when students are off campus. This helps keep side-effects of the hour-long process to a minimum. A burn is not scheduled for this spring; however, this is not in response to the city's burn ban. According to Lang, the burns are conducted with the cooperation of the University Fire Marshal, KU Police Department, and Lawrence Fire Department.

University Fire Marshal Bob Rombach said that the burns take place according to a very conservative and standard operating procedure developed years ago. "These procedures have been done on a voluntary basis because the University feels it is the safe and correct thing to do," he said.

Mike Russel, director of the department of environment, health and safety, said that the scientific benefits of burning override the hazards. Side-effects are mostly due to smoke, which can cause lung irritation. "I'm personally more concerned with emissions from buses, cars and secondhand cigarettes than a grass fire," he said.

Russel said burning helps duplicate the ecosystem and spread grass. Burning also eliminates the presence of chemicals, because they aren't used to start or feed the fire. Pesticides also aren't used, helping to assure the safety of native species of the area.

 Although local burn bans have occurred in Douglas, Franklin, and Sedgwick counties, the Midwest is not a high concern nationwide. According to its Web site, the Environmental Protection Agency has implemented burn bans mainly in the Pacific Northwest region, where burning "has a long and controversial history."

Burning is mostly used for agricultural purposes in the region and creates a great amount of smoke. Stronger regulations and bans have been enforced to combat the health issues. The EPA has currently implemented burn bans for 25 Indian reservations in the area in hopes of reducing air pollution.

Every place, no matter how remote or forgotten, has a history. The Flint Hills of Kansas are no exception. Though seemingly barren, these hills are rich with stories.


 
It's a land that once echoed with the thunder of bison hooves and calls of the Comanche, electrified by the hunt; a place where wild fires spread and settlers marveled at the stars. Now, it is quiet, every sound swallowed by a vast sky.
 
Every Kansan knows this phrase: "...Where the buffalo roam." Buffalo, or bison, are a Kansas trademark, like tornados or "The Wizard of Oz." However, for the last 130 years, bison have been absent from the prairie. It seemed this would be a legacy forever lost--but not for long. In November of 2009, the Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve, located in northern Chase County in the Flint Hills, will be home to bison once again.


 
Kristen Hase, the natural resource program manager for the Natural Parks Service, is coordinating the reintroduction of bison into the preserve. She says serious planning for the project began a year and a half ago.
 
"We really wanted to make this happen. It's important to us and probably a lot of Kansans to see the bison back on the prairie," she said.


 
Every step has been slow and deliberate--and not without a hitch. The preserve is owned in a public-private partnership. In other words, The Nature Conservancy privately owns the bulk of the land, and the National Parks Service manages it. Hase said this co-ownership is the only one of its kind in the United States. Perhaps there's a reason for it.
 
"In some ways, it's a really good system because both partners can bring ideas to the table," she said. "The problem is there's a gray area where we don't know who is accountable for stuff or who's paying for what, etc."
 
In the past, the federal government paid all expenses for the park. In addition, it was solely responsible for managing the park. The bison project has brought enough "excitement," however, that The Nature Conservancy has offered to pay for half of the expenses. Hase said this was a plus, since the "wheels roll slowly" for any process involving the federal government.

"With Nature Conservancy, things tend to happen faster," she said. "It's easy for them to ask donors to write a check for something specific and get the money quickly."

Paula Matile, conservation specialist for The Nature Conservancy, is the other side of this equation. She said that the two sides working together could be a "headache," but that, overall, it made their program stronger.

"Each agency has its own processes and policies," she said. "But we view this challenge as an opportunity to use the best of both worlds and move projects forward."

Another obstacle to come is the management of the bison themselves. Robert Timm is the curator in charge of the Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas. As head of the mammalogy department, Timm has had personal experience in dealing with bison. He said the biggest challenges to overcome were their size and strength.


 
"People sometimes forget that a bull can weigh a ton," he said. "In the hands of skilled, trained ranchers, it would work fine, but certainly not in the hands of amateurs. That's just dangerous."

Although these bison will not be farmed, they will be enclosed within a pasture of 1,100 to 4,500 acres. Adequate fencing poses an additional problem. Hase said that these bison, which come from Wind Cave, South Dakota, would respect fences. For this herd--of which there are twenty bison--they plan to use five-strand, barbed wire fencing with an electrical offset. Timm said this isn't enough.
 
"The hide of a bison is extremely tough," he said. "They evolved from the harsh climate of the prairie, and they're well-adapted to it. Barbed wire wouldn't have much affect on them."

This is one of the main concerns that neighboring cattle ranchers have for the project. Amber Bortz, Pratt junior, has family in the area that farm cattle.
 
"If those bison ever broke through the fences, it would an expensive fix. Plus, they might get violent with the cattle," she said.


 
Another concern for ranchers is Brucellosis, or Bang's Disease. It causes mothers to abort their calves and can be spread through bison. Hase said this problem would be avoided by testing the animals before their arrival.  She said that problems like this would be avoided, generally, by frequent observation of the herd.
 
"We're not just setting them loose on the pasture," she said. "We plan to monitor them, and if there are problems, we'll be able to act fast."

As the paperwork is completed, open discussions will be held so that public concern can be addressed. Hase said this would be one of the last steps in finalizing the project that would bring the "history of the prairie" back into the landscape.
 
"The tall grass prairie evolved in the presence of fire and grazers, and we want to continue that cycle," she said. "Visually, for our visitors, it will be meaningful for them to look out over the hills and see the bison on the horizon."    

Sonya Withers sits at a computer desk. She looks intently into the screen. Many others around her do the same. Her large flannel shirt and tattered jeans show that times are tough. And that they are. Withers has been unemployed for two months after being laid off her job at Taco Bell.

She moved here recently from Topeka to get away from a boyfriend who was a constant troublemaker and took the first job available. And now that job is gone. Withers and her children; Adam, 12, Olivia, 10, and Zayquan, 1, have had to move into the shelter.

"It's been real difficult," Withers said. "We've been having to rely on family and friends to try to help us by."

Withers goes to the Lawrence Workforce Center every day, sometimes twice a day to look for jobs. She applies for many, and has an interview scheduled in a few days, but many people are not that lucky.

The Lawrence Workforce Center is federally funded by the Workforce Investment Act. It is paid for by taxpayer money and has been in Lawrence for eight years. The Center assists individuals who are seeking jobs by providing resume workshops, internet access, workforce training and many other resources.

Director Lou Ann Scott has been with the center since its founding. She hasn't seen anything like the current job crisis.

"I've been here since the beginning of time. Its desperation now," Scott said. "People that have high work skills just can't find anything. We have people coming in and looking for jobs but we have no where to send them. The resources have increased because of the Internet, but it's just heartbreaking."

The Center has experienced a vast increase in job seekers. Recently, they added two additional employees to handle the workload. The Workforce Center now employs 12 people who assist the general public.

Lawrence Workforce Center has also seen increases in people who need help improving their resumes. In the past, Lawrence Workforce Center staff coached individuals on how to improve their resumes as it was needed. Since the economical downturn, they have changed the format to bi-weekly resume workshops that are almost always full.

"Just apply like you've never applied before," says LWC employee Scott Hoy as he sits in his desk talking on the phone.

Scott answers many calls like this a day. He deals with frustrated job seekers who don't know where to turn: people who have lost their jobs recently, those who have been unemployed for months on end and all sorts of people in between.

Several large companies in Lawrence have either downsized or closed in the past few months. Progress Rail, a company that was once very strong closed down completely in Lawrence. Sauer Danfoss downsized. So did Amarr Garage Door, a nationwide company that has manufacturing headquarters in Lawrence and employs over 600 people.

Companies are not only laying off blue-collar employees. The Center has been seeing more employees that have previously had steady employment. Most have not been out of the workforce for many years.

"Seems like companies are laying off higher waged employees and replacing them with those who have lower wages, or just doing without. We are seeing both," Scott said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for Lawrence in December of 2008 was 4.0 percent. The state of Kansas had an unemployment rate of 5.0 percent in December 2008. Scott does not believe that the situation will be improving any time soon, and although the situation looks grim in Lawrence, she says that it could be worse.

"We just have to create jobs. Good paying jobs. We are lucky that Lawrence is between Topeka and Kansas City. We are luckier than other areas."

The furnaces in landlord Sara Gragg's three Lawrence apartments are coming close to their 12-year expiration date. If a new proposal requiring homeowners and businesses to install more costly and energy-efficient furnaces goes into effect, Gragg worries what it will mean to her livelihood.

"If we were forced as landlords to replace those systems for that much money, we would probably have to shut down our rentals," Gragg said.


The proposal was made last summer by the Mayor's Climate Protection Task Force. It would require Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios, or SEER, of 16 for all new air conditioning and heating units in the city. The current federal standard is 13.

SEER ratings determine the efficiency of heating and cooling units based on the amount of energy needed to power the system. Each increase in a SEER rating represents a 10-percent increase in efficiency. Ratings range from 6 to 21, with 10 being the most common found in homes today.

The energy efficiency of higher ratings helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and saves money spent on electricity.

Replacing a 3-ton, Goodman central air conditioning unit with a 13 SEER costs $1,015 on the AC Wholesalers Web Site. The site lists units with a 16 SEER at $1,349.

However, the cost doesn't only come from the unit. The total cost of a SEER 16 also includes the purchase of a new furnace and a coil to complement the two-stage systems required by higher SEER ratings.

Critics to the policy, which will be up for approval by the Lawrence City Commission on March 31, claim that although the new units are friendly to the environment, they are not friendly to homeowners or businesses.

"I doubt they'll ever make that law happen," said Kevin Chaney, vice president of sales with Chaney Inc., 930 E. 27th St., which sells and installs central heating and cooling units. "It'll hurt the consumer too much."

He estimated that it could take as long as 12 years to make up the extra cost of the units in energy savings.

However, Colleen Hughes, spokesperson for the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, said the systems can save at least 50 percent on monthly heating bills.

"Heating and cooling can account for half of your energy cost, so it makes good economic sense to upgrade to higher SEER levels," Hughes said. "Heating and cooling plays a huge factor in the environment. Upgrading systems can go a long way toward achieving environmental goals."


Affect on Climate

The goal of the Climate Protection Task Force is to reduce Lawrence's greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

According to the ENERGYguide, a Web site with advice on saving energy, household energy makes up 20 percent of all U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide. In 2005, electricity was 63.9 percent of Lawrence's emissions, according to Climate Task Force statistics.

Mayor Mike Dever said one of the challenges of environmental protection is conveying the economic benefits that result from being more environmentally-conscious.

"I believe most Americans kind of have to be prodded into doing things," he said. "But once they do, we're a pretty good nation, and I think we get together and solve problems."  

Steve Hughes, a member of the Climate Protection Task Force, said the group considered tax incentives to reduce the cost of purchasing more efficient equipment. He said in addition to the federal $1,500 tax break for buying SEERs greater than 16, the city would look at taking the unit out of the householder's or business owner's property tax.



The Task Force goes before the Lawrence City Commission for approval of the proposal March 31.

Gragg hasn't considered upgrading the units in her apartments yet, but she said when she does, she'd rather have the right to chose more efficient and environment-friendly units than be forced into it.

"We'd do what we had to do to make things right," she said. "But I just don't think that price would be possible right now."

              It's going to be a hard year for community mental health centers in Kansas. After

receiving a disproportionate amount of budget cuts from the state, already underpaid employees are absorbing most of the costs from the financial crisis. 

           In Lawrence, Bert Nash Community Mental Heath Center is no different. Rick Spano, Associate Dean of the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare and member of the Bert Nash Board of Directors, said, after limping through this year

financially, next year is going to be even worse. 

            In January, Governor Kathleen Sebelius proposed a $7 million cut in state aid to community health centers and another $265,000 is likely to be slashed in July.

            David Ambler, Former Vice Chancellor Emeritus at The University of Kansas and member of the Bert Nash Board of Directors said that all of the community mental health centers in Kansas need to come together to get through the budget crisis.  "Budget cuts are going to hurt on terms of our service priority. In these economic times, we all need to share in the resolution of this," he said.

            In February, Kansas received $71.5 million in Medicaid stimulus funds and is expected to receive another $440 million additional funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

            David Johnson, chief executive officer of Bert Nash, said that Medicaid funds from the stimulus package would not be spent on non-Medicaid costs. "Medicaid funds don't even cover what they are supposed to let alone anything else," he said. 

            As the year progresses, Bert Nash is expecting to see more patients needing treatment. Research has shown that in economic crisis' stress levels go up and the suicide rate increases. "There is usually resilience early on," Johnson said. "But, four to five months down the road, as the economic crisis takes its toll, stressors increase and more people will need mental health care."

            Due to its reserve funds, Bert Nash is in better shape than many other community health centers that are now panicking due to cuts in state funding. Johnson said that he hopes the legislature won't forget how much community health centers have been affected by the crisis. "We hope that the legislature will restore the cuts from grant funding," Johnson said. "We have asked the state senate not to forget community mental health centers as they have received a disproportionate share of the cuts."

            If she is confirmed, many of the budget decisions coming from Washington will be in the hands of the new Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. Many Kansans were surprised at the nomination from the White House, as Governor Sebelius hasn't done much to support the health care system in Kansas during her six years in office.

            Republican Brenda Landwehr of Wichita, who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said, "I think the governor is a really surprising choice for HHS secretary. She has done nothing in her six years in office to reform health care in Kansas." 

            And while she has not been exceptionally engaged in community mental health, David Johnson said she would be an asset in Washington. "I am confident that, if confirmed, she will help us. We really struggled throughout the last administration," he said. "With Sebelius concentrating on healthcare, I am confident she will make positive changes."