Douglas County commissioners reluctantly declined Wednesday a staff request to apply for a grant that would help pay for a viewing site and shelter at Wells Overlook Park because of uncertainty about the fate of the half-cent sale tax referendum before voters this spring.
Keith Browning, county public works director, said the county developed plans for an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant viewing platform about 30 feet north of the Wells Overlook tower.
The project was not on the county’s capital improvement list, but it was developed after Ken Lassman, a member of the family who donated the Wells Overlook property on County Route 458 just east of U.S. Highway 59 to the county, expressed interest in improving viewing opportunities at the site for those with mobility limitations.
(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)