Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County

Back in 2008, with the prospects for the long-running private golf course continuing to be able to operate on the land flagging, Meadowbrook Country Club leaders and Johnson County officials began discussing the possibility of the county buying the land for use as a public park. The Johnson County Park and Recreation District had long ago identified that northeast Johnson County was underserved with county park land, and that opportunities to bring new parks and programming to the area were limited given the fact that square mileage inside the 435 loop was essentially built out with no significant undeveloped land left. [...]

The list of local government agencies that have signed on to a KCP&L program that will provide them with power from renewable sources continues to grow. The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners last week approved a 20-year agreement with KCP&L to join the Renewables Direct program. Through the agreement, public entities and large private customers will receive power from a new wind farm. Details about the location of the farm and when it will go online have not been finalized, but Johnson County reports that KCP&L says the wind farm “may be in operation by 2021.” (Read more: Shawnee Mission [...]

Mission Hills on Monday became the seventh city in the Shawnee Mission area to pass a non-discrimination ordinance that provides legal protections for individuals on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Mission Hills passage of the ordinance comes a month after Westwood Hills adopted its own non-discrimination ordinance. The ordinance applies to any employers in the city with four or more employees, city hall and related city boards, and any city contractors. (Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)

The city of Lenexa has an excess amount of federal funding to make community development improvements — and less than two months to spend it. So city staff has proposed reallocating some of those funds previously earmarked for renovations to the community and senior centers and instead use it to make infrastructure improvements in Old Town. In total, the city has about $232,000 of federal Community Development Block Grant funds to spend by Aug. 2. If it doesn’t, the city must explain to the housing and urban development department why it hasn’t spent the money, and then work to spend the funds by [...]

It’s not that he’s against the idea of opening up easier voting access to polls, says Johnson County Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker. It’s just that a new Kansas law allowing people to vote at any precinct comes with a pile of technical challenges that will make it impossible to implement by this fall, he said. As for 2020? “We’ll do our best.” Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker said Johnson County voters will not be able to cast ballots at any precinct this fall, citing technical challenges.... since the law was signed, county officials have struggled with how to deal with it. Standing [...]

Lenexa city leaders are now permitting beer and wine to be consumed during private events at four parks, in addition to the two already allowed in city code. Drinking beer and wine is now permitted at these four parks: Ad Astra Park, Buffalo Meadows Park, Matt Taylor Park and Electric Park. On these properties, alcoholic liquor is permitted at private events if event organizers obtain a city-issued alcoholic liquor permit and rent a shelter for private use. Steven Shrout with the city of Lenexa’s legal department, said the parks and recreation department has received more inquiries about drinking in public places, [...]

On Monday, the Shawnee Mission School District explicitly barred the Shawnee Mission Post from attending a meeting of the Digital Learning Task Force that is reviewing the district’s multi-million dollar 1:1 technology initiative, which provides an iPad or Macbook to every student. In 2014, the board of education approved the expenditure of approximately $20 million on the devices on the recommendation of then-Superintendent Jim Hinson — and the district has spent millions and millions more in the intervening years to update and replace them. Administrators at the time extolled the virtues of the initiative, saying it would provide boundless learning opportunities [...]

Shawnee voters sent a clear message in the mail-in ballot election that wrapped up today: No property tax hike for a community center. Unofficial final results posted by the Johnson County Election Office early this afternoon showed the electorate roundly rejecting the proposal put before them, which would have raised the property tax rate by 2.919 mills to fund construction of a $38 million community center with indoor sports facilities, a pool and meeting rooms, among many other features. Of the approximately 20,000 votes cast, 72.12% of voters rejected the ballot proposal. Just 27.88% supported it. In a statement issued shortly [...]

Merriam city leaders are naming rooms in the new community center at Vavra Park after historical figures and places of the city’s history. The new community center will have seven rooms available for the public to rent. Anna Slocum, Merriam parks and recreation director, said some rooms will be named after a person who has been an integral part of the city’s history. “A discussion that started with staff was base the room names on our history, similar to what we’ve done today in the Irene B. French Community Center, and in the rooms, provide a history lesson as to what [...]

Saying artwork will create new interest in its downtown, the Overland Park City Council unanimously voted to allow colorful painted murals on four buildings. Approval came over the objection of opponents, some of whom took issue with the way the multicultural message of the art was depicted. Others described them as garish, gaudy and more apropos of a run-down urban core than the historic suburban town center of Overland Park. Since the murals are all on private property, the city role was limited to code questions about whether the painted surfaces were appropriate and would stand up to weather. Council members [...]