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

Little eruptions have been breaking the surface lately, at council and board meetings across the county: an eye roll here, muttered oath there, a veiled suggestion that leaves someone demanding a point of order. Then the Johnson County Community College trustee board went a step further by deciding to rebuke one of their own with a censure. With that vote came a rare public airing of differences and a glimpse into what can happen when personalities clash hard and no one meets half way. The JCCC vote followed several tense meetings about the intent of the member in questioning school policies [...]

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday issued an opinion saying that the Shawnee Mission School District did not violate the Kansas Open Meetings Act when it barred the Shawnee Mission Post from observing a meeting of its Digital Learning Task Force last year. The publication filed a formal complaint against the district after its communications office denied a request to attend and report on a meeting of the group charged with reviewing implementation of the district’s $50 million-plus 1:1 technology initiative, which provides an iPad or Macbook to every student K-12. In a letter outlining the decision, Assistant Attorney General [...]

The 200 new body cameras Overland Park police have used since November have worked so well the city council may buy another 58 so all of its officers can use them. The council’s Public Safety Committee gave its blessing to the purchase of the new cameras Wednesday night, along with a new bomb truck. Only uniformed officers have used the cameras to date. Buying a second batch would allow every commissioned officer access to a camera, said Captain Kyle Livengood. That way an officer working overtime at an event or directing traffic could also be using a body cam. (Read more: [...]

The Merriam city council on Monday evening heard the latest update on the new Merriam Community Center, 6040 Slater Street, including an official opening date: June 8. Assistant City Administrator Meredith Hauck presented a transition plan from the Irene B. French Community Center to the new community center that included details for moving out and moving in, as well as an opening plan. (Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Shoppers at the Overland Park Farmers’ Market will be encouraged to bring their own bags and bottles as the market goes plastic bagless for the first time this spring, a possible first for markets in the area. Kristina Stanley, city recreation supervisor, said the farmers are coming up with alternatives such as paper or compostable bags, but the ubiquitous plastic “thank you” bags will be a thing of the past on the market’s opening day, April 11. ...She said the city started letting vendors know in December 2017 that plastic was on the way out. The change is a challenge, she [...]

The Roeland Park city council earlier this month discussed what the future of glass recycling looks like for the city, including a curbside glass recycling service with Ripple Glass. Previously, a big, purple Ripple bin sat in the Lowe’s parking lot for residents to drop off their recycled glass. Mayor Mike Kelly said the bin had to be removed due to contracts and policies outside of Roeland Park’s control. Ripple’s Metro Program Manager Morgan Henderson said the company loves servicing Roeland Park and is actively looking for a new spot to place a bin so residents can pick back up where [...]

For many years, Johnson County Library has provided outreach services for some teens and adults in the Johnson County corrections system. Now, those programs are expanding under the leadership of Incarcerated Services Librarian Melody Kinnamon. Kinnamon chairs a core team of staffers helping to connect incarcerated citizens to the Library, and she praises the entire group’s efforts. She’s especially grateful to long-term team members Kate McNair, Scott Stone and Debbie Frizzell for their commitment to this mission. Kinnamon has held several positions since she came to Johnson County Library in 2002, including as a reference librarian and community branch manager. But [...]

The Merriam city council on Monday discussed purchasing LED bulbs for streetlights in need of replacement, and eventually transitioning entirely to LED bulbs. A move to LED bulbs is trending among Shawnee Mission cities: Prairie Village its streetlights from Kansas City Power & Light in 2016 and set about installing LED heads. And in November 2019, Overland Park and Lenexa entered a partnership to switch to LED bulbs on some shared streetlights. Recently, Shawnee approved the acquisition of streetlights from Evergy (formerly KCP&L) and a conversion to LED bulbs. Merriam purchased streetlights from KCP&L in 1996, and all light fixtures installed [...]

The Johnson County Parks and Recreation District last week approved the use of Class 1 and Class 3 electric bikes on all paved JCPRD trails, effective immediately. The decision comes after six-month pilot project, from July 2019 to January 2020, of the two classifications of e-bikes. Superintendent of Parks and Golf Courses Bill Maasen said in a release that the Johnson County Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners are suspending the code limiting patrons from using motorized vehicles on paved trails. BikeWalkKC Director of Bike Share & Business Services Eric Vaughan is currently working with JCPRD to roll out a bike [...]

The Merriam city council on Monday discussed purchasing LED bulbs for streetlights in need of replacement, and eventually transitioning entirely to LED bulbs. A move to LED bulbs is trending among Shawnee Mission cities: Prairie Village its streetlights from Kansas City Power & Light in 2016 and set about installing LED heads. And in November 2019, Overland Park and Lenexa entered a partnership to switch to LED bulbs on some shared streetlights. Recently, Shawnee approved the acquisition of streetlights from Evergy (formerly KCP&L) and a conversion to LED bulbs. (Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)