City Hall staying put in Leawood

Leawood won’t move former City Hall

After hearing from residents on Nov. 12, the Leawood City Council decided against moving the former City Hall from its current site at 9615 Lee Blvd.

City leaders had considered placing the building close to the current City Hall at 4800 Town Center Drive, leaving more green space for a park that’s being planned on the Lee Boulevard property.

Chris Claxton, the city’s parks and recreation director, said most residents who spoke at the meeting favored keeping the building on its current site.

However, the old City Hall will have to be moved to different spot to accommodate construction of a new fire station where the now-razed police building once stood next to the City Hall. The fire station is in the early stages of planning, so nothing will happen to the building for a while

The city’s Historic Commission has requested that the former City Hall, now used for storage, become a local history museum where the story of Leawood would be told. No decision has been made on that idea.

Shawnee names deputy city manager

Shawnee City Manager Nolan Sunderman has announced the promotion of Stephen Powell to deputy city manager. He is replacing Vicki Charlesworth, who will retire next month after more than 30 years with the city.

Powell has more than 15 years’ experience in local government. He was named 2018 City Clerk of the Year by the City Clerk and Municipal Finance Officers Association of Kansas.

Powell, who holds a master’s of public administration degree from Park University, assumed his new duties on Nov. 5.

Blue Valley honors ‘Friends of Education’

The Blue Valley School District has named five recipients of its 2018 Friends of Education award:

▪ Pat Bittinger, a longtime school district volunteer.

▪ State Reps. Joy Koesten and Patty Markley, who have advocated in the legislature for public education.

▪ BV Well, a parent-led group that has educated and supported families navigating mental health and wellness with their children.

▪ Diagnostic Imaging Centers, which has worked closely with students the career-oriented Center for Advanced Professional Studies program.

Cities celebrate the holidays

Leawood and Overland Park scheduled their Christmas tree lighting festivities before Thanksgiving, but there are plenty more to come around Johnson County. Santa isn't likely to miss any of them. A sampling:

▪ Lenexa: At Sar-Ko AGlow on the evening of Nov. 30, the city will light up Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park at 6 p.m., and visitors can drink hot chocolate and listen to carolers stationed along the trail around Rose’s Pond. The lights will stay on through early January. The park is at 87th Street Parkway and Lackman Road.

▪ Olathe: Celebrate Olathe and the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting is scheduled from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Olathe Community Center, 1205 E. Kansas City Road. Mayor Michael Copeland will light the tree, and the evening will continue with music and free activities. Sana will be joined by his wife and Joey the Elf.

▪ Shawnee: Downtown Shawnee is the location for the Sister Cities Christkindlmarkt, live entertainment, kids’ crafts and fruit cake races. The free fun starts at 2 p.m. Dec. 1 at City Hall, 11110 Johnson Drive, and nearby businesses are offering carol sing-alongs, live reindeer and other attractions. The ceremonial tree lighting will cap the celebration shortly before 6 p.m. at City Hall.

▪ Prairie Village: This city’s celebration will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Corinth Square Shops at 83rd Street and Mission Road, which are sponsoring the event along with the city and its foundation. Along with the tree lighting, visitors will be entertained by Dancerz Unlimited, the St. Ann School choir and sports mascots KC Wolf and Blue. Merchants will have open houses all day at Corinth Square and the Prairie Village Shops.

▪ Merriam: From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 30, community members will gather for the lighting ceremony, games, homemade soup and more. The lighting ceremony is free, and the soup can be had for $1, a new toy or a canned food item. It’s at Merriam Marketplace and the Irene B. French Community Center, 5740 Merriam Drive. Register by Nov. 28 at the community center or at 913-322-5550.

▪ Mission: Holiday Lights & Festive Sights on Dec. 7 includes the tree lighting, carriage rides, kids' activities and hot dogs and s'mores (while supplies last). The free event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Sylvester Powell Jr. Community Center, 6200 Martway St.

▪ Spring Hill: The annual Hometown Holidays event will be from 6 to 8 p.m Dec. 7 at the Spring Hill Civic Center, 401 N. Madison St. Activities include the tree lighting, caroling and a candy cane hunt in Friendship Park. Bring your own flashlight.

▪ Gardner: Santa’s Workshop will open on Nov. 26 after the Mayor’s Christmas Tree lighting ceremony which begins at 7 p.m. in Cornerstone Park, 215 N. Center St. Kids can take home an ornament and candy cane. The free workshop will be open again from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

▪ Roeland Park: Tree lighting festivities begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Roeland Park Community Center, 4850 Rosewood Drive.

Big haul at recycling event

Here’s some of what last month’s Recycling Extravaganza kept out of landfills and illegal dumping spots, according to the city of Overland Park:

▪ 142,902 pounds of electronics.

▪ 61,500 pounds of paper.

▪ 22,000 pounds of housewares.

▪ 1,175 pounds of pet supplies.

▪ 528 pairs of glasses.

▪ 487 fluorescent tube bulbs.

▪ 91 mattresses or box springs.

▪ 587 pairs of shoes.

▪ 221 bicycles.

▪ Three box trucks full of reusable building material.

The Oct. 27 event, held on the Black & Veatch property at 11401 Lamar Ave., was sponsored by Overland Park, Leawood and Prairie Village.

Free holiday light shows at Deanna Rose

On Thanksgiving Day, the “Holiday Lights on Farmstead Lane” returns to the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead in Overland Park — with nearly 100,000 more lights this year.

From 5 to 11 p.m. each night through Jan. 7, people can drive onto the Farmstead property and see the free light show with accompanying holiday music found at 90.5 Rose FM. Visitors can watch from their cars while listening to the radio, or bring lawn chairs and sit outside. The station is available on smart phones as well.

Visitors are asked to turn off their car headlights while watching the show.

Arboretum’s luminary walks start this weekend

One popular Christmas tradition in Johnson County is the Holiday Luminary Walk, held the first three weekends after Thanksgiving at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.

Visitors can stroll along a mile of pathways featuring thousands of candles; holiday lights twinkling from trees, bridges and buildings; live music, and little villages populated with gnomes and fairies. The experience also includes horse-drawn wagon rides and hot cider around a campfire.

The events will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 23-24, Nov. 30 and Dec.1 and Dec. 7-8. Mr. Claus will hold court from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. each night in Santa’s Woodland Depot in the Train Garden.

Tickets must be purchased in advance for a specific night. The cost is $10, or $9 for Friends of the Arboretum members. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.Purchase tickets at artsandrec-op.org.

Joco issues new park and rec catalog

The next issue of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s activities catalog, covering programs and events offered from anuary and April, is now online at www.jcprd.com.

The print edition also is available this week in Johnson County Library branches, community centers, park district locations and some businesses.

Registration for the programs began Nov. 19.

Free Christmas programs at historic Edgerton school

The historic Lanesfield School in Edgerton will present a series of free, drop-in events reminiscent of Christmas in 1904.

At the Lanesfield School Country Christmas, visitors can write to Santa in pen and ink and find old fashioned stocking stuffers in the gift shop.

The sessions are scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. on these Fridays and Saturdays: Nov. 24 and 30, and Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29.

On Dec. 8, the Edgerton Rainbow Connection Children’s Choir will present a Christmas concert at 1:30 p.m. , followed by a visit from Santa, crafts and free refreshments.

The Lanesfield Historic Site is at 18745 S. Dillie Road.

Lenexa offers Citizens’ Police Academy

The Lenexa Police Department is taking applications for its next Citizens’ Police Academy, which run from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays from Jan. 8 through March 19.

The free course will take enrollees behind the scenes to see how the department operates. Topics include patrol procedures, criminal investigations, use of force, police dogs, drones and tactical operations. You’ll also take field trips to the Johnson County Jail and Crime Lab.

Participants must be at least 18 years old, live or work in Lenexa and have no significant criminal record. A criminal background check will be conducted on each participant.

Find more information on the police department page at lenexa.com. Click on Programs & Services.

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 8:49 PM with the headline "City Hall staying put in Leawood."