Libraries in Johnson County take steps toward reopening; Overland Park celebrates 60

The Johnson County Library, which serves the entire county, with the exception of Olathe, set a May 18 date for reopening its book drops at the Blue Valley, Lenexa City Center and Monticello branches only.

Starting May 26, the drive-thru windows will open at those three branches for patrons to pick up held materials. Go to jocolibrary.org to place a hold on that book you wish you could have read during the coronavirus stay-home order.

The Olathe Public Library was working on a phased plan to resume holds and checkouts by the end of May.

Overland Park turns 60

May 20 is the 60th anniversary of Overland Park, which didn’t become an incorporated city until 1960, when it was formed with land that other cities didn’t want.

But the community began much earlier, in 1905, when William B. Strang Jr. arrived in the area. Acknowledged as the city’s founder, Strang platted subdivisions, including one named “Overland Park,” along a military road southwest of Kansas City, the city said on its website. He also built an airfield and an interurban railway that made the then-rural area accessible to Kansas City residents.

Overland Park had just over 28,000 people at its birth in 1960 but has grown to more than 195,000, making it the second-largest city in Kansas behind Wichita. A small part of Overland Park juts north to the Johnson County line at 47th Street, and annexations have extended the southernmost boundary past 199th Street.

The city has planned a number of events in 2020 to mark the anniversary, including six summer park gatherings. A May 20 kickoff has been canceled. Check opkansas.org/op60 for the latest schedule in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Overland Park also is encouraging residents to plant trees, with a goal of adding 6,000 this year.

Elm tree lasted more than a century

Prairie Village has memorialized the long life of an American elm tree that likely began growing back in the 1880s in what’s now Bennett Park. It once was one of the largest elms in Kansas, the city said.

The tree died in 2018, and only the huge stump — with a circumference of more than 20 feet — remains in the playground area. Now the city has now installed signage to tell visitors about the beloved tree, as well as the local history highlights during its lifetime.

Bennett Park, at 77th Street and Rosewood Drive, is named for former Prairie Village Mayor Robert F. Bennett, who went on to become a Kansas governor.

Student testimonials lead to teacher awards

Johnson County can claim two of the three high school teachers being recognized by the University of Kansas with the 2020 Wolfe Family Teaching Award.

Nominations for the Wolfe awards are submitted by KU seniors, and the winners can be from anywhere in the world. The Johnson County winners:

▪ Steven Appier of Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village. He was nominated by Eleanor Stewart-Jones, who took Appier’s Advanced Placement chemistry class as a junior.

“I often felt like his class was impossible,” she wrote in her nomination. “However, Mr. Appier’s high expectations were matched by his level of dedication to his students and personal belief in our ability to succeed. He taught me that science is not a single class or field, but rather a tool to understand the natural world.”

▪ Neal Doolin of Blue Valley Southwest High School in Overland Park, who was nominated by Faith Meier. In addition to taking AP calculus from Doolin, Meier worked with him on activities like the e-sports club and Hoops for Hope.

“He can see when a student is struggling, whether academically or mentally, and he takes the initiative to reach out to them,” she wrote. “The compassionate and supportive way that Mr. Doolin led that (calculus) class allowed us to slowly start to be OK with struggling, and I learned what it felt like to have to work very hard for an A. He made school fun, even when it was more difficult than it had ever been.”

The third award went to Anna Maki-Birchler, a Spanish teacher at Staley High School in the Northland.

Recipients receive $3,000, and their high schools each receive $1,000.

Leawood cancels summer musical

The Leawood Stage Company and the city of Leawood have canceled “The Drowsy Chaperone,” the summer musical that had been scheduled to run in July.

The company’s spring production of “Civil War” also fell victim to the new coronavirus, but organizers hope to secure the rights to both shows for 2021.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” remains on the schedule for October, in hopes that social gatherings can resume by then.

Olathe now accepting hazardous waste

Olathe reopened its Household Hazardous Waste Facility on May 13, with additional safety features to protect staff and the public from the new coronavirus.

The facility, which will keep its regular business hours Wednesdays through Saturdays, is available by appointment only. Customers must remain in their vehicles while staff members retrieve the items being discarded.

To make an appointment, visit OlatheKS.org/HHW or call 913-971-9311. The facility, at 1420 S. Robinson Drive, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first, third and fourth Saturdays of the month. The second-Saturday dropoff events are canceled until further notice.

The facility is open to anyone in Johnson County, but only Olathe residents can recycle electronic waste there. There is no cost to dispose of household hazardous waste, which includes paint, thinners, motor oil, antifreeze and many cleaning products.

Indian Hills journalists honored

Indian Hills Middle School student Nora Hill has won the 2020 Mary Patrick Aspiring Journalist Award from the Kansas Scholastic Press Association. She is a copy editor for the online and print versions of the Knightly News.

The runner-up was her classmate, Ashlyn Haley, also a copy editor for the Knightly News. Their adviser at the Prairie Village school is Rachel Basden.

The award, named for a longtime Maize South Middle School adviser, encourages junior high or middle school students from Kansas to continue with journalistic studies in high school.

Nora’s prize includes a scholarship to a Kansas summer journalism workshop before she graduates from high school. She also qualifies for the national competition.

Library book sale returns online

After a hiatus imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Friends of Johnson County Library group has resumed online sales of donated books and digital materials, as well as items culled from library shelves. Later this year, the group plans to phase in its bookstores and accept donations again.

For the online sales, the group is using a service that immediately posts items to top internet sales platforms like eBay, Amazon and ABE Books. Shoppers should visit jocolibrary.org/support/friends-book-sales to get started.

Proceeds benefit the library system.

“We’ll normally gross about $125,000 from online alone, and send books to countries around the world,” Friends manager Shanta Dickerson said in a news release. “We’re eager to get back to work providing high-quality, low-cost reading material to our customers and members.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Libraries in Johnson County take steps toward reopening; Overland Park celebrates 60."