Remodels are common in Prairie Village. Here are the new limits to construction noise
All over Prairie Village, property owners are renovating houses built decades ago — or tearing them down and building anew. That means a lot of noise from backhoes, power saws and other tools.
Now, the city has set new regulations on when that construction can take place.
The rules, adopted Sept. 8 by the City Council, apply to private construction that’s loud enough to be heard beyond the property where the work is taking place. Different hours were set for summer compared to the rest of the year:
▪ May 15 through Sept. 15: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays excluding federal holidays; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays.
▪ Sept. 16 through May 14: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
According to City Administrator Wes Jordan, the noise was previously allowed as late as 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
The council rejected a proposal from Inga Selders to eliminate construction altogether on federal holidays so families can gather in peace. The main objection was that do-it-yourselfers would be deprived of a rare day off to work on household projects.
Selders said she hoped the new regulations would be a first step toward creating a “construction code of conduct” for the city.
While most contractors are respectful to neighbors, she said, some are not. She said the city has received complaints about the upkeep of construction areas and cited one property reportedly littered with trash, deceased animals and food waste — including bones — that attract rats. Crew members have blocked sidewalks, she said, and reacted rudely when neighbors bring up those issues.
“Our residents should never have to be put in these positions,” she said.
Motor vehicle offices closed on Mondays
As of Sept. 14, Johnson County’s two motor vehicle offices will be off limits to the public on Mondays so staffers can tend to a backlog of title applications.
The offices, at 6000 Lamar Ave. in Mission and 782 N. Ridgeview Road in Olathe, are where motorists can go to acquire or renew license tags and title their new vehicles.
Driver’s license offices are unaffected by the move.
The county began a new title drop-off service on April 20 in response to COVID-19, so motorists could complete transactions while minimizing contact with others. Two drop boxes were placed outside each office, and the online application and payment process was simplified.
Since then, more than 13,000 title applications have been dropped off, accounting for 30% of the applications received. Applications piled up while the offices were closed by COVID-19 for 33 days in the spring, the county said, so employees have been working overtime and weekends to process the backlog.
Staffers will answer residents’ questions by phone or email on Mondays but otherwise will devote the day to dropped-off and mailed-in transactions.
Overland Park says adios to 2 traffic signals
Hoping to reduce unnecessary delays for drivers, Overland Park is getting rid of two traffic signals on 91st Street between Nall and Metcalf avenues.
In about three months, the Glenwood Street intersection will have stop signs for drivers on Glenwood while those going east or west 91st can proceed unhindered. The Lamar Avenue intersection will convert to a temporary four-way stop and eventually will be rebuilt with a mini-roundabout.
In the meantime, as of Sept. 15, the signals are transitioning to flashing mode to achieve the same traffic patterns.
“Traffic volumes at both locations have decreased and no longer meet adopted standards for use of signals,” the city said in a news release.
Former Olathe teacher wins national award
Meg Richard, who taught science in Olathe before taking a state education post this year, has earned a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
The award program, administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, recognizes outstanding teachers in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and/or computer science.
Richard, who worked at Summit Trail and California Trail middle schools in Olathe, is one of two Kansas teachers honored this year. The other is from Columbus.
A higher profile for older adults
Johnson County Government is reorganizing to give more visibility to services for the county’s growing population of older adults.
The county’s Department of Human Services is now the Department of Aging and Human Services, thanks to action taken Sept. 3 by the county commission.
In addition, the department is jettisoning some services unrelated to aging. By the end of the year, the Planning, Development and Codes Department will take full responsibility for housing services and the administration of federal Community Development Block Grants. That move, the county said, consolidates the inspection and works with transit and planning operations.
Meanwhile, operations like nutrition and accessibility remain with the Department of Aging and Human Services.
“The name change reestablishes aging as an important, more visible role of the department,” said Commission Chairman Ed Eilert. “The need for aging services has and will continue to increase in Johnson County.”
In the last 10 years, the county said, the number of residents over 60 years of age grew by 45% to a total of 129,927. Another increase of 31% is expected by 2030.
Diversity task force in Prairie Village
Prairie Village has formed a diversity task force that will recommend strategies for attracting and retaining diverse residents in the city.
“In addition to racial diversity, that mission includes diversity of religion, sexual orientation, national origin and more,” Mayor Eric Mikkelson said in a news release. “Its broad policy scope includes housing and development policy, the arts, sustainability, affordability, events, policing, infrastructure, recruiting and hiring, funding, communication and more.”
Task force members are Mikkelson; city residents Etienne Clatanoff Orozco, Todd Harris, Jameelah Lang and Dennis Solis; NAACP representative Michael Shook; police representative Major Byron Roberson; Deputy City Administrator Jamie Robichaud, Planning Commission member Melissa Brown, and councilmembers Tucker Poling and Inga Selders.
The group’s first meeting will take place through Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22. It will be open to the public.
Olathe reopens Santa Fe Street
If you’ve been avoiding Olathe’s main drag because of construction, there’s good news: East Santa Fe Street is now open at Ridgeview Road.
Single lanes may close at times for the rest of the month, and during the project’s 16-week second phase, Ridgeview is closed from Spruce Street to Santa Fe and from Santa Fe south to Park Street.
Work began in early June to install new water lines, sanitary and storm sewers and traffic-related improvements along Santa Fe, including a new signal at Ridgeview.
Electronics recycling in Leawood
Leawood’s Town Center Plaza shopping center will host an electronics recycling event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 19. The event will take place in the north parking lot near Bravo Cucina Italiana.
People can drop off items like TVs, cellphones, gaming systems and appliances without leaving their vehicles. A fee is required for some items. For details, go to mrcrecycling.net.
Shawnee class on backyard chickens
Backyard chickens have been in the news recently, with Prairie Village now allowing them as long as home associations approve.
Shawnee, which allows such operations, will host a tutorial on backyard chickens on Sept. 26, covering topics like chicken behavior, feeding and health, coop needs and city regulations. Social distancing and masks are required.
The class, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Shawnee Civic Centre, costs $13. To register, call 913-631-5200 or access the event calendar at recreateshawnee.org.
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Remodels are common in Prairie Village. Here are the new limits to construction noise."