Train noise on your nerves? Old Lenexa residents soon to catch a break
By the summer of 2021, people who live and work near Old Town Lenexa should be hearing less noise from passing trains.
That’s when — thanks to an extra infusion of city money — wayside horns will be installed at two BNSF Railway crossings: Pflumm Road and Noland Road.
“Noise from passing trains has long been an issue for the 1,200 residents and businesses who live within a half-mile of these crossings,” the city said in a news release.
While normal train whistles scatter sound over a wide area, the stationary wayside horns channel the sound so it can be heard by motorists approaching the crossing without sending so much noise into surrounding neighborhoods. The horns are less expensive than “quiet zones,” which the city says would cost more than $2 million.
After a successful test of the horns in May 2018, the city agreed to spend $350,000 for their installation. Contract negotiations proceeded for many months, and then BNSF notified the city in September that the cost would increase by about $190,000 because substantial upgrades would be needed on the aging track and equipment there. The city said BNSF refused the city’s request to split the extra cost.
On Oct. 6, the City Council agreed to cover the entire amount. Once contracts are finalized, the railroad is to complete its upgrades within 180 days. Then the city’s contractor will need about two weeks to install the horns.
During a 30-day break-in period, both the train and wayside horns will sound. After that, Old Town will be significantly quieter.
Farther north, the city of Merriam already has installed wayside horns at three BNSF crossings. The last one was activated in late 2017.
3 advance voting locations added
Johnson County voters have three more places to go to cast advance ballots in person before the Nov. 3 general election:
▪ The former American Girl store in Oak Park Mall, 95th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park.
▪ The Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd. in Overland Park.
▪ The Olathe Indian Creek Library at 16100 W. 135th St.
With the additions, the Johnson County Election Office has now established 10 locations for advance voting. The others:
▪ Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park.
▪ Hilltop Conference Center, 7700 W. 143rd St. in Overland Park.
▪ Johnson County Election Office, 2101 E. Kansas City Road in Olathe.
▪ Johnson County Northeast Offices, 6000 Lamar Ave. in Mission.
▪ Johnson County Sunset Office Building, 11811 S. Sunset Drive in Olathe.
▪ New Century Fieldhouse, 551 New Century Parkway in Gardner.
▪ Okun Fieldhouse, 20200 Johnson Drive in Shawnee.
“These expanded advance voting opportunities will help our voters stay safe and healthy during voting for the November election,” Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt said in a news release. “I would encourage all of our voters to vote early to avoid crowds and long lines on Election Day.”
Mail-in ballots also can be submitted at the advance voting sites. Go to jocoelection.org/advance-voting to learn when each location is open.
Prairie Creek earns Blue Ribbon honor
Prairie Creek Elementary in the Spring Hill School District is one of six Kansas schools to receive the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Schools designation for 2020.
The recognition, given by the U.S. Department of Education, is based on either a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
Prairie Creek, at 17077 W. 165th St. in Olathe, was recognized as an exemplary high-performing school.
Piper Elementary in Wyandotte County is the only other Kansas City area school recognized this year. It also is an exemplary high-performing school.
OP upgrades neighborhood street lights with LED
Overland Park is saving more than $154,000 on its yearly electric bill, now that crews have replaced all 6,122 residential street light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs.
Now, the city has begun the same switch with street lights on thoroughfares, completing about 10 miles a year.
The city said the LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are brighter, last longer and use less energy than the high pressure sodium bulbs they replaced. The city devoted about $353,000 in staff time to the project, according to the news release, or about half the cost of hiring a contractor.
Sean Ruis, the city’s supervisor of public works maintenance, said the price of LED bulbs have fallen since the city conceived the project — from about $90 initially to $69 when the project began four years ago to $36 today.
Before the project launched, Ruis said by email, electric street lighting costs had been going up more than 10% a year. With bulbs then costing $90 and yearly energy savings projected at $22.82 per bulb, the city figured the project would pay for itself within four years. The bulbs are guaranteed for five years.
Meanwhile, new development has added more than 400 residential street lights since 2016.
“Electrical street lighting costs in that time have gone down from a high in 2016 of $1.3 million to $1.16 million in 2019,” Ruis said.
Church leader honored
The Rev. Adam Hamilton, founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, has received the first Founder’s Civility Award given by American Public Square at Jewell.
“We believe Adam embodies the ideals of civility in every interaction and serves as a model for us all,” said Allan Katz, a former ambassador to Portugal and founder of American Public Square at Jewell.
The non-profit organization, affiliated with William Jewell College in Liberty, works to improve the tone and quality of public discourse.
Bike sharing begins in Lenexa
Lenexa has collaborated with BikeWalkKC to create a bike-sharing program that allows people to rent electric-assisted bicycles parked at various locations in the city.
The bikes will be available through Nov. 30 before being stored indoors through the winter. The rental locations are at Sar-Ko-Par Trails; Black Hoof, Central Green and Little Mill Creek parks; as well as Old Town Lenexa and the Lenexa civic campus west of the rec center. The program started Oct. 1.
Riders pay $1 to unlock a bike, plus 10 cents a minute. They should download the RideKC Bike app to get started.
Bike hubs are located at several Johnson County parks, too.
JCCC courses help COVID-affected workers
Johnson County Community College is offering more than 350 free workplace skills training courses for people who have been affected financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The courses, funded through the federal CARES Act passed in response to the pandemic, cover skills in health care, leadership, manufacturing, information technology, finance, project management and other areas. Students must complete their training by Dec. 30.
To view the qualified courses and apply, visit jccc.edu/CaresAct.
Dispose of old prescriptions
Oct. 24 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, when law enforcement agencies will accept expired or unneeded prescription drugs — no question asked — to reduce the chance that medicine will be stolen, abused or disposed of improperly.
The Leawood Police Department, for example, will accept drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Justice Center, 4201 Town Center Drive. Only pills and patches will be accepted, not liquids or needles.
For other area dropoff sites, go to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration site at deatakeback.com.
Olathe seeks snow removal volunteers
The city of Olathe is looking for volunteers to help elderly and disabled residents with snow removal this winter.
Olathe Snow Brigade volunteers will go to work 24 to 48 hours after snow accumulations of 2 inches or more. Anyone interested can call Linda Sheldon at 913-971-8566 or visit olatheks.org/residents/snow-removal-assistance to complete an application.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Train noise on your nerves? Old Lenexa residents soon to catch a break."