This YMCA building has outlived its usefulness. Join a forum to discuss what’s next
The YMCA of Greater Kansas City will hold a community forum on May 12 to discuss the Paul Henson Family YMCA in Prairie Village.
The Y building, which opened in 1965 at 79th and Delmar streets, has outlived its usefulness. YMCA officials have said they need outside support or a partnership to keep services going at that location.
“We want to hear from the community and have an open dialogue around the Y’s presence in Prairie Village,” said Mark Hulet, chief operating officer for the Y. “As a nonprofit, we are exploring sustainable solutions including partnerships and philanthropic support that would be the best use of available resources.”
After a pause during the coronavirus pandemic, the city of Prairie Village has reopened dialogue on building a community center that might be operated by the YMCA, but no decisions have been made.
The forum will take place at Meadowbrook Clubhouse, 9101 Nall Ave., from 6 to 7:30 p.m. May 12. YMCA members and the community are invited.
More SM school construction
The Shawnee Mission School District broke ground this spring on a new Pawnee Elementary School at 9501 W. 91st St.
The new school will include flexible learning space, a walking path and outdoor learning area and spacious classrooms featuring natural light.
The April 5 ceremony marked another milestone in the Shawnee Mission district’s quest to replace aging facilities. Pawnee is one of five elementary schools being rebuilt through a bond issue passed by voters in 2021. Construction began last year on the new Westwood View and John Diemer elementary schools. Rushton and Tomahawk schools are scheduled to get started in 2023.
An earlier bond issue helped finance the replacement of Brookwood, Crestview, Trailwood, Briarwood and Rhein Benninghoven elementary schools and the construction of a new school, Lenexa Hills Elementary.
Gardner cancels citywide cleanup
Gardner officials say it’s not feasible to hold a citywide cleanup this year.
The city said that in recent years, trash haulers have shown little interest in bidding on the bulky trash pickup. In addition, the cost per ton rose from $120 per ton in 2016 to $425 last year.
“Despite our efforts this year to bring those costs closer to the per ton bid price of $200 by increasing the number of items allowed per residence, we were unable to reach an agreement that aligned the financial interests of the city with those of the single bidder,” the city said in a news release.
“Therefore, after much discussion, the City Council determined it would not be fiscally responsible or a good use of taxpayer dollars to move forward with the cleanup.”
Council members asked the city staff to look for innovative ways to perhaps resume the service in the future.
The rising cost of bulky item pickup is not unique to Gardner. Both Overland Park and Shawnee in recent years have stopped the city-sponsored pickups. Instead, residents must now arrange pickups with their trash hauler, unless their homeowners’ association handles the task.
JoCo receives transit funds
Johnson County Transit has some of the $13.2 million in transit grants recently announced by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.
The money supports 48 transit projects, including $374,526 for electric-vehicle microtransit services and $382,500 technology improvements to RideKC, the Kansas City area regional transit system.
Senior services enhanced
Johnson County will hire a full-time information and assistance specialist to help older adults take advantage of the county’s assistance programs such as in-home and nutrition services.
County officials are using federal COVID-relief money to fund the position, as well as increased services for older adults. The grant, totaling more than $1.6 million through Sept. 20, 2024, also will be used for home-delivered and community meals, family caregiver support, disease prevention and health promotion, as well support services.
To request services or see if they qualify, Johnson County residents can call 913-715-8861 or visit jocogov.org/department/aging-and-human-services.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "This YMCA building has outlived its usefulness. Join a forum to discuss what’s next."
