TownTalk Mark your calendars
August 2014 • Issue 4
City Center gaining momentum
Tails on the Trails Pet Festival
Aug. 9, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Ad Astra Pool & Park Bring your furry friend for a day of learning and fun. Pet-friendly vendors and educational booths will be on hand all morning. And, don’t forget to let your pooch take a dip in the pool! Learn more at www.lenexa.com/tails.
The long-held vision of Lenexa City Center at 87th & Renner is beginning to emerge.
Lenexa Spinach Festival
Sept. 6, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park Celebrate all things spinach at this arts, crafts and food festival. Shop for a gift, cook a winning spinach recipe, or put your little one in the baby crawling contest. More information online at www.lenexa.com/spinach.
HOA board members meeting
Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 12350 W. 87th St. Board members of Lenexa Home Owner’s Associations are invited to attend this meeting, which will cover building permits and city communications. RSVPs are not required to attend.
Dumpster Weekends
Oct. 11 & 12, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., 7700 Cottonwood Residents may dispose of bulky trash items by bringing them to our Municipal Services Center. Fees will be collected per load, and for white goods, tires and TVs. As a reminder, large item pickup service must be scheduled through your trash hauler. More information is available at www.lenexa.com/towntalk.
Commercial Development Perceptive Software began moving its 800+ employees into their new headquarters in July. Additionally, a Saints Pub + Patio has signed a letter of intent to locate in the Renner89 building, and another fast casual restaurant is on the way. A local bakery plans to move into the ground floor of the B.E. Smith building. The construction activity just west of I-435 will be the future home of the Hyatt Place Hotel and Lenexa Conference Center, which is scheduled to open in approximately 18 months. Residential Development Several buildings at WaterCrest apartments are under construction. The first phase of more than 300 units is scheduled for completion this fall. The Domain at City Center, a 206-unit high-end apartment
building, will begin to take shape later this year. Lenexa Civic Center City staff and PGAV Architects continue to work on preliminary designs of the Civic Center while also pursuing potential civic partnerships. Public Improvements To accommodate this increased development, several public improvements are completed or underway at City Center. This includes the construction of 89th Street/Penrose Lane; improvements to Renner from 84th Street to 87th Street; and the recent completion of the 87th & Renner traffic signal truss. Creating an Identity Using the innovative branding service 99Designs, the Governing Body recently approved the new Lenexa City Center logo, which can be seen below.
TownTalk City budget maintains quality services
Support Lenexa Parks & Recreation
The Lenexa City Council is considering the 2015 Budget and 2015-2019 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which includes a total budget of $122.5 million. Lenexa will hold a public hearing for the proposed 2015 budget at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.lenexa.com/budget.
Citizens Police Academy accepting applications Several spaces still remain in the fall session of the popular Citizens Police Academy. The fall class of the CPA will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 10 through Nov. 19. The CPA is open to citizens who live or work in Lenexa, who are at least 18 years of age and who have no criminal record. Background checks will be conducted. Each week, participants will learn about the different aspects of the Lenexa Police Department and have interaction with many of the city’s officers. More information about the program and a link to apply are available on the city’s website at www.lenexa.com/towntalk.
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Add to the beauty of your favorite city park — and honor someone or something special — by making a gift to the Lenexa Parks and Recreation Department through its revamped donation program. Items that can be donated or adopted include benches, trees, flower beds, shelters, historical items, or other items to be placed on city property and maintained by the city. All tree and bench donations will be maintained or replaced by the city for 20 years. They include a bronze memorial plaque inscribed
with your customized message. Enjoy Lenexa’s many festivals and events throughout the year? Sponsors play an important role in covering the costs of hosting these major events. Lenexa offers a range of event-sponsorship opportunities with benefits to suit different needs. Have questions about event sponsorship or making a donation to Parks and Recreation? Visit www.lenexa.com/towntalk or call 913.477.7100 for more information.
Enjoy field and gymnasium improvements Two Lenexa recreation facilities received major face lifts this summer, and they’re ready for residents to enjoy. Community Center gym floor The newly installed floor at the Lenexa Community Center allows residents to have their choice of games, from basketball to volleyball and pickleball. The original floor, which was installed in 1982, reached the end of its lifecycle. The city replaced the floor with a multipurpose sports flooring product designed for safety and comfort. Freedom Fields Located at 83rd Street and Monticello Road, Lenexa’s Freedom
Fields Park has recently undergone renovations to improve residents’ experience while at the park. These include adding additional parking and an entry/exit from Woodsonia Street to improve access. The city also added sidewalks, bleacher pads, dugout pads, a new park entry sign, landscaping, stormwater structures and substantial grading on the south end of the park for soccer and other open area sports. The budget for this project was approximately $1.3 million, and work was funded through local dedicated parks funding, stormwater funding, and the 3/8-cent sales tax approved by voters.
Have a plan in case of emergency September is National Preparedness Month, and you can keep your family safe by being ready in any kind of emergency. Be Informed
Sign up for emergency alerts through NotifyJoCo, the countywide notification system made available to residents through a partnership between the City of Lenexa, Johnson County Government, WaterOne and other cities. Simply go to www. NotifyJoCo.org and register your contact information at up to five locations of your choice. (home, school, work, etc.) In the event of an emergency near one of those locations, you will be informed through your preferred contact method.
disaster situation – it lets you and your family members know where to go and how to contact each other if you get separated. Check out www.ready. gov/make-a-plan for a family-friendly planning checklist. Build a Kit A basic disaster supplies kit allows you to have the essential things you need immediately following an emergency. A kit can include items such as a supply of water, non-perishable food, first-aid supplies, a whistle, flashlight and tools, for starters. A starter list is available at www.ready.gov/kit.
Construction on the Johnson County Gateway Phase 2 Project will ramp up over the next two years in order to complete improvements to I-35/I-435/K-10 by the end of 2016. College Boulevard: Improvements are expected to be completed by late November. Workers have begun clearing and widening the road. Expect traffic delays in the area and short-term lane closures at the Ridgeview and Renner intersections. I-435 east of I-35: Construction has begun to widen westbound I-435 and replace pavement. Expect lane shifts and lanes splits throughout summer and fall. Eastbound I-435 construction begins in 2015.
Make a Plan Having a plan is crucial in a
Community Video Partnership keeps the city safe Video cameras are one of the best methods for detecting and apprehending criminals. Police regularly ask public organizations, businesses and individuals to share video camera footage that might aid crime-solving efforts.
Gateway highway project gains speed
able to see a map of nearby locations with cameras so they can quickly contact registered partners who may have captured footage related to the incident. We encourage businesses and residents to register with the Police Department any security cameras that view and record public areas in the city. Working together, we can make Lenexa a safer place to live and do business.
Lenexa’s Community Video Partnership program works on a voluntary basis with property owners who have private video security systems that record public areas — streets, sidewalks, parking lots, etc. Police who respond to COMMUNITY burglaries, assaults and VIDEO PARTNER other crimes will be
To learn more about the Lenexa Community Video Partnership program, go to www.lenexa.com/ towntalk.
K-10 & Ridgeview: Improvements are underway, including the initial build for a collector-distributor road on westbound K-10 to the Ridgeview exit ramp. K-10 & Renner: Crews will work in the area south of K-10 near Renner. Expect possible lane closures along eastbound K-10. Starting in late summer, bridge foundation work for eastbound K-10 to northbound I-435 will begin. Additional work may take place along I-435, requiring offpeak and overnight lane closures. Learn more about the project or sign up to receive customized traffic alerts at www.jocogateway.com.
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TownTalk
Lenexa Town Talk is published six times a year by the City of Lenexa for its residents. Please direct questions or comments to the Communications Division by e-mailing communications@lenexa.com.
12350 W. 87th Street Pkwy. Lenexa, KS 66215
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage P A I D Kansas City, MO Permit No. 32
City Administrator Eric Wade
Mayor Mike Boehm Council Members Ward 1 Joe Karlin Steve Lemons
Ward 3 Amy Slater Lou Serrone
Ward 2 Diane Linver Tom Nolte
Ward 4 Mandy Stuke Andy Huckaba
913.477.7500 • www.lenexa.com Lenexa is an equal housing community
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Community Improvement Districts assist in redevelopment Reinvesting in the community is an important part of maintaining a healthy city. And, while bringing new businesses into town is important for economic development, retaining those that are already here is just as important.
landscaping, a new irrigation system and a monument sign; repaving the parking lot; and painting and adding columns and tower features to enhance the development’s curb appeal. Bartalos said BRES plans to be complete with the improvements by mid-August. Future plans call for the addition of a pad site and That’s why the City of Lenexa Renovations at Greystone South Shopping Center in mid-July. moving the southeastern most has partnered with several building closer to the curb to better developers to use Community Developer Block Real Estate Services, utilize the parking within the center. Improvement Districts to reinvigorate LLC, is using a CID to bring new life to older parts of Lenexa. CIDs use public “The city was very helpful in working the retail center that has been a staple financing through a special assessment in Lenexa for many years. with us on our development plan,” or sales tax within the district to Bartalos said. “We are very happy with the purchase provide a public benefit, including of Greystone South,” said Kim Bartalos, Greystone isn’t the only area where strengthening economic development CIDs have been helpful in creating Vice President of Retail Leasing with and employment opportunities, increased economic development. BRES. “We saw the property as in reducing blight, and promoting CIDs have allowed development much need of a face lift, and the CID sustainability. at 95th & Quivira to flourish with allowed us to expand the opportunity One example is the Greystone South improvements to Orchard Corners on for improving the property.” shopping center on 87th Street the southwest corner and Quivira95 on Those improvements include installing Parkway between Quivira and Pflumm. the northwest corner.