SPRING/SUMMER ’19
A COMMUNITY GUIDE
eudora stone
strong Finding Our Foundations
promises k e p t
Funds Making Community Dreams Possible
Eudora Schools
FOUNDATION Wants You to Be Principal for a (Half) Day
Above: Concept renderings of future Downtown Eudora and Eudora parks redevelopments from Rockhill and Associates.
D I SCOVE R
EUDORA a community guide.
SPRING/SUMMER ’19
Discover Eudora is an official publication of the City of Eudora and the Eudora School District with editorial, design and advertising placement provided by Sunflower Publishing.
City Liaison Leslie Herring Editor Nathan Pettengill Art Director Alex Tatro Advertising Ariele Erwine Copy Editor Leslie Andres Photographers Jason Dailey Cindy Higgins Nick Krug Racheal Major Writers Fally Afani Melinda Briscoe Thaddeus Haverkamp Cindy Higgins Nathan Pettengill
cityofeudoraks.gov Mayor Tim Reazin City Manager Barack Matite School District Superintendent Steve Splichal
sunflowerpub.com Director: Bob Cucciniello Production Manager: Jenni Leiste All material and photographs copyright Sunflower Publishing, 2019. For editorial queries: Nathan Pettengill (785) 832-7287 npettengill@sunflowerpub.com
dear readers. Welcome to the spring and summer edition of Discover Eudora magazine! We call Eudora “a place to grow,” and in these pages we hope to share some of the reasons we believe this to be true, such as our rich history, our successful and innovative school system and our growing parks and recreation system—all open to the entire community. This spring and summer edition also includes a listing of places to eat and shop, community event highlights, a list of essential contact information and a new pull-out map section to use or share with your visitors. Thank you for welcoming us into your home. We look forward to returning in September with our fall and winter edition. Until then, we will see you on the trails, in the parks and around town during these warm months.
Best wishes, The Discover Eudora team SPRING/SUMMER ’19
A COMMUNITY GUIDE
on the cover. Miguel Raymundo Bruno of Charritos Plaza stands in his restaurant. Photograph by Nick Krug.
For advertising queries: Ariele Erwine (785) 832-7236 aerwine@sunflowerpub.com eudora stone
strong Finding Our Foundations
cityofeudoraks.gov
promises k e p t
Funds Making Community Dreams Possible
Eudora Schools
FOUNDATION Wants You to Be Principal for a (Half) Day
contents. Table of
departments.
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6
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Charritos Plaza
9
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Places to Visit
10
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Calendar of Events
16
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Eudora Map
18
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Quick Guide
features. 12
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Eudora Stone Strong Local limestone—and the knowledge of working with it—sets the city’s foundations for growth
20
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How History Finds Its Story The Eudora Community Museum prepares for a major revamp of its collection and the introduction of a core exhibit
25
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Planting a Seed A Principal partnership gets Eudora students looking to the future
28
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The Fun Part As funds from a 2015-approved sales tax initiative begin to be tapped, city officials and parks and recreation department staff enact a series of needed repairs and big ideas for raising the community’s quality of life
20
25
28
New Look, New Hours, Same Great Service!
Sales
Service Installation Commercial & Residential
F a s t
Q u a l i t y
104 W 20th Suite 1
High Efficency Systems Free Estimates
s e r v i c e
Eudora, Kansas 66025
785-542-2707
New Lawrence Clinic Location Coming Summer 2019!
Terrance P. Riordan, MD Beth Rundquist, MD Marshall D. Kelley, MD Waco Goodnight, MD 346 MAINE ST., LAWRENCE, KS 66044 WWW.PANDAPEDS.COM 785-842-4477 | @pandapeds
23rd & Louisiana | Lawrence, Kansas | checkersfoods.com Like us on Facebook @CheckersFoods!
Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
charritos
plaza
A restaurant family finds a welcome reception with residents and commuters in central Eudora story by Melinda Briscoe | photography by Nick Krug
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Spring/Summer ’19 | Discover Eudora
cityofeudoraks.gov
A
fter getting off work, Michelle Baumann decides she has a hankering for her favorite meal. “Nachos!” she says with a hungry grin. Baumann lives in Eudora but works in Lawrence and has many different options along her commute home, but she says the meal at Charritos Plaza is worth the wait. “I love how I can call in a carry-out order five minutes ahead of time and it is ready and waiting for me by the time I get here,” says Baumann. “It is so convenient and the food is so fresh and hot.” When Charritos Plaza opened over two and a half years ago on the corner of Tenth and Locust streets, it knew it would have to buck a trend. Over time, several businesses had tried their luck at one of the town’s most visible crossroads—and failed. But Charritos Plaza had a strong advantage coming into Eudora. Manager Miguel Raymundo Bruno comes from a family of restaurant owners and could draw on their experience of operating a
successful venue by the same name in Kansas City, so Charritos came into the market with a good idea about which types of dishes would be popular.
It is so convenient and the food is so fresh and hot.
Some of the Charritos specialties include the molcajete, a dish of grilled chicken, beef, shrimp, chorizo, green onion, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo served in a huge stone bowl. The menu also lists a section of dishes called “big enough for two”
and includes several children’s dishes. For adults, there are the 99-cent fullsize margarita specials on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The tried-and-true menu has proven a hit with locals such as Tyler Phillips, who says his favorite time to check in is on Tuesdays for Dollar Taco Night. “I come here pretty often, though, throughout the week. My favorite is the Kansas Burrito.” With him at the restaurant that day is his buddy Cody Dale, also a frequent guest. “Yes, the burritos are amazing, but so is the service. Every time I come in here, everyone is so chipper. That is definitely something that keeps me coming back.” Tonganoxie resident Stephanie Lang and her kids say they like the restaurant because “It’s a great family place” and that the staff is attentive even during rush times. “My 13-year old loves eating here and so do my 8- and 10-year olds,” says Lang. “Charritos has more to choose from and that makes it easier on me when I decide where we’re going for dinner.”
527 Main, Eudora, KS 66025
C-HAWKK We Rent Houses & Townhomes In Eudora And Surrounding Communities. We Also Buy Land And Houses. Visit Us At www.chawkk.com Alvis Shelton 785-766-2325
Call Us Today!
Clint Shelton 785-766-4629
• Theme-based preschool curriculum • Before and after school care • Transportation provided to and from Eudora Elementary School
Serving Northeast Kansas for over 30 Years!
• Stretch-n-Grow early childhood physical education program • Music classes by a board-certified music therapist
Open 7am to 6pm, Monday-Friday
Ages 2-12
Holy Family Catholic Church 409 E 8th St. Eudora | HolyFamilyEudora.com | 785.542.2788
Lent and Holy Week Services
1904 Elm St., Eudora, KS 66025
785-542-1296 www.PyramidPlace.com
Ash Wednesday 7AM & 7PM Reconcilliation Wed. 630PM - 730PM Holy Thursday 7PM Good Friday Stations 330PM Good Friday Service 7PM Easter Vigil 830PM Easter Sunday 930AM
Other Services Weekend Mass Sat. 5PM & Sun. 930AM Daily Mass M/W/F 9AM & T/Th 7AM Sacrament of Reconcilliation Sat. 330 PM Vacation Bible School June 10 - 13 For more information and to register, visit our website
E u d o ra
places to visit. BLUEJACKET CROSSING VINEYARD AND WINERY
Award-winning local wine 1969 N. 1250 Rd. 785.542.1764
CHARRITOS PLAZA Mexican cuisine 202 E. 10 St. 785.615.5095
CLEARFIELD FARMHAUS Working farm and shop 2222 N 600 Rd. 816.682.9330
COUNTRY ROAD FARMS Family farm goods 991 E 2400 Rd. 785.615.1290
COUNTRY SPA AND GARDENS
Rural rejuvenation 2152 N. 700 Rd. 785.883.4944
D-DUBS
Sports bar 10 W. 9 St. 785.690.7212
DAVENPORT ORCHARDS AND WINERY
Award-winning local wine 1394 E. 1900 Rd. 785.542.2278
DAIRY QUEEN
Long live the Dilly Bar 1502 Church St. 785.542.5050
EUDORA COMMUNITY MUSEUM Sharing our past 720 Main St. 785.690.7900
EUDORA PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks, pools, fitness and sports 1630 Elm St. 785.542.1725
EUDORA TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY
Books, movies and more 14 E. 9 St. 785.542.2496
EUDORA YOGA CENTER
Beginners and advanced 706 Main St. 785.550.5928
GAMBINO’S PIZZA
Slices and toppings 1402 Church St. Suite D 785.542.2727
GENE’S HEARTLAND FOODS Town grocer 1402 Church St. 785.542.2727
HIS HANDS CLOTHING CLOSET
SONIC DRIVE-IN
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Customized sandwiches 318 E. 15 St. 785.542.2626
Nonprofit thrift store 736 B Main St. 785.690.7220
Live music concerts 706 B Main St. (Hammert Building) 785.218.2422
JASMIN RESTAURANT Chinese and Mexican 719 Main St. 785.542.1111
KAW RIVER ACCESS POINT
Launch the kayaks! 500 Main St. kansasriver.org
THE LODGE ON MAIN
Performance and event space 726 Main St. 785.917.0036
LULU’S BAKERY
Pastries and sweets 1004 Locust St. 785.393.1907
QUILTING BITS AND PIECES
Supplies and expertise 736 Main St. 785.542.2080
Full Service Urgent Care in Lawrence, KS See a physician 7 days a week without an appointment URGENT CARE
X-RAY & LABS
SUBWAY
SUNFLOWER STATE DANCE
Classes and concerts 104 E. 20 St. #4 785.690.7200
SWEET ACRES INN Bed and breakfast 103 E. 7 St. 785.542.2466
TWILL TRADE BOUTIQUE Women’s clothing 704 Main St. 785.363.0008
TWIN OAKS GOLF COMPLEX Tee time 1326 E. 1900 Rd. 785.542.2844
WAKARUSA BREWERY Beer, mead and eats 710 Main St. 913.256.5119
ZEB’S COFFEEHOUSE Brewed for you 724 Main St. 785.542.0103
Always physician staffed for over 20 years. Locally owned and operated.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
(785) 838-1500 3511 Clinton Pl, Lawrence, KS 66047 promptcareks.com HOURS: Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm
Car-hop meals 1420 Church St. 785.542.1799
•
Sat & Sun 11am - 4pm
Dr. Michael Geist
Dr. Darin Elo
Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
events. Calendar of
We want your dog to be on our calendar page! Send an email with a photo of your dog and the subject line “Eudora Calendar Dog” to atatro@sunflowerpub.com by July 4 for consideration.
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MAY
10
Senior Potluck and Lecture Series Second Friday of each month hammertbuilding.org/eudoraseniorcenter
11 15
Last Day of Classes for Eudora Schools eudoraschools.org
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Eudora Area Historical Society Community Program cityofeudoraks.gov/100/Eudora-CommunityMuseum JUNE CPA Picnic 119th annual community celebration and fair facebook.com/eudoracpa
10
30
Eudora Paddle Trip Friends of the Kaw hosts a Eudora community river excursion from Eudora to De Soto; kayaks and canoes provided kansasriver.org
Eudora High School Graduation eudoraschools.org
20–22
Putt for the Parks Golf tournament for parks and recreation programs eudorarecfoundation.org
AUGUST
1–3
Douglas County Fair continues Fair concludes with amusement rides, concerts, demolition derby and more dgcountyfair.com
14
First Half-Day of School for Grades 1–9 eudoraschools.org
15
JULY
4
First Full Day of School for Grades 1–12 eudoraschools.org
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First Half-Day of School for Kindergarten Students eudoraschools.org
Fourth of July Community gathering and fireworks eudoraparksandrec.org
Eudora Area Historical Society Community Program cityofeudoraks.gov/100/Eudora-CommunityMuseum
20–31
19 19
First Day of Class for Preschool Students eudoraschools.org
Douglas County Fair starts Opens with cat, dog and horse shows plus pie contest, battle of the bands and additional events dgcountyfair.com
For a full and updated calendar of events, go online at eudoraevents.com, eudoraschools.org, eudorapubliclibrary.org and eudoraparksandrec.org
22
First Full Day of School for Kindergarten Students eudoraschools.org
Restoring
We’ve Relationships Got with God You Covered. Honestly. Sundays | 10:30 a.m.
Eudora Middle School
Gregg Davidson Owner of Mesler Roofing & Exteriors
High Quality Service and Products Meeting Address: 2635 Church St, Eudora, KS 66025 (785) 917-2263 | www.refugecc.us
ROOFING / ROOFING REPAIRS / SIDING / WINDOWS DOORS / PAINTING / GUTTERS / INSULATION / DECKS
WWW.MESLEREXTERIORS.COM / 785.749.0462 Now enrolling children ages 1 - 5 years old Open M-F from 7:30am - 5:30pm Starting June 3rd we will be opening at 7:00am Full Time and Part Time options available Contact us to learn about our enrollment specials
Parkwood Day School at Eudora United Methodist Church 2084 N 1300 Rd Eudora, KS 66025 parkwoodeudora@gmail.com • parkwooddayschool.org • 785-542-2515 High Scope Curriculum Supports Active Learners • DCF Approved Provider
Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
eudora
cityofeudoraks.gov
stone strong Local limestone—and the knowledge of working with it—sets the city’s foundations for growth story and photography by Cindy Higgins
12
ABOVE: A historic Eudora limestone structure stands in the 500 block of Main St.
Spring/Summer ’19 | Discover Eudora
cityofeudoraks.gov
A
s Eudora took shape in the mid-to late 1800s, new residents looked to readily available materials to set up their homes, places of business and public structures. Eudora’s first permanent buildings were made of lumber hauled from nearby cities and freighted in by rail. If the lumber wasn’t construction ready, then it was processed at a sawmill by the Wakarusa River. The lumber was often gathered at Charles Lothholz’s lumberyard. Built in 1868 and located at what is now the corner of Sixth and Oak streets, this lumberyard is reported to have held 60 train carloads of lumber, allowing builders to work with a variety of wood, and pick up cement, lime, plaster, paint, glass and other construction supplies. Founded around the same time as Lothholz’s lumberyard, George Stadler’s brickyard began producing for homes and buildings in Eudora. It was located south of what is now Fifth Street, along the Wakarusa between Church Street and Ash Street, and continued to operate for some 50 years. But among all these materials, local stone—both as individual surface stones or quarried blocks—emerged as one of the most readily available and reliable options. Enduring and often less expensive than brick or lumber, the area’s locally mined limestone and sandstone still can be seen in area houses, downtown buildings, retaining walls, churches, former one-room schools, and farm buildings.
[T]he area’s locally mined limestone and sandstone still can be seen in area houses, downtown buildings, retaining walls, churches, former one-room schools, and farm buildings. The prominence of stone construction is reflected in the number of stone masons listed in early census records. Mathias Riddle, Jacob Pfeiffer, Casper Weber, Franz Blechel, Frank Schaeffer, Ferdinand Weichseldorfer, and George Amend were just some of the masons in the city’s first three decades. These artisans used hand tools and their strong backs to cut and arrange the rock, which had often been blasted. The masons were able to rely on quarries nearby (Johnson County alone held 64 quarries in 1874) as well as local supplies. The Eudora Weekly News of April 12, 1907, advertised 9 lots in what is now between Sixth and Eighth streets, three blocks west of Main Street, as the “best stone quarry in Eudora.” Several of the town’s early stone buildings no longer stand, mostly victims of reconstructions and razings rather than ravages of time, but others continue to be a vital part of the town as well as a reminder of the initial expansive period of Eudora’s history when the prairie became a town.
13
Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
Stone Structures: Some Lost, Some Standing Stone buildings that no longer exist include the Bartusch Brewery east of downtown on the railroad tracks; Bismarck Hotel, 6 W. Sixth Street; the 1866, a 24’ by 40’, two-story stone school between Seventh Street and Sixth Street on the east side of Church Street; and several rural schoolhouses, such as the 1864 Roscoe School, five miles south of Eudora; 1865 Blue Mound School; and 1881 Fall Leaf School.
Razed • Bartusch Brewery (stood east of present downtown area, at confluence of Wakarusa and Kansas rivers, near railroad tracks; railroad officials demolished this in the 1980s) • Bismarck Hotel (stood at 6 W. Sixth Street, razed circa 1980s) • The 1866 (a two-story stone school on the east side of Church Street between Seventh and Sixth streets) • Rural schoolhouses (several, such as the 1864 Roscoe school south of Eudora, the 1865 Blue Mound School and the 1881 Fall Leaf School)
Standing • 10th Street and Cherry Street (Stands in a backyard of a home and believed to be one of the town’s earlier stone structures.) • 530 Main (Stands in a parking lot of the former elevator, by railroad tracks in downtown Eudora. This is an example of rubble stone bound by mortar. Masons installed cut or rubble stone with mortar, a paste made from a mixture of sand, a binder and water.) • Former smokehouse on family residence and now part of cemetery (This building is now used as a prayer chapel in Holy Family Catholic Cemetery.) • IOOF Lodge (This 19th century, mostly brick building is downtown at 711 Main and has a stone wall.) • 720 Main (Built in 1883 and now Eudora Community Museum, this is the north exterior wall.) • Pilla Building (701-703 Main was built as a general store of brick and stone. ) • 619 Main Street Terrace (Sometimes the stone structure is covered over in a property, such the house at 739 Locust Street built in early 1860s, and here at 619 Main Street Terrace, once an 1860s grocery and now a residence with foot-thick stone walls.) • Holy Family Church and 710 Church (Sandstone for the original 20’ by 40’ Holy Family Church at the southeast corner of Church Street and Ninth Street came from a church member’s quarry east of Eudora. Fellow parishioners blasted and quarried enough stone to build the 1864 church that has stone dressing similar to a house built around the same time at 710 Church.)
TOP: Eudora’s Bartusch Brewery prior to demolition ABOVE: Razing of Bismarck Hotel
DeSoto GroominG & BoardinG
Dr. Matthew vandervelde
Vidan Dental
G E R A L D
W .
V I D A N ,
103 W. 1 0 th St. E u d or a, K S 66025
|
D D S
785- 542- 29 9 3
(913) 585-1115
3 3 9 0 0 L e x i n gto n Av e D e S oto , K A n S A S
Tear out pages 15-18 and explore Eudora!
I-70 6.5 Miles
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Maple St
Oak St
Wastewater & Water Treatment Plant
7th St
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3
Main St
Acorn St
N 1420 Rd 8th St
Lawrence 10 Minutes
Main St
N 1380 St 22
12th St
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10
13th St
Acorn St
Walnut St
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Fir St
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14th St Ce da rS t
City Hall (City Commission, City Clerk & Billing) City Manager’s Office US Post Office N 1369 St Building Codes Office Public Safety Building Public Works Department Eudora Public Library Holy Family Catholic Cemetery Greenbrier Dr G Eudora City Cemetery Eudora School District Office W 13th Ln Eudora Elementary School Eudora Middle School Eudora High School Bluejacket Park Pilla Park CPA Park Abraham Still Park Paschal Fish Park Lucy Kaegi Park Asher Cohn Park West Sports Complex Disc Golf Course (9 hole) Wakarusa River Boat Ramp Kerr Field East Sports Complex Eudora Community Center Babe Ruth Field Original City Cemetery 30 Charles Pilla House Beni Israel Cemetery Eudora Commuity Museum
Winchester St
16
11th St Oak St
Historical Places
Recreation
Spruce St
r sa Rive Wakaru Parks
Schools
Cherry St
Community
W 10th
Winchester St
What & Where
Oak St
Fir St
Old K-10
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N 1420 Rd 9
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Peach St
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Kansas City 35 Minutes Cardinal Dr
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Tallgrass Dr
13th St
13th St
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14th St
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E 14th Terrace
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Elm St 26 19
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W 26th St S Fir St
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Church St/E 2200 Rd
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Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
QUICK GUIDE Resource
Website
Telephone
Emergency & Medical
911
Kansas Poison Control
(800) 222-1222
Lawrence Memorial Hospital
lmh.org
(785) 505-5000
kcsdv.org
(888) 363-2287
accesskansas.org/kbi
(800) 572-7463
srs.ks.gov
(800) 922-5330
Kansas Crisis Hotline Tip Hotline (Kansas Bureau of Investigation) Child Abuse Hotline
City Services City Offices Fire & Medical Department Police Department
cityofeudoraks.gov
cityofeudoraks.gov/67/Fire
(785) 542-2153 (785) 542-3653
cityofeudoraks.gov/77/Police
(785) 542-3121
Utility Services
cityofeudoraks.gov/78/Public-Works
(785) 542-2153
Municipal Court
cityofeudoraks.gov/75/Municipal-Court
(785) 542-4113
Animal Control
cityofeudoraks.gov/92/Animal-Control
(785) 542-3121
cityofeudoraks.gov/65/Building-Planning-Zoning
(785) 542-3124
atmosenergy.com
(888) 286-6700
eudoraparksandrec.org
(785) 542-1725
Building, Planning & Zoning Atmos (Gas) Parks and Recreation Department
Douglas County Services Douglas County Douglas County Sheriff
douglas-county.com dgso.org/web/index.php
(785) 841-0007
lawrenceks.org/fire-medical
(785) 832-5259
ldchealth.org
(785) 843-3060
douglascountyks.org/depts/youth-services
(785) 331-1300
Douglas County CASA
dccasa.org
(785) 832-5172
Cottonwood Inc.
cwood.org
(785) 842-0550
bertnash.org
(785) 843-9192
Eudora Chamber of Commerce
eudorakschamber.com
(785) 542-1212
Eudora Public Library
eudorapubliclibrary.org
(785) 542-2496
cityofeudoraks.gov/100/Eudora-Community-Museum
(785) 690-7900
eudoraevents.com
(785) 542-2153
eudoraschools.org
(785) 542-4910
Douglas County Fire & Medical Douglas County Health Department Douglas County Youth Services
Bert Nash Community Health Center
Living in Eudora
Eudora Area Historical Society Eudora CVB
Public Schools Eudora School District
18
EUDORA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
WE ARE THE HOME OF
- Harvesters Food Distribution - Family Promise - Days 4 Girls - Scout Meetings - Bell Choir - Parkwood Day School
COME JOIN US
- 9am Worship - 10am Sunday School and Fellowship Time
CAREN ROWLAND Eudora Realtor for over 25 years 785-979-1243 caren@askmcgrew.com 1402 Church St. Suite E, Eudora, KS 66025
785-542-3200 | www.eudoraumc.org 2084 N. 1300 Road Eudora, KS 66025
1415 Maple Eudora, KS 66025
(785) 542-2176
Come see us for: • Skilled Nursing
(physical/occupational/speech therapy, diabetic care, oxygen therapy/treatments, wound care/therapy, parenteral iv fluids/ medication, and nutrition via feeding tubes)
• Long-term Care • Respite Care • Adult Day Care • Hospice Care Marvin came to us after spending an extended period of time in the hospital. He was weak and in a lot of pain. Prior to the hospital, Marvin was active and walked independently. After at least 2 hours of Physical and Occupational Therapy a day for weeks, he went from needing total care to being back to walking, being pain free, and taking care of himself independently.
story by Thaddeus Haverkamp | story by Racheal Major
How
history
finds its story The Eudora Community Museum prepares for a major revamp of its collection and the introduction of a core exhibit
ABOVE: Eudora Community Museum director Ben Terwilliger stands in the current exhibition space at 720 Main St.
cityofeudoraks.gov
Spring/Summer ’19 | Discover Eudora
B
en Terwilliger started at the Eudora Community Museum as the organization’s first paid employee, an intern completing his degree in museum studies at the University of Kansas. Now the museum’s executive director, Terwilliger has been with the organization for nearly a decade. “I only expected to be here for a few months,” Terwilliger recalls. “Here I am, eight years later and I’ve really enjoyed every second of it.” Olathe native Terwilliger always had an interest in history. After he got his BA in liberal arts and sciences, with majors in history and political science, he decided he wanted a career in public history, “which is essentially a career as a museum professional,” he notes. While still a student, Ben heard about an internship at the Eudora Area Historical Society from one of his professors. “I had never heard of the EAHS before,” Terwilliger recalls, “but the position intrigued me.” The Eudora Area Historical Society started in 1980, but the museum has only been in existence since 2004. It was originally housed in vacated school buildings, such as the old middle-school building. The museum occupied that space rent-free, but the building was in disrepair and the school district wanted to redevelop the property. Quickly, Terwilliger realized they needed to find a more permanent solution. In 2011, the same year Terwilliger became executive director, he met Pam Staab, who offered the society her space at 720 Main St. It was a building that had been in her family for almost 100 years and happens to be one of the oldest commercial buildings in the city of Eudora. After accepting Staab’s generous offer, the museum began rehabbing the building in 2013 and relocated there in 2015. For now, the building allows for a homey, cluttered and inclusive space. A small scale model of a sulfuric acid concentrating plant sits next to an 19th-century, goldupholstered settee. A collection of souvenir ink pens, an
“We are thinking about what are the main stories we are trying to tell.”
208 W. 20th Street | Eudora, KS 66025 785-542-5152 www.wolffauto.com
Worship Sunday 10:15am throughout Groups Sunday 9:00am and the week
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525 W 20th Street, Eudora, KS 66025 (785) 542-2734 eudorabaptist.church | eudorabc@gmail.com
Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
What Is a Valuable Artifact? All museums face choices on what items to keep, what items to absorb into their collections, what items to cull and what items to kindly decline. If these standards were not applied, then there would be no difference between a museum and a mystery storage bin. For professional museum curators such as Ben Terwilliger of the Eudora Community Museum, finding that line between “stuff” and “artifact” means establishing and following a set collections policy. All potential donations and acquisitions for the Eudora Community Museum are evaluated in regard to a five-page document outlining the museum’s collection criteria. To sum up, though, the standards are fairly simple: 1. The item must relate directly to the history of the Eudora area. Good examples of this would be the “crown jewels” of the exhibit, such as the only extant tintype photograph of Eudora Fish (for whom the town is named after) or the actual deed to the land granted to the community by Eudora’s father, Paschal Fish. 2. It must be something the museum does not already have. 3. Finally, it must be in acceptable shape. Sadly, for all of the 19th-century Dragoon buttons, Native American pottery shards and artifacts left from the Oregon trail, there are some things that may get left behind when the exhibit gets its revamp, such as one sad, little taxidermied armadillo that doesn’t quite fit the narrative. Is it an awesome armadillo? Absolutely! Does it encompass the history of the community? Sadly, no. Of course, there are nuances and exceptions to the policy, but the concept of “unique artifact + story = historical item” has shaped—and will continue to shape—the inventory of Eudora Community Museum. “When I first started it was basically two rooms full of … stuff,” Terwilliger says, “disorganized stuff. Without the story, without the context, this is just stuff. You have to have the story to make it really valuable.”
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antique telephone and a telephone pole studded with nails all make up the main exhibit. But with a permanent location, Terwilliger’s biggest job has become revamping the museum’s core exhibit. A “core exhibit,” according to Terwilliger, is, “the defining exhibit of any museum. In our case, it would be the story of Eudora.” “Right now we are in the process of coming up with the stories for that core exhibit. We are thinking about the main stories we are trying to tell.” For a museum, stories typically spring from display items. The Eudora Historical Museum’s items are a vast collection of artifacts—all donated—assembled over the years. Terwilliger and his team (community volunteers and advisers from the faculty and staff of the KU museum studies department) are trying to work out what the important stories are and which artifacts serve to tell them. Once the stories are in place, Terwilliger and his team will comb through the artifacts and tailor their collection to fit the stories. Terwilliger plans to have the stories completed by the end of this year. The next, long step will be fundraising and grant-writing, but he has high hopes for his museum. From its humble beginnings in disused school houses to a donated storefront, the Eudora Community Museum will start doing what it was meant to do: tell a story.
ABOVE: Historic pharmaceutical containers are part of Eudora Community Museum’s current holdings, but the museum is evaluating each item for historic worth and ability to tell the story of Eudora. OPPOSITE: The museum’s model of the Sulfuric Acid Concentrating Plant that was par of the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant.
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Spring/Summer ’19 | Discover Eudora
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planting seed A
A Principal partnership gets Eudora students looking to the future
ABOVE: Eudora High School Principal Ron Abel meets with community leaders during the Principal for a (Half) Day event in February 2019. FOLLOWING PAGES: Community leaders hear from EHS students and staff members as part of their program.
Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
T
here’s a lot that can go on behind the walls of any school in Eudora. With students and staff buzzing about the hallway and the flurry of activity within those classrooms, a principal has a lot to oversee. Over at Eudora High School, Principal Ron Abel has quite a bit on his plate—everything from working with personnel to planning the future. But making sure the close-knit community surrounding the schools feels a genuine connection with what happens in those buildings has been at the top of the list. That’s one of the reasons that Eudora Schools Foundation started inviting various community and business leaders—anyone from journalists to politicians and healthcare professionals— into schools to spend a half-day shadowing the principals in their daily routines and experiencing what it’s like to be at the head of a school. The annual program is called, appropriately, Principal for a (Half) Day. “It’s an opportunity for community members to not just see what’s going on in our schools, but also see the facility in use, the equipment that’s made available to our students, and some of the unique opportunities we provide,” Abel says. “It’s a really great opportunity for the community to make a connection with our schools and with what’s going on in Eudora Schools.” This hands-on approach also allows participants to share experience from their roles in the community, positions that are affecting the post-graduation job markets that students will one day enter. Students at Eudora High Schools today participate in everything from top-notch technical programs to meetings with Kansas Supreme Court judges and healthcare professionals (such as chiropractors). The school makes sure the kids know about a multitude of career options, and the Principal for a (Half) Day program contributes to this goal. Shanda Hurla, executive director for Eudora Schools Foundation, says the encounters between principals, students and community members builds trust, transparency and a greater understanding of opportunities and needs in Eudora. “I think that one of the things that’s helpful for students to know is that community leaders and businesses are invested,” Hurla says. “We have had students from this experience who have been able to go and have informational
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interviews or able to volunteer. It opens their eyes to other opportunities.” For example, Hamm Construction has been hands-on in participating in the Principal for a (Half) Day program. “When you talk to them, they’re always wanting to have a strong workforce, so they have participated for several years,” Hurla says. “They know that planting these seeds now and having students out there, knowing them as a potential employer, having those relationships, is important.”
It’s a really great opportunity for the community to make a connection with our schools …
Beyond helping students think about their future employment, the schools also intend to create a dialogue with community leaders. “I want them to be thinking about the experience our staff has. I want them to have a good feeling on public education and its worth in our community,” Hurla says. “I truly believe that economic prosperity in our state depends on investing in our students. I want our guest principals to leave here and have that understanding that we believe in economic prosperity for our state, and investment for our students and our staff, and be thinking about support for public education.” One of those guest principals saw the value upfront. Captain Steven Buchholz of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has had three children pass through the schools in Eudora. But even with that experience, he was surprised to discover new programs in the high school. For example, he learned about a new program where students build an entire house. “I don’t think a lot of times, the community members see exactly what happens in the school, or they hear bits and pieces,” Buchholz says. “Many of the things that I saw, like visiting the house under construction, they’re learning a trade that will serve them for the rest of their lives.”
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Spring/Summer ’19 | Discover Eudora
Mostly, though, Buchholz was pleased by the camaraderie between the educators and students. “When we were talking to the kids, the kids talked highly of the staff,” he notes. “I would hope that people have a better understanding of what takes place in the schools, the hard work and dedication that goes into providing for our kids. There’s a lot of work that goes into making these programs happen, and Eudora Schools Foundation has done a fantastic job.” Seeing is believing, and reactions like this are exactly what the Foundation hopes to see. But even Hurla and the rest of the Foundation have learned something new in each of the three years that they’ve offered this program. Hurla says one guest said that the program allowed them to hold conversations with other leaders on the tour about the community, about schools and about living and working in Douglas County. After the tours and meetings, the half-day program ends with a luncheon cooked by students (another surprise for the guest principals) and a chance to reflect on the experience and on their ideas for improving and supporting public education. “Sometimes public education takes a bad hit,” says Hurla. “So to sit around a table and hear these community leaders say that they have faith in teachers, that they have faith in their students, that’s really uplifting.”
Beyond the Half-Day After the guest principals leave, the Eudora Schools Foundation keeps the connection going with opportunities throughout the year. In addition to extending invitations to a Foundation event in the Fall, the guest principals are also encouraged to participate in mock interviews with high school students. Additionally, guests who enjoyed their time as a half-day principal can participate again, but in different schools within the district.
Sign Up To learn about the next Principal for a (Half) Day opportunity, contact the Eudora Schools Foundation at 785.542.4910, ext. 1110.
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story by Nathan Pettengill | photography by Jason Dailey
fun The
part
As funds from a 2015-approved sales tax initiative begin to be tapped, city officials and parks and recreation department staff enact a series of needed repairs and big ideas for raising the community’s quality of life
Eudora Parks and Recreation Department Acting Director Jimmy Kegin is helping the city oversee expenditures of a levy dedicated to Eudora parks and recreation facilities and projects.
cityofeudoraks.gov
Spring/Summer ’19 | Discover Eudora
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immy Kegin remembers going into April 2015 and having no idea how Eudorans would vote on a citywide referendum to raise sales tax rates from 8.15 percent to 8.9 percent. Kegin, who was then the assistant director for Eudora’s parks and recreation program, knew what result he wanted since the funds from the tax incease would support and improve the city’s parks and recreation programs and facilities. But he understood that every dollar mattered to the families in his community—as it did to his family as well. “Any kind of tax is a hard sell,” says Kegin. “People’s automatic response is ‘No, no, no.’ And I get that.” But Eudorans backed the levy, leaving Kegin and city officials with a feeling of satisfaction as well as an obligation to ensure the money would be well spent. Four years later, Kegin is acting director of the city’s parks and recreation department, and part of his job entails working with city officials and the community to assess where that levy money is being spent and how it will be managed in the future. It is an ongoing discussion that involves tackling the no-frills nuts and bolts (as well as toilets and lighting fixtures) of public spaces, grappling with broader issues such as how to best provide for community health, and making educated guesses of whether the future belongs more to disc golf or to pickleball. And that discussion began with a plan.
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Discover Eudora | Spring/Summer ’19
channeling kessler. In 2012, Eudora City Commission adopted a master plan to guide the future of the city’s parks, recreation trails and related amenities. It was a plan with big dreams. In the introduction, the authors quoted George Kessler, the pioneering architect of parks and public spaces who shaped Kansas City’s Hyde Park and, in many ways, how America thought of community projects. “[T]o undertake important work in a halfhearted manner is the poorest economy … it is far better to plan comprehensively and broadly and proceed with actual construction leisurely than to attempt economy in the original plans,” Kessler wrote. The 2012 plan called in part for enhancing community parks, expanding a system of trails, creating natural play spaces, and creating better community centers. “‘Ambitious’ is definitely the right word for that plan,” Kegin says. “It had so many wonderful ideas—all these dreams we were wanting to fulfill—but then there was the price tag.” And in 2012, price tags were something of a political battleground in Kansas. Those living in Eudora at the time will recall that this was the first year of the “Kansas experiment,” a policy of widespread cuts in state funding to schools, municipalities and grant projects. Consequently, for three years the plan provided guidance, but could not be fully implemented. By 2015, city officials believed that, plan or no plan, they needed funds to maintain existing structures and provide for expansion, so they put the levy and the
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philosophy behind the master plan to a vote. After it passed, funds slowly accumulated, with each burger sold and each gallon of milk bought in the city of Eudora. Over $270,000 came in the first year, and then over $313,000 the second, but nothing was spent from the funds immediately. Kessler, who advocated for a slow but steady approach to projects, would have approved.
first expenditures.
Back at the parks and recreation department, things proceeded normally for 2015–2017. League championships were won, park swings were swung, trash was gathered from the old-style iron bins, and the budget remained fairly steady. “After the vote, we didn’t forget about the funds,” Kegin says, “but we weren’t using them, so for a while it didn’t seem like anything had changed.” But the piggy bank opened in 2017– 2018 as city officials authorized the first expenditures from the fund. Some of the money was set for needed repairs and updates. For example, the old surplus chemical storage cans that had been cleaned and used for trash bins were replaced. Core facilities will go through a timeline of gradual, expensive and not particularly glamorous structural improvements. “We have to have them, but people probably don’t realize the price tags that go with these needed things like the restrooms,” Kegin says. “But then comes the fun part.”
For Kegin, the perfect example of “the fun part” is the reconstruction of Lucy Kaegi Park that began in March. “I’ve wanted to upgrade that park for the entire 11 years that I have been here,” Kegin explains. The park upgrades include a giant playground centerpiece and—an item that excites former punk-rock bass player Kegin—three giant, functional, weatherresistant musical instruments (somewhat like large xylophones and drums). Kegin says that attractions like this create a better quality of life for residents, particularly those with kids. “If we hadn’t had the tax dollars, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to do the things we are doing now,” Kegin says. “It would be a piece here and a piece there, maybe a swing set, but that’s it.”
keep dreaming, keep changing. Having dedicated funds for parks and recreation projects also allows officials to continue thinking about big projects that respond to the changing needs of the community. Already, working groups have met to revise ideas from the original 2012 plan and look at new requests. For example, a skate park was included in the original master plan. While Kegin thinks it still might be used, he is not hearing requests for a skate park nearly as much as he used to. Other trends, such as pickleball, have emerged, and the city has responded by
TOP LEFT: A manufacturer’s photograph of the playground musical instruments coming to Eudora. The xylophone-like instruments are tuned in the pentatonic scale of C major and A minor. | TOP RIGHT: Kegin, city staff and officials are overseeing a transformation of Eudora parks.
Spring/Summer ’19 | Discover Eudora
cityofeudoraks.gov
EUDORA PARKS & RECREATION SALES TAX REVENUE
looking at adapting tennis courts with pickleball lines or creating dedicated courts for the sport. Some planning, thankfully, depends less on trends. For example, officials know that the Boomer generation is leading a much more active retirement life than previous generations, so they hope to provide plenty of active, low-impact fun and fitness opportunities such as the recent expansion of the Bluejacket Trail. Kegin adds that he is keeping his eye on new exercise stations for trails that coordinate with phone apps that will guide people to use each station’s particular layout or equipment in a personalized exercise routine. Other changes involve looking at long-term developments. For example, many of the city’s sport leagues play on facilities owned by the school district, which grants use of them. The city is currently accumulating funds from the levy to construct the South Sports Complex, which will be constructed and operated by the city but located on school district property with a joint-use agreement between the organizations. In short, for each dream, there might be revisions. “We went back last year and looked over everything that we had accomplished. We passed around the master plan and marked it up. Some things got whittled off the list, and some new ideas got added,” says Kegin. “I see us doing something again in the next few years because facilities have changed and people have changed.” But for Kegin, one constant is the role of parks and recreation programs—and the decision to stand behind them with funding. “I believe that tax was the right thing to do in Eudora. It has always been a huge recreational town, and people have always demanded and wanted more.”
2016 2017 2018 2019
2015 Projections
Actuals through 2018
$257,625 $271,998 $260,201 $313,635 $262,803 $315,361 $265,431
Current Projection
$275,000
Total sales tax rates across communities in Douglas County at time of 2015 adoption of Eudora sales tax. • Lecompton: 8.15% • Baldwin City: 8.40% • Lawrence: 8.70% • Lawrence Free State TDD: 9.70% • Lawrence Oread TDD: 9.70% TDD=Transportation Development District According to Kansas League of Municipalities, cities in Kansas are limited to levying a maximum of 2 percent sales tax for general purposes and 1 percent sales tax for specific purposes not to exceed 10 years in length; the TDD taxes do not count in this limitation.
Other Kansas Communities Each community must decide how and even if to levy additional sales taxes for a specific fund. Megan Gilliland, communications and education director for the Kansas League of Municipalities, says an ideal sales tax would be a combination of adaptable and targeted spending. For the city, the levy’s scope should be flexible enough to cover unexpected needs or changes; but because the tax comes from the community, it should also fulfill specific promises. In Kansas, says Gilliland, communities are using sales taxes for various projects and at various levels, but many of them are targeted toward areas where it is possible to build a consensus. “What we know as municipal professionals is that if you need to raise money and go through a sales tax, then you need to know what a community
wants,” Gilliland says. “Many sales taxes go for public safety, like fire and police. These are services that people understand and can see. With parks and recreation, too, these are things that people can touch and see, they are tangible benefits.” One of the most recent Kansas models for the parks and recreation option is Manhattan. According to the city’s officials, in 2009, the community passed a 10-year quarter-cent sales tax to fund the three waterparks and to create an education center at the city-owned zoo. With those projects completed, in 2017 the city voted with a 60 percent majority to renew the tax and set the new funds—expected to reach some $27.5 million—for recreation and trail projects. As was done in Eudora, the spending will be guided by a communitydriven master plan.
Partnership Power Some elements of Eudora’s master plan, such as the city’s ambitious trails program, are being realized through partnership with other projects and funds. A 2016 Kansas Department of Transportation grant of over $260,000 was used to complete the second phase of the Eudora South Trail, which connects the Shadow Ridge subdivision, Eudora
Middle School, Asher Cohn Park, Eudora High School, and the 20th Street business corridor. Funds from a 2017 KDOT grant will go to the Bluejacket Trail, which will connect Bluejacket Park, the disc golf course, the West Sports Complex, Eudora West Resource Center and the school district office, a community church and multiple neighborhoods.
Current Eudora Sales Tax 6.5% State of Kansas
Total sales tax 9.5%
1.75% Eudora
1.25% DG County
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