Cheers! Downtown Shawnee allows consumption of liquor during civic and special events
One of Shawnee’s goals is to create a destination spot where people want to congregate and have fun.
To that end, the City Council has created a Downtown Shawnee Common Consumption Area, which allows the possession and consumption of liquor during civic and special events and on sidewalk cafes and patios. The ordinance, approved on April 26, enables establishments in the district to more easily allow patrons to enjoy their drinks outside.
The ordinance applies from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Dec. 6 in the area between 58th and 59th streets from King Street on the west to Bluejacket Street on the east. Johnson Drive runs east/west through the middle of the district.
In a memo to the council, the city staff said the common consumption area will support “a diverse, interactive downtown by expanding event offerings,” create opportunities for downtown businesses to participate in civic events, limit the fees and permits required and allow for more outdoor spaces that follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
Alcohol must be served in non-glass containers with the business clearly identified on the beverage container. Businesses must obtain permits for each special event. At the meeting, Mayor Michelle Distler clarified that the ordinance does not allow people to walk around with drinks in the district.
It’s costing the city $100 to obtain the annual permit needed from the state to establish the district.
New memorial for fallen officer
Near the scene of where Overland Park Police Officer Mike Mosher was killed last year, his sacrifice is being honored with a new blue street light and memorial.
Mosher was shot to death on May 3, 2020, after he responded to a hit-and-run call while on his way to work. He died in an exchange of gunfire near 123rd and Mackey streets that also killed the suspected hit-and-run driver.
City officials dedicated the memorial on the first anniversary of the shooting.
Earlier this year, the Overland Park City Council agreed to honor Mosher by renaming 123rd Street between Blue Valley Parkway and Metcalf Avenue. That stretch is now known as Mike Mosher Boulevard.
No fireworks display at Miege
Again this year, there will be no public Fourth of July fireworks display for northeast Johnson County.
The display — sponsored by the cities of Fairway, Roeland Park and Westwood — had been scheduled for July 3 at Bishop Miege High School. It was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fairway and Roeland Park issued identical announcements after representatives of the three cities conferred with people from Bishop Miege and the nearby St. Agnes parish.
“Due to the cooperative nature of the display, a unanimous decision is required for the event,” the cities said. “Unfortunately, not all parties were ready to move forward and, as a result, the Northeast Johnson County Fireworks Display will not occur in 2021. All parties look forward to the fireworks display returning in 2022.”
In an email, Fairway City Administrator Nathan Nogelmeier told The Star that neither finances nor logistics were a concern.
“Several cities share in the cost to keep it affordable for everyone and we’ve been doing the display for over 15 years, so processes and procedures are pretty well in place,” Nogelmeier said. “ COVID-19 concerns were the primary factor in the decision not to move forward.”
Library cafe returns in Olathe
Park Street Pastry is reopening its cafe at Olathe’s Indian Creek Library as of May 13. It had closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The cafe will be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with additional hours to be added in the coming months. The library is at 16100 W. 135th St.
Road construction in Gardner
Motorists can expect delays on U.S. 56 in Gardner, where road crews will be refurbishing the pavement through mid-July.
The work area for the $1.3 million project stretches from the Interstate 35 ramps to east of Moonlight Road. The work is to be done at night and during the day on Sunday.
U.S. 56 will remain open but reduced to one lane in each direction when crews are on the job. Also closed is the off-ramp from southbound New Century to westbound U.S. 56.
Olathe names two parks
The city of Olathe has named two new neighborhood parks.
The park that began to take shape in 2018 near the Indian Creek Library in eastern Olathe will be named Indian Creek Park. It’s to be completed this summer.
The other property, at 11795 S. Langley St. on the west side of town, was once known as Tobener’s Park, named for Henry Tobener, who opened the first tobacco factory in Kansas City in the mid-1800s along with a hotel and livery, according to a memo from the city staff.
After Tobener bought the land then north of Olathe, Tobener’s Park was built in 1885 and drew many of Kansas City’s elite. The property later became farmland and now includes the Woodland Hills residential area south of Kansas 10 near Woodland Road.
The new park will be called Woodland Hills Park.
Coca-Cola Scholars from Blue Valley
Two Blue Valley students have earned $20,000 scholarships for being among the 150 high school seniors chosen as Coca-Cola Scholars for 2021.
They are Yaseen El-Demerdash of Blue Valley Southwest High School and Manya Gauba from Blue Valley West High School. The award program says it aims to invest in “exceptional high school students who are dedicated to leadership, service, and action that positively affects others.”
While attending Blue Valley Southwest, El-Demerdash co-founded Heartland STEM Inc., a nonprofit offering grants to educators across Kansas and Nebraska to support robotics and STEM (science technology, engineering and math) activities. He also created and coached two FIRST robotics teams after securing $100,000 to start robotics programs at all five high schools in the district. He’s on the Blue Valley Southwest swim team and the U.S. Paralympic National Team.
Gauba is the founder and CEO of GiSTEM Co., a nonprofit that aims to close the gender gap in science, math and technology. She founded the Blue Valley West’s Girls in STEM and UNICEF clubs and has a biological patent pending to mitigate global warming, according to a news release from the district.
The only other recipient from Kansas is Hananeel Morinville of Shawnee Mission North High School, who was profiled earlier this month in 913.
