30-foot tower and sensory tunnel, anyone? Inclusive playground opens up in JoCo
Strang Park officially reopened in mid-October with Overland Park’s first inclusive playground, designed for children to play together regardless of their abilities and challenges.
Among other things, the playground features a 30-foot tower and slide, a sensory tunnel, climbing cargo nets and in-ground trampolines. A separate toddler playground includes Farmers’ Market-themed play structures and a nature play area.
The 11-acre park, at 89th and Farley streets behind the Johnson County Central Resource Library, had been closed since the fall of 2021 while construction took place. Other amenities:
▪ A mural by local artist Phil “Sike Style” Shafer.
▪ A gaming promenade with cornhole, checkerboard tables and oversized lawn chess.
▪ An updated shade plaza featuring the original railroad tracks from the Strang Line, the interurban railway of the early 1900s that led to the development of Overland Park.
▪ Family-friendly restrooms.
▪ A loop trail and new tennis and basketball courts.
▪ Excerpts throughout the park from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Statewide honor for Lenexa mayor
Lenexa Mayor Michael Boehm has received the E.A. Mosher Excellence in Local Government Award from the League of Kansas Municipalities.
The award, named for a one-time leader of the league, is given to elected city officials who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to their city, an active commitment to strong local government and service to the league.
A lifelong Lenexa resident, Boehm was elected mayor in 2003 and has been re-elected continuously since then. He previously served on the City Council and the Lenexa Planning Commission.
Boehm is a board member for the League of Kansas Municipalities and was its president in 2005 and 2006.
Mission Road closures
Through the end of the year, motorists on Mission Road can expect a series of road closures between 79th Street and 90th Terrace as the Evergy power company makes capacity upgrades between 79th and its distribution station on 90th Terrace.
The first closure was planned to start on Oct. 17 from 90th Terrace north to 89th Street. Each one was expected to last about three weeks.
Melissa Prenger, senior project manager for Prairie Village, said the project was progressing as planned until Oct. 7, when the contractor encountered rock bedding from a nearby utility, which undermined the roadway and caused a brief emergency shutdown of Mission Road for public safety.
Because of the proximity of the bedding material and the depth of construction needed by Evergy, “staff from both Leawood and Prairie Village feel it is in the best interest of the traveling public to close the roadway in the vicinity of the construction,” Prenger said.
Boutique sale includes heirlooms
After a two-year hiatus driven by the pandemic, the Holiday Boutique Sale is returning to the Lakeview Village retirement community in Lenexa.
The sale, which raises money to improve the lives of residents, will take place from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 and 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 29 at Lakeview Village Heritage Center, 9100 Park St.
The merchandise includes not only holiday decor, jewelry and giftables, but the kind of items that might otherwise be sold at an estate sale. A violin once sold for $1,000, and an antique lamp by Antoine Bofill went for $4,000.
In that respect, organizers said, the two-year break turned out to be a mixed blessing because more heirlooms are available now.
The wheelchair-accessible event typically generates about $10,000. Some proceeds are used to enhance the Lakeview complex, but the sale also benefits residents of Lakeview Village, as well as Ridgeview Village in Olathe, who can no longer afford the full cost of their living and medical care.
County helps cities with 2023 road projects
Johnson County Government has allocated just over $17.2 million to help cities with major road projects next year. All told, the County Assistance Road System(CARS) program will support 21 projects in 13 cities.
The local communities contribute money as well.
Just over half of the county money will pay to maintain existing roadways, but 46% will go toward four projects that will increase roadway capacity.
The largest chunk, $4.35 million, will help Olathe improve 119th Street from Woodland Road to Northgate Street. Other allocations:
▪ De Soto: Lexington Avenue from 95th Street to Sunflower Road, $928,000.
▪ Fairway/Roeland Park: 53rd Street from Mission Road to Chadwick Street, $68,000 to Fairway and $35,000 to Roeland Park.
▪ Gardner: Moonlight Road from Interstate 35 to Buffalo Trail, $266,000.
▪ Leawood: 123rd Street, from Mission Road to the state line, $750,000.
▪ Lenexa: 87th Street between Mauer and Pflumm roads, $827,000.
▪ Lenexa: Intersection at 95th Street and Loiret Boulevard, $575,000.
▪ Merriam: Merriam Drive from Johnson Drive to 55th Street, $1.35 million.
▪ Mission: Foxridge Drive from 51st Street to Lamar Avenue, $1.65 million.
▪ Overland Park: 167th Street between Switzer and Antioch roads, $1.45 million.
▪ Overland Park: Quivira Road from 119th Street to College Boulevard, $342,000.
▪ Overland Park: Quivira Road from Interstate 435 to College Boulevard, $236,000.
▪ Overland Park: 103rd Street between Lowell and Metcalf avenues, $175,000.
▪ Overland Park: Switzer Road between 151st and 159th streets, $182,000.
▪ Overland Park: 95th Street from Antioch Road to Lowell Avenue, $88,000.
▪ Overland Park: Quivira Road between 103rd and 106th streets, $99,000.
▪ Overland Park/Lenexa: Quivira Road between 99th and 103rd streets, $86,000 to Overland Park and $132,000 to Lenexa.
▪ Prairie Village/Overland Park: Nall Avenue between 67th and 75th streets, $542,000 to Prairie Village and $315,000 to Overland Park.
▪ Roeland Park: 48th Street from Roe Boulevard to Roe Lane, $77,000.
▪ Shawnee/Lenexa: Nieman Road from Shawnee Mission Parkway to the south Shawnee limits, $1.4 million to Shawnee and $150,000 to Lenexa.
▪ Spring Hill: 199th Street between Ridgeview and Renner roads, $1.18 million.
