CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, December 7, 1994
3A
Students shine in second place for solar-powered prototype
Despite lack of sun prototype judged for design, creativity
By Shannon Newton Kansan staff writer
A group of 13 engineering students won second place with their prototype of a solar power plant in a contest this weekend, but they ran into a problem no sun.
"We weren't able to test its functions," said Margaret Sheridan, Lawrence senior. "But, all the other criteria, such as design and creativity, were judged."
Sheridan said that the group went out the morning of the competition to test the prototype and that the sun never came out.
For nine months the group of students, all majors in engineering and computer sciences, built a working prototype of a solar power plant to take on the competition in Barstow. Calif.
The group had to build a working model of a solar power plant that used mirrors to convert the sun's energy into electricity.
Sheridan said that she was proud of the group's accomplishments. She said that the group had learned a lot from the work that went into the project.
"We all had to work together in a competitive environment," she said. "It was a huge project that we accomplished together."
Besides the design and power of the
model, Sheridan said that a lot of work went into seeking funds to subsidize the expenses for the project.
She said that the largest contributors were the University and Western Resources.
"Ihad to give a presentation to the company about our goals," she said. "We received a lot of support."
Because the power of the models was not able to be tested, the prize money was distributed among the five finalists.
Each of the five groups who submitted entries received $5,000, and the other prize money was given to the top three finalists. KU's School of Engineering won a total of $8,750 with its second-place finish.
Tom Mulinazzi, associate dean of the School of Engineering, said that the win would be great publicity for the school.
"It's fantastic that they won," he said. "It's a good reward for all of their hard work."
He said that he was impressed by the work that all of the engineering departments had contributed to the project.
"They used teamwork," he said. "That's something that the students need in the real world."
Taina Grenholm, Lawrence sophomore, said that she was glad to be back in Lawrence but that the work on the project wasn't completed. The group still must write a report outlining each stage of the prototype's production.
"We have to complete a write-up of the project," she said. "There's always more work."
Richard Devinki / KANSAN
Margaret Sheridan, Lawrence senior, adjusts one of the mirrors on a working model of a power plant. The model was built by a group of 13 engineering students at Learned Hall. The model was judged in a contest this past weekend in Barstow, Calif., were it took second place.
Lawrence expansion brings technical problems
By Carlos Tejada Kansan staff writer
Editor's note: This is the third of four stories about growth in Lawrence.
Western Hills wasn't like the other surrounding neighborhoods.
The 40-acre on the corner of 15th Street and Monterey Way originally was located outside the city. County building codes, not as strict as city codes, allowed people to build houses on the property without worrying about sewers, drainage and other technical matters.
But when the city annexed the area in the late 1980s, it inherited the neighborhood's problems. In comparison to other surrounding neighborhoods that had sprung up after annexation, Western Hills had inadequate drainage, rural well water and septic tanks instead of a sewer system.
Absorbing substandard rural development isn't a current problem for Lawrence city officials, but it will be in the future. According to the Lawrence planning department, the city is growing at about 2.5 percent each year. And as it expands outward, it will absorb those rural developments it didn't plan for at public expense.
"To city planners, it's a bad deal," said Nancy Shontz, a member of the Douglas County League of Women Voters' land-use committee. "Any development that occurs within a certain boundary is going to eventually be in the city limits, so it's being developed without being planned for by the city."
In the case of Western Hills, Shontz said, a lot of work had to be done to bring the neighborhood up to par with the rest of the city. The city paid to run water and sewer lines to the area. The only drainage for the neighborhood still is a set of ditches along the roads. The city plans to build a drainage system for it along Monterey Way in 1998 at a cost of $490,000.
In the future, the problem will get worse, said Fred Sherman, city planner.
Snerman said that as the city grew south, it would start to annex neighborhoods developing south of the Wakarausa River.
"When those new developments come in, we necessitate they live up to city standards," he said. "But when we annex it, we have to upgrade it with city money."
Sherman said the problem was with Douglas County's codes. Most areas of the county don't need strict ordinances because they are far away from any other residences. But that same standard also applies to buildings just outside the city limits, he said.
"If you build something in southwest Douglas County, who cares?" Sherman said. "But when you build 1,000 feet away from the city, it's a problem."
City and county officials have been talking about the problem, said Jim Chappell, county commissioner. Chappell said he favored adjusting county codes in the area around the city to better regulate development.
"It's bad for the city to bail out Western Hills," he said. "That's bad for business."
In return for adjusting the codes, Chappell wants eased restrictions on water meters in rural areas. Currently, rural areas receive their water through rural water districts, which send their water to Lawrence to be treated. The districts heads, who are elected by rural residents, then distribute the rights to use that water. Residents without water meters, which must be granted to residents before they can receive district water, usually use a well.
Chappell said that according to law, those districts gave out new water meters annually at a rate which amounted to a small percentage of current meters in use. Supporters of this system say it helps control the amount of development in rural areas.
Chappell said he hoped to strike a deal with the city. The county would regulate codes, and the city would allow more water use.
City and county officials have yet to agree on a deal, Chappell said.
How a neighborhood moves
People usually move to the country to avoid the troubles of the city. But as Lawrence grows, its city boundaries are catching up to some rural residents.
Homeowners build houses outside the limits to stay close to them but still live in a rural environment.
But as other people have the same idea, a sizeable population grows outside the city limits.
'the city then
unexenes the and and
has o pay to bring
hat rural
development up to code and
o build better
oads to the area.
Source: Kansan staff research
Dave Campbell / KANSAN
Man accused of rape files claim with city
By Manny Lopez
By Manny Lopez
Kansan staff writer
A Lawrence cab driver filed a claim against the city, seeking $1 million because he said that he was wrongly accused of rape and that police violated his rights.
On Friday, a notice of claim was filed with the city stating that Richard Countess, an employee of A-1 City Cab, was coerced into confessing to a rape that he said he did not commit.
Ben Wood, Countess' lawyer, said that the city had to respond to the claim within 30 days. The city may either file a counter claim and take the matter to court or it can settle out of court, Wood said.
Mike Wildgen, Lawrence city manager, refused to comment on the case
According to the claim, on July 24, Countess, 34, picked up a 20-year-old Lawrence woman at the Adams Alumni Center who made sexual advances to him before and after he was off duty. The woman, who is the daughter of a Lawrence police officer, was drunk at the time Countess picked her up, according to court documents. After Countess was arrested and the case was pending, he remained employed by A-1 City Cab. But he had to take a job that did not give him access to the public.
Countess said he was not guilty throughout court proceedings, but the district attorney's office said he had raped the woman. The case was later dismissed by Judge Paula Martin because she determined that Officer Terry Haak of the Lawrence police department forced a confession out of Countess. Haak was not the father of the women who claimed she was raped by Countess.
"Officer Haak refused to accept the truth. He threw objects in front of Mr. Countess, yelled at him, called him a liar and ultimately gave him a choice: Confess or be immediately and personally locked up in a jail cell by Haak," the claim stated.
At the preliminary hearing in September, the woman testified that she did not remember anything after about 10:30 p.m. on July 24.
The claim said that the woman "lewdly caressed him and asked to go home with him," which was where they had sex.
While the case was pending, Countess spent 12 days in jail because he was not able to pay his bond. Wood also said in the claim that Countess underwent unnecessary financial, mental and emotional hardships because of the time he spent in jail.
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