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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
MONDAY FEBRUARY 4,2002
ISSUE 85 VOLUME 112
City checks housing enforces zoning rule
JOHN NOWAK/KANSAN
Llandlord and professor emeritus of political science Jaroslaw Piekalkiewicz (left) waits for a city inspector in the living room of the property he rents to Joe Lonnberg, Dodge City senior, at 1013 W. 20th St. After complaints from a neighbor, the City of Lawrence was ordered to verify if more than three persons lived in the house.
By Rachel Keesee Kansan staff writer
A Lawrence landlord said he thought three University of Kansas students had their privacy invaded by a city inspector Friday.
The inspector went to the house at 1013 W.20th St. to see if residents were following the compliance agreement their landlord, Jaroslaw Piealkiewicz, professor emeritus of political science, had signed in October 2001.
Four KU students had moved into Piekalkiewicz's house in May, said Serena Hearn, who manages the property for Piekalkiewicz. The fourth moved out in December as part of the agreement.
The agreement said Piekalkiewicz had violated the unrelated-residents ordinance and would have no more than three unrelated people living in the house by Dec. 31, 2001. It also said the city would inspect the house up to four times during 2002.
The inspector looks at the number of cars parked at the residence, the number of bedrooms in the house and talks to residents in the house and others.
Lonnberg led Smith on a tour of the five-bedroom house.
Lee Smith, a Lawrence zoning enforcement officer, arrived at 1:30 p.m. Friday and introduced himself to Joe Lonnberg, Dodge City senior, the only resident at home.
Smith said he looked for overcrowding in a house to determine the number of residents.
"1 speak with tenants, make a gen-
Timeline
March 1, 2001: Family definition changes from four to three unrelated people in single-family zones.
June 1, 2001: Deadline for property owners of rental houses in single-family zones to register that they had more than three unrelated people living in the house before March 1, 2001.
Feb. 1, 2002: Registration ordinance takes effect for property owners who rent houses in single-family zones to register.
Aug. 1, 2004: Property owner in single family zones can't rent to more than three unrelated individuals.
three unrelated individuals.
Sources: Mike Wilden, city manager for Lawrence; Dave Corson, assistant city manager and director for legal services for Lawrence.
eral observation of living conditions, look for clothing and other items out of order with a usual living condition," Smith said.
He also asked Lonnberg how many people slept in the house, to which Lonnberg replied that a girlfriend would stay the night occasionally.
Smith said having people spend the night could cause problems.
"I recognize that individuals like to have a boyfriend or girlfriend stay the night once in a while," Smith said. "We don't legislate
Smith said that if he determined that more than three unrelated people were living in the house, the landlord would receive a notice from the city. The city would also reject the compliance agreement, therefore allowing the landlord to be prosecuted, Smith said.
morality, but if they're here more than a couple times a week, they're living here."
SEE OCCUPIED ON PAGE 3A
Baker, KDOT agree to build trafficway
By Lauren Beatty
Kansan staff writer
Baker University and the Kansas Department of Transportation agreed upon a tentative plan Friday, Jan. 25, to build the South Lawrence Trafficway.
The $8.5 million deal would allow the trafficway to be built through the university's wetlands and provide the following:
300 acres of mitigated wetlands,
$1 million for maintenance of the area.
Hiking and biking trails.
A new boardwalk
A camping area. Three new parking areas.
“五 years from now, the new wetlands are going to be a real showpiece,” said Mike Rees, chief counsel for KDOT. “It's an example of being better off than when we started.”
Rees said other benefits to the new plan include faster travel times.
Before the plan moves any fur
ther, Rees said he wanted to gather more public opinion.
"It's still in the proposal stage," Rees said. "We'll listen to comments from anyone. We've decided to set up a public hearing and see how the relocation affects people. I think that will be good and might lead to modifications."
Carey Maynard-Moody, chairwoman of the Wakarusa Group of the Kansas Chapter of the Sierra Club, said building the trafficway would be harmful to the environment.
Rees said the hearing would provide a chance for people like Maynard-Moody who are against the project to voice their concerns.
"It's detrimental to the entire Douglas County community," she said. "We hardly have any wetlands left in Kansas. Highways lead to a loss of natural resources and compromise our air and water."
Contact Beatty at
Contact Beauty at
lbeaty@kansan.com. This story was
edited by Molly Gise.
Bogus bills dupe locals
By Mike Gilligan Kansan staff writer
Employees at several local businesses have found counterfeit $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills in the past two weeks, said Sgt. Mike Pattrick of the Lawrence Police Department.
No arrests have been made in connection with fake bills, he said.
"A lot of the bills have been found when businesses have made deposits to the bank," Pattrick said.
Emerson Biggins Sports Bar and Grill, 3512 Clinton Parkway, is one of several area businesses where an employee has found a counterfeit bill.
Adam Fikeldei, manager at Emerson Biggins, was working on Sunday, Jan. 20, when he came across a fake $100 bill.
"The serial numbers were in bold print, not fine print," he said.
Smoker Friendly, 1606 W. 23rd St., also received a counterfeit bill on Saturday, Jan. 19, when a mar
tried to pass a fake $20, said Vincent Piraneo, an employee.
"I could tell it was counterfeit right away," he said. "It felt like a different texture and the color looked off, too."
Piraneo used a counterfeit pen to confirm his suspicion. The pen leaves a black mark on counterfeit money, while leaving a brown or yellow mark on real currency.
The man told police he received the bill as change from another business, but he didn't know which one.
He described different characteristics of counterfeit bills that made them stand out.
"Some of the bills have an offtint color," Patrick said. "Sometimes fibers are missing as well as security strips."
Wal-Mart, 3500 Iowa St., also received a counterfeit $10 bill on Sunday, Jan. 20.
Contact Gilligan at mgilligan@kansan.com. This story was edited by Brooke Hesler.
Travelodge renovations mean free furnishings for students
By Maggie Koerth Kansan staff writer
Students willing to venture out into the cold Wednesday could have found themselves the proud owners of a free television, end table or lamp
eodge. Franklin spent most of the day next door to the Travelodge in the unheated, abandoned Kettle restaurant where the furnishings were being given away.
"We had at least 20 or 25 TVs, and they're all gone now," said Michael Franklin, general manager of Travelodge.
The Lawrence Travelodge, 801 Iowa St., is undergoing renovations, and the new owners decided to give the old furnishings away to college students.
Among the items claimed, televisions, mirrors and radios were the most popular, Franklin said.
Franklin said the former owners of the hotel had let it deteriorate. He said the new owners, Wichita-based S&B Motels Inc., wanted to build clientele and make Travelodge a nice hotel again.
"She said, 'Dad, a lot of college kids can't afford new furniture. We ought to give them the stuff from the hotel,'" Stanley Weilert said. "I thought it was a really good idea. It's a way for us to get our name out and to help the community."
or May
Stanley Weilert, president of S&B Motels, said his daughter Leigh Weilert, Wichita senior, came up with idea of giving the furnishings to students.
He said they were remodeling the hotel in stages. The third floor, which the give-away emptied, should be done by the end of February. The whole hotel will be done by the end of May.
"We had about 14 wrecks in the parking lot, with the ice and people backing into each other," he said. "But it was great. It was exciting. It reminded me of when I was young and in college."
The furniture give-away was advertised on KUJH and Channel 6, Weilert said. More than 200 students came Wednesday.
The next chance for free furnishings is March 15th, when the Travelodge will give away furnishings from the renovation of the second floor.
John Fewis, Redfield senior, said he would likely come back to the next giveaway.
INSIDETODAY
Contact Koerth at
Jove Yambot, Chino Hills, Calif. senior (left) and Ben Audrain, Lee's Summit, Mo. senior, pick up some free furniture from the Travelodge Motel, 801 Iowa St.
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
CAMERA ON KU ...2A
SCOREBOARD ...2B
WEATHER ...4B
CROSSWORD ...4B
RECREATION CENTER: Coverage of today's informational meeting about the proposed facility.
BASKETBALL: How the Kansas — K-State game played out and why.
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
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