WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN *5*
CONSTRUCTION
Road crews progress down University road
By Annie Bernethy
aberneth@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
With summer comes more construction, and this time it's right in the heart of campus.
Construction crews contracted through the city of Lawrence are working to replace water mains under Jayhawk Boulevard, making the road one-way in places.
Yesterday morning, the crews crossed the intersection by Bailey Hall and moved on to the last stretch of the boulevard.
Donald Fixico, director of the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies and professor of history, said temporary elimination of parking spaces on the road was problematic.
"It's a bit of an inconvenience," Fixico said. "The creation of the one-way causes a lot of adjustments."
Fixico said if the construction was
improving the campus, it had to be done.
Drivers who decide to chance going the wrong way can look forward to a $60 ticket from the Office of Public Safety, Lt. Schuyler Bailey said. Including $32.50 in court costs, the total increases to $92.50.
Because the construction is a city project, it's not costing the University any money. Gary Lawson, engineering manager for the University's Design and Construction Management, said one of his groups was helping to coordinate the activities.
Rain slowed the crew early on, but the project seems to be on schedule, Lawson said.
The construction on Jayhawk Boulevard should be finished by the time classes begin in the fall, he said. Crews will also work on 14th Street.
The boulevard construction will end near Snow Hall.
Edited by Ehren Meditz
CITY
Fireworks ban results in warnings, not tickets
By Kevin Wiggs
kwiggs@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The smoke and sulfur smell lifted into the air, and police patrolled Lawrence looking for its source.
Last Friday was the first Independence Day since the Lawrence City Commission prohibited fireworks use last October, but Lawrence police issued zero tickets during the weekend.
Those extreme cases were not prevalent. Residents called to complain about fireworks 276 times from July 1 to 5, but only 26 of those complaints resulted in police confiscating banned fireworks.
"Our emphasis was just to educate the public about the law," said Lt. David Cobb, Lawrence police representative. "We limited our citations to extreme cases."
Cobb said those were taken because the owners were drunk or talked back to
police. Most of the time, police gave simple warnings.
Alexis Mitchell, Mead junior, and her roommates were one of the groups warned. Mitchell said they were approached at about 2 a.m. about their illegal fireworks. A police car approached them and asked if they were aware of the new law. When they said yes, the car drove away. Once the car left, they resumed igniting their M-80s.
"They obviously didn't care," she said. "They just drove by and gave a verbal warning."
Those who got away with lighting pyrotechnics might not be so lucky next year. Cobb said that although officers did not issue tickets this year, they planned to in 2004.
"Next year the learning curve will be lower than this year," he said. "We will expect them to comply."
— Edited by Annie Bernethy