Tomorr
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 3585
TOPEAK, KS 66601-3585
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
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kansan
Warm tomorrow with periods of sunshine and rain.
Wednesday
June 10,1998
Section:
A
HIGH LOW 85 66
Check out this hot site of the day. The Washington Post pictures of the year are showcased on its Web site.
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Kansas track athlete Candy Mason is soaring in competition and continues to improve.
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Scott Ziebell, a lawrence resident, peers through the windows of stores yet to be opened. The Lawrence Riverfront Outlet Mall has many empty store fronts, but management said it was trying to fill the vacancies. Photo by Lizz Weber / KANSAN.
Riverfront outlet center goes shopping for tenants
Business suffers with newer malls opening near town
Kansan staff writer
By Michael Martin
Bill and Mary Simms drove in from Overland Park to visit the Lawrence Riverfront Factory Outlets. Clad in tennis shoes and walking shorts, the older couple was ready to track down some bargains.
But the Simms cut their shopping trip short after finding a clearance they had not expected. Several stores had closed since their last visit.
"There's more closed than open, seems like." Bill said, as the pair walked along the mall's lower level, a retail ghost town with one open store. "There's no point in coming here anymore."
To casual observers like the Simms, times look tough at the Riverfront Plaza. While 21 merchants are open for business, 12 storefronts stand dark and empty. Four others have been filled by non-retail organizations. Long stretches of papered-up windows line the top and bottom levels, and signs announcing new tenants are conspicuously absent.
Some Riverfront Plaza tenants said mall management was indifferent to advertising and had not done enough to fill the center's vacancies, which they said made business worse.
"A lot of customers say, 'Oh, we haven't"
New outlet malls, such as Odessa Factory Outlets in Odessa, Mo, and the Great Mall of the Great Plains in Oathe, have eroded Riverfront Plaza's customer base, Haley said.
"We don't make the money we did two years ago," she said. "When new things open, people want to go there."
Aaron O'Dell, assistant manager of Bugle Boy Outlet, said the number of out-of-town customers had remained steady, but local traffic had declined over the past several months.
The three-level, 150,000 square-foot outlet mall at Sixth and New Hampshire streets opened in 1990 and has discounted merchandise from both full-price retailers and off-price discount companies ranging from J.Crew to Book Warehouse. The center is owned and operated by a national company but is managed locally.
"It's an awkward time," said David Longhurst, director of the Lawrence Riverfront Factory Outlets.
Longhurst said customer traffic was down slightly and blamed the mall's vacancies on a self-defeating industry trend. Although the number of factory-outlet retailers has remained constant, the number of outlet malls has increased dramatically, creating a flood of real estate with not enough tenants to mind the store.
In response to industry changes, Riverfront Plaza's lower level will be converted from retail to office space. Longhurst said. However, retail leases on the lower level have to expire
before the conversion can begin, he said.
Sprint Telecommunications, Inc., already has opened a 20,000-square-foot cell center on the lower level, which is largely staffed by KU students.
Longhurst said the mall's upper two levels will remain retail-oriented.
Management has been actively recruiting new tenants, Longhurst said. He said several spaces had been committed to, but declined to name prospective tenants or confirm that any leases had been signed.
"We're not going to make any phantom announcement," he said.
Riverfront Plaza is financially solvent, Longhurst said, and the center has a promotional campaign that includes direct-mail, TV and newspaper advertising. Advertising has declined because fewer tenants mean fewer contributions to the mall's advertising fund, he said.
Seth Saturn, general manager of Tanger Factory Outlets-Lawrence, said he agreed with Longhurst's assessment of outlet-mall industry as saturated.
"We're both struggling with the same issues," he said.
The Tanger Factory Outlets, 1035 N. 3rd St., has a 26 percent vacancy rate, Saturn said. The center has the worst occupancy rate of 32 Tanger properties nationwide, he said.
Saturn said that Tanger drew most of its business from out of town and that Lawrence residents were resistant to outlet malls.
"They just will not shop them," he said. "We don't know if they're going to Kansas City to do their shopping or what."
Students oriented to University life
Kansan staff writer
By Graham K. Johnson
Freshmen at the University of Kansas often get little respect. Yesterday, however, they were the center of attention.
More than 500 freshman, parents and friends visited campus for an all-day program of activities, information sessions and meals.
The day is designed to help freshman, transfers and other new students get acquainted with the University, said Mary Ryan, director of new student orientation.
"Obviously students who have just graduated from high school or are transferring from other institutions are in
"We like to think of this program as a bridge to the University of Kansas."
The University holds 20 orientation days throughout the summer, Rvan said.
She said a main goal of the orientation, particu-
"We like to think of this program as a bridge to the University."
Director of New Student Orientation
After the opening session in Woodruff Auditorium, which included a film about diversity, the students went to small group sessions called "Student to Student." Orientation assistants gave tips to students on course selection, advising and enrollment.
Kate Hazelwood, Salina freshman, said that the session answered some of her questions about the classes she needed to take and made her feel more comfortable.
tarry this summer, is to help students make connections with advisers and to learn about ways they can succeed at the University.
Ryan said that concern about recent alcohol-related incidents had played a role in placing more focus on alcohol education.
The students attended a presentation titled "Making Smart Choices," which focused on health, crime and other safety issues. The session paid particular attention to alcohol-related laws, such as the penalties for minors-in-possession convictions.
Kayla Monson, Omaha, Neb., freshman, said she was surprised to learn that two-thirds of the campus population did not drink but was pleased to hear that there were programs such as Saferide for those who did.
Students spent the rest of the afternoon eating lunch and meeting with academic advisers and attending a wrap-up session.
There will be 19 more orientations before fall semester. The registration fee is $50 for new students and $10 for readmitted students. Those interested should call the New Student Orientation office at (785) 864-4720.
Auto crash victims remain hospitalized
The accident occurred at 2:12 a.m. Sunday in the 900 block of Tennessee Street when a car left the road and struck two trees, according to a police report released Monday.
Four people involved in a severe automobile accident Sunday morning are improving, area hospital representatives said yesterday.
By Graham K. Johnson and Ronnie Wachter
Kansas staff writers
The impact destroyed the 1984 Toyota Celica. All four of occupants were hospitalized.
Several University students watched rescue personnel treat the victims at the scene.
Mackenzie Lane, Englewood, Colo., junior, who lives two houses north on the west side of Tennessee street, said she left her house after hearing the accident.
According to the police report, 21-year-old Emporia resident Ryan Dambro was freed from the wreckage after Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical personnel worked for an hour to rescue him.
Lane said she spent an hour watching
Police officers inspect the damage of a one car accident Sunday night. Photos by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN.
Dambro was taken by helicopter to the University of Kansas Medical Center. His condition was upgraded from critical to fair.
Jim Cesario, Chicago, Ill., senior, was at a red light at Ninth and Tennessee streets at the time of the accident. He said the Celica ran a yellow light while heading south on Tennessee.
According to the police report, the Celica left the east side of Tennessee Street and struck the first tree with its left rear side. It then fishtailed to the right and struck the second tree. After the second impact, the car appeared to be break in half and wrap around the tree.
teams extract a victim from the wreckage.
Driver and owner of the car, 25-year-old Lawrence resident Loc Arnaud, was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 425 Maine St. He was admitted in stable condition and was in satisfactory condition.
Cesario said the car bounced while crossing the intersection, emitted sparks and swerved to avoid another car.
Lawrence police officer Mike Monroe said Monday a third occupant, 22-year-old Lawrence resident Christine Deuvall, was ejected from the car and thrown nearly 30 feet. She was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital and then by helicopter to Columbia Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Deuvall's condition had improved from critical to serious.
Deuval's roommate, Julia Pena, 19, was ejected from the car and thrown approximately 10 feet, where she landed in bushes. She was taken by helicopter to the Medical Center, where officials said her condition had improved from critical to fair.
Two open bottles of beer, still cold to the touch, were found inside the vehicle, according to the police report. The report did not say if the occupants had been drinking.
According to the police report that a blood sample was taken from Arnaud to check for alcohol, but results had not been determined.
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