Monday, February 22, 1982
Vol. 92, No. 101 USPS 650-640
KANSAN
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
Watson won't be fired. citv commission agrees
By STEPHEN BLAIR
Staff Reporter
Lawrence city commissioners decided during a closed session Saturday to not fire City Manager Buford Watson because all five commissioners agreed that Watson's shortcomings
did exist and that they could be improved, City Commissioner Tom Gleason said this weekend.
Gleason, who had asked for Watson's resignation in a letter to Watson made public earlier this month, chose not to move for the city manager's firing as he said he would.
"We can either have one massive division now and hope that things will start working better after that was over," he said, "or we can say, 'We must short-circuit that process right here, right now.'"
MARK McDONALD/Kansan Staff
Tom Gleason
The commission met in closed sessions
the following days to discuss Gleason's
reason for writing the letter.
"I did this in large measure because I did not see the change in attitude and the recognition of shortcomings which I think the city manager has been candid enough to allow for," he said.
Gleason's letter sparked a group of citizens to start a petition drive to recall him from office.
Among the items talked about Saturday was the reported harassment of a city employee who said she found problems with the quality of the city's water, and the differences between the original some city ordinances and the final version in the League of Kansas Municipalities code.
In the fall of 1978, Linda Frost, who worked in the laboratory of the city water plant, said she took two samples of water that a state lcb found to contain coliform bacteria.
The bacteria is an indicator of traces of excrement possibly being in the water, she said.
"After I took the second bad sample they took that job away from me." Frost said.
She said her supervisors, including Roger Coffey, director of the utilities at the plant, refused to check out the problem, insisting she made a mistake.
"They said, 'You must be contaminating these samples,'" she said. "There's no way I drink the water in the building where I took the sample."
but the problem does not mean that all the water in the city is bad, she said.
Coffey said he could not recall any sample showing bacteria in 1979 and said he could barely detect it.
Watson said he did not know anything about the incident.
She was not fired from the city job, but she said offishly, "made life miserable until I quit."
Frost now works as a pharmacist in analytical
researchers-Research Corporation on KKW West Campus.
"I feel real apprehensive about drinking the water," she said. "Just the attitude and the way they operate at the water plant—the way they would cover un a possible problem."
The second issue that was disclosed concerned differences between some city ordinances originally published on March 2, 1981, and their final form in Lawrence's city code, which is updated by the Kansas League of Municipalities, Commissioner Nancy Shontz said.
Although members of the city staff had received copies of the city code, which contains errors, several months ago, commissioners did themselves until she discovered them herself, Shontz tell.
"I'm concerned that the staff members must surely know about these errors and that we were not informed of it," she said.
"There were changes in language that went beyond simple editing."
She said most of the errors had to do with development on the city's flood plain.
"We have to know where the floodway is because you're not allowed to build on that," she
Because of one omission, a developer would not have to state what path, or floodway, the storm water would take during an occasional flood, she said.
Watson said the city staff had not been using the form to announce the code city arrive at the city on account.
No problems have been caused by the planning
no "using the official version of the city ordinance."
After Saturday's session, commissioners Barkley Clark and Don Binsis said that commissioners had brought up issues of which they were not aware.
"There have come to my attention a number of problems that I was not aware of," Clark said.
"I think one of our biggest comments was there had been some feelings about government interference in the economy," she said.
But he said that had all the commissioners known of some of the concerns earlier, their
MARK McDONALDI/Kansan Staff
Buford Watson
not meeting the job requirements. GIVEN that the other four commissioners' support for his concerns made him think that it was possible to improve the job performance of the city manager.
desire for improvements might have come earlier.
"I don't believe that Barkley and Don wanna aware of the depth of concern about his performance." Glesea said. "I don't know why told me to touch withouch with the people who told me of trouble.
"All five commissioners recognized (Watson's) shortcomings and said they have to be corrected. If we can't remedy the shortcomings, he has not performed his duties."
Mauren Regan, Wichita senior, had more than just her hands full, as she gobbled pancakes Saturday in a pancake eating contest sponsored by KLZR radio station and Rax Roast Beef. Regan recognized Chi Omorpha surgery in the one-minute-six-second contest.
Dance company brings Africa to KU
By JANET MURPHY
Staff Reporter
The nine-member dance troupe, now in residence in New York City, performed three spirited dances backed by traditional African drums.
With the percussionists pounding a deafening, rhythmic beat, the dancers appeared in a choreographed sequence.
The troupe appeared as part of the Black History Month celebration. They were sponsored by the office of minority affairs and the International Theater Department.
The CoSha African Dance Company of Senegal, West Africa, presented a program of social and religious dance last night in Swarthout Recital Hall.
Ibrahimha Camara, acting director and master percussionist, said that the troupe maintained the traditional dances from all parts of Africa. He said the group returned once a year to keep in
The dances they perform, he said, are stories that were often happened in Africa as far back as 14 years ago.
He said they liked to perform on college campuses because of the teaching they did.
During their performances, Camara said, they taught the audience about the instruments, like violin and cello.
formed at Emporia State University and Kansas City Community College. This week, they will appear at Southwestern College in Winfield.
Now on a two-week tour, the group has per-
The performance opened with three percussionists performing a drum call, which is an introduction to all ceremonies. It asked for a blessing on the ceremony.
The first dance, called Yhardalad, was from the Mandoingo tribe. It was a ceremonial dance for women during childbirth. In the dance, it asked her to give birth to the child for the life and happiness for the mother.
Monday Morning
The second dance, Ballet Malinke, also was a ceremonial dance used for a good harvest and for circumcision. The tradition in parts of Africa was when children reached a certain age, they were taken to the forest, boys to one part, girls to another, and they were circumcised. The dance is performed by their parents on their return, honoring their new adulthood.
In the third dance, audience members were asked to participate. About 30 people joined the troupe on stage for the finale. Those that didn't their seats joined in the chant and clapping.
Four women appeared in each of the dances, first as a group, then dancing separately. Two male dancers also performed in each of the dances as soloists.
In between dances, the percussionists told about their instruments.
Holding the chalice-shaped drum called a See DANCE page five.
Library plan disputed
By DON KNOX
Staff Reporter
Increased funding for building improvements in the University of Kansas library system was one of Chancellor Gene A. Budig's biggest concerns when he arrived in Lawrence last year.
But Jim Ranz, dean of libraries, said a recent study, prepared by a New York account firm for the Kansas Legislature, could jeopardize parts of a planned $2 million science technology library to be built on the Lawrence campus.
THE $100,000 preliminary study, conducted by Peat, Mawat and Mitchell Co., said KU had overestimated space needs at the planned science library. The study proposed that the size of the future structure be reduced from 230,000 sq. ft. to 99,000 sq. ft.
Ranz said he objected to the firm's report.
"The library system has been sorrowly lacking in space for students and readers," he said. "We need more books."
State Rep. Betty Jo Charlton, D-Lawrence,
agreed.
"We're not talking about storing books, but keeping books in such a way as they can be used by people," Charlton said. "I am really terribly concerned about the study."
Charlton said she thought it was very difficult for a library to overestimate its needs.
"IF WE SCALE down the plans for a new library, we will come up with the same problems we had before," she said. "We will outgrow the library before it is even finished."
Allen Wiechert, KU's facility planning director, said even though the Peat Marwick study conflicted with similar University studies in the field, he felt it was the University needed a new science library.
"But the library project was not recommended for funding this year by the governor," Wiechert said, "and right now, we're not optimistic for funding during 1982."
State Rep. Jess Branson, D-Lawrence, said that although she had not seen the actual report, she believed it was true.
"I BELIEVE that there should be some way of using our own people in Kansas to come up with a thorough and fair analysis," she said. "I would imagine there will be much discussion about
Branson said she was concerned particularly about the consultant's lack of knowledge about
The Peat Marwick study has been criticized for ignoring a state building code that requires a basement to be above ground.
See LIBRARIES page five
Arson squad declares arson cause of Royal College fire
Staff Reporter
By BECKY ROBERTS
Arson has been determined as the cause of a fire that resulted in more than $290,000 worth of damage to the Royal College Shop, 837 Massachusetts St., and three other downtown buildings.
The Douglas County Arson Squad announced Friday in a prepared statement that the fire at the Royal College Shop on Feb. 3, 1982, had been determined to have intentionally set it.
The arson squad also said that investigation of the basement of the Royal College Shop showed an unfinished fire pit.
"We're piecing it all together," Stanxw said. So far the investigation has taken more than 450 hours of work and investigators have followed up on 50 leads, McSwain said.
Although Fire Chief Jim McSwain refused to say how many fires were set, he did say that investigators have suspected multiple fires for some time.
"We confirmed that more than one fire was set in the last couple of days," McSwain said.
Police Chief Richard Stanwix said three investigators would continued the search for the motives and suspects in the arson.
The arson squad refused to comment on possible motives for the arson or possible assault.
"We're still working on the suspects," Mech says, "but we'll not know until the investigation is complete."
Johnson, however, said the arson squad had conferred with lab officials by telephone.
The arson squad has not received written lab reports from the Kansas Bureau of investigation crime labs in Topeka. The squad sent samples of basement floor materials from the Royal College Shop to the lab to determine materials that could have been used to start the fire.
"We expect the written lab report by next week." Rex Johnson, Douglas County sheriff.
The Feb. 3 fire was the second fire at the Royal College Shop in five years. In 1977, owner Tom Black rebuilt the store after a fire caused more damage than expected. The cause of that fire was never determined.
A sign on the front door of the Royal College now says that the shop will be open for business
Tom Black has refused to comment about the fire.
Weather
Unseasonally mild weather will prevail today, with sunny skies and temperatures reaching the middle 60s. The National Weather Service in Topeka.
Light, variable winds will become southerly at 5 to 15 mph by tonight, with the low temperature in the middle 30s. Mild temperatures and little chance for precipitation will continue through the week.