THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013
PAGE 3A
LAWRENCE
Drew Vonehrenkrook and his roommate Dylan Barnhart, seniors from Wichita, enjoy sitting on the couch on their porch at 14th and Kentucky Streets. The Lawrence City Commission passed an ordinance on Tuesday that bans all upholstered furniture on porches and patios in a close 3-2 vote.
CODY KUIPER
ckuiper@kansan.com
The Lawrence City Commission passed an ordinance that bans all upholstered furniture on porches and patios in a close 3-2 vote last Tuesday.
The ordinance came on the recommendation of the Lawrence Fire Department, who says the indoor furniture that can typically be found on students' porches is a major fire hazard. Drew Vonehrekrook, a senior from Wichita, sees the reasons for the ordinance, but isn't quite ready
to give up the comfort of his couch.
"One of my buddies over on 13th and Tennessee actually had someone catch his couch on fire, so I kind of understand where they're coming from," Vonehrenkrook said. "But at the same time, we have a lot of people coming over and a lot of smokers going in and out, so it's kind of a luxury to have a comfortable seat and what not."
The LFD says the furniture usually found on students' porches is typically overstuffed and contains urethane-based foams, which can cause a regular couch to burn with the same
intensity of a small minivan.
intensity of a small minivan. Trenton Gilkey, a junior from Hutchinson, doesn't think the ordinance will do much in the way of stopping fires, given the age of the houses in the Oread neighborhood.
"I think it's kind of foolish," he said. "Considering these are all very old houses around here, you're kind of splitting hairs because, yeah, this is a fire hazard, but a lot of the property here has the same problems."
A penalty for those who keep upholstered furniture on their porches or patios could come in the form of a fine, but city officials say they would first request the residents to remove it. If a fine is necessary, it will be imposed on the landlords, not the tenants.
Trisha Brock, office manager at Meadowlark Property Management, said her company was already aware of the risk that comes with upholstered furniture.
erty here has the same problem. According to The Center for Campus Fire Safety, other college towns such as Columbia, Mo., and Boulder, Colo., have similar bans in place.
Brock said. "But now we'll have to be more diligent and do more drive-bys and just stay on top of it so no legal action is taken." The Lawrence City Commission has not set a date for when the ordinance could go into effect, and they plan on educating those in student neighborhoods about the specifics of the law.
"We've actually already seen it as a safety issue, and it was already in our lease that our tenants could not have furniture on their porches,"
Edited by Jessica Mitchell
KU$^{1}$nfo
Three of KU's first four chancellors were ministers. Check out www. chancellor.ku.edu/previous-chancellors
POLICE REPORTS
- A 29-year-old female was arrested yesterday on the 1300 block of Michigan Way on suspicion of possession of controlled substance, aggravated assault, criminal threat and criminal damage to property. No bond was posted.
Information based on the Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking recap.
- A 21-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 1300 block of Morgan Connect on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence. A $500 bond was paid.
- A 32-year-old female was arrested Tuesday on the 4500 block of Broadmore on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of controlled substance. A $7,000 bond was paid.
- A 29-year-old male was arrested Tuesday on the 2200 block of Crossgate on suspicion of burglary of a vehicle. A $2,000 bond was paid.
RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE.