Wednesday, October 4, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 3
Hootenanney
Celia Shacklett, Lawrence resident, plays in the alley at the 700 block of Massachusetts Street. Shacklett performed yesterday afternoon as part of the Harvest of the Arts festival. Photo Jamie Roper/KANSAN
Commission agrees to walkway
By Matt Merkel-Hes writer@kansan.com
By Matt Merkel-Hess
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The city commission last night approved plans for an overhead pedestrian walkway that will connect the Sunflower Cablevision building to an expanded Laurence Journal-World building.
The skywalk is part of a four-phase project by the World Company known as the World Company Campus. The World Company includes the Laurence JournalWorld Sunflower
Cablevision, and a press, which prints a variety of newspapers, including USA Today and the Kansan. It also owns the
nour buildings that will be part of the project on the 600 block of New Hammshire Street.
The first phase of the project is a renovation of the old post office on the corner of Seventh and New Hampshire streets for a combined print, cable and Internet newsroom. The second phase is a two-story addition to the Journal-World mail room that will provide improved access for distribution trucks.
The third phase is a two-story addition and renovation to the Sunflower Cablevision building and the private, overhead walkway, which will allow World Company
employees easier access to a parking lot on the east side of the street and access to the cable studio. The fourth phase, still under development, could include a parking garage and an addition and renovations to the old Reuter Building.
The city's Historic Resources Commission met in August and approved the project, except for the skywalk, which it determined would damage the environs of the area because of the proximity to two buildings on the National Register of Historic Places — the Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St., and the Consolidated Barb Wire Building, 8 E. Sixth St.
The project's architect, contractor and a representative from the World Company were on hand to try and prove to the commission that no other alternative existed for the 110-foot-long skywalk, estimated at just more than $367,000.
Bo Harris, from Harris Construction, said a tunnel below the street would cost almost $1.2 million. He added that there could also be problems during construction with existing utilities, cable lines, and digging next to the old post office and below the concrete slab of the Sunflower Cablevision building.
Mike Rundle, city commissioner, cast the one dissenting vote. He said he supported the overall project, but he thought a better alternative to the skywalk existed, such as a pedestrian-activated traffic signal in the middle of the block.
CITY COMMISSION
"I'm very conservative about dealing with historic buildings." Rundle said at the meeting.
What happened: The city commission approved a plan for a skywalk over the 600 block of New Hampshire Street, which the Historic Resources Commission voted against because it would encroach upon the environs of two historic buildings.
What it means: The World Company, which includes the Journal-World and Sunflower Cablevision, will be able to move forward with their comprehensive plan for an entire campus of buildings on the 600 block
What's next: The first phase of the project is an interior renovation of the old post office on the northwest corner of Seventh and New Hampshire streets. The building will house the print, online and cable newsrooms of The World Company
David Dunfield, city commissioner, said although the skywalk would change the environs of the area, he thought it was appropriate for the project. He cautioned against the idea that more skywalks should be built downtown.
"We're talking about a specific situation for a specific use," Dunfield said. "We don't want to set a precedent here of taking retail shoppers off the streets."
- Edited by Shawn Hutchinson
University permitted to appeal Watkins suit
By Jason Krall
writer @konsan.com
Kansan staff writer
The women of Watkins Scholarship Hall had mixed feelings about a decision in a lawsuit regarding the hall's trust fund, the women's attorney said yesterday.
Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy ruled Monday that the University of Kansas and Bank of America, which manages the trust, would be allowed to appeal an earlier ruling that required the bank to show the women detailed accounting of allocations and investments from the fund.
However, Murphy also ruled that the 14 women who filed the suit were beneficiaries of the fund. That entitles them to be have their comments heard by a judge each year when the fund is reviewed in court, said David Brown, attorney for the women.
If the appeal succeeds, the bank will not be required to answer questions from the Watkins residents about why the fund's annual
But regardless of the appeal's outcome, the process will likely delay hearings for at least a year. Brown said.
"We're sorry that the University and the bank want to delay this for so long," she said.
But Lynn Bretz, interim director of university relations, said the appeal was a necessary legal process that the University would have to go through to protect its rights concerning the accounting of all its trust funds.
"We hold no ill will toward the students," she said. "We're eager to see this move forward and get resolved."
Bank of America has volunteered to offer more detailed accounting in its annual report to the trust's beneficiaries this year. Brown said. But it has not announced specifically what information will be included, and the more detailed accounting may not satisfy the law.
"We hold no ill will toward the students. We're eager to see this move forward and get resolved." Lynn Bretz
interim director of university relations
suit's inquiries, he said.
Residents of the two halls have complained that the money had not been used for needed improvements such as central air-conditioning. But the money was used to repair roofing and windows at Miller this summer, according to student housing officials.
Previously, the University had been the sole beneficiary of the trust. But the ruling will allow the women some input on how the trust is managed, even if an appeals court denies them access to records of its investments, Brown said.
Tobacco devices unlawful if used with illegal drugs
- Edited by Warisa Chulindra
By Rob Pazzell
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
A run-of-the-mill tobacco smoking device quickly can become drug paraphernalia if it's used for illegal activities, the KU Public Safety Office said.
Sgt. Troy Mailen said that possessing rolling papers, pipes and water pipes became illegal if the devices were used to smoke drugs or if the person was caught with drugs. He said it was up to individual officers to determine whether smoking devices qualified as drug paraphernalia.
"It would be hard to indicate that it was possession of drug paraphernalia without something along with it," Mallen said.
7th Heaven, 1000 Massachusetts St., is one of several
stores in Lawrence that sells tobacco accessories. Eric Mater, manager, said the store listed its products as tobacco accessories and customers would be turned away just for mentioning illegal usage.
"If there's any sort of indication or slang term terminology used, we refuse service and ask them to leave," Mater said.
"The pipes have one use,and generally it's for smoking drugs."
Troy Mallen KU Public Safety Sargeant
The terminology rule is an unwritten one, Mater said. The store can't even post signs to warn customers because it would be illegal.
"If you go to a gun store and say, 'I need a gun to kill my wife,' then the gun store is liable," Mater said. "It's the same kind of situation here."
Mailen said rolling papers generally were less of a problem than pipes because a lot of people used papers to smoke tobacco. Pipes, however, usually indicate drug use.
"The pipes have one use, and generally it's for smoking drugs," Mailen said. "I don't know of any case where a clean pipe was involved."
Mailen said that in one case a man was selling clean, new glass pipes at the residence halls. He was contacted for illegal solicitation, and when marijuana was found, the officer seized the pipes.
"We didn't have a whole lot on him until the pot was found," Mailen said. "Then the officer seized the pipes based on his findings."
Versions of Turkish-style hookahs like this one have been used for smoking tobacco for centuries. Pipes like this, which cannot be sold as "bongs," are considered drug paraphernalia only if they are used to smoke illegal drugs. Photo by Jamie Roper/KANSAN
Mailen said it was legal to sell clean pipes but that possessing pot made the sales illegal.
"There is no charge of selling clean paraphernalia by itself," Mailen said. "It was the other findings that put him over the gray line."
Ira Frydman, Milwaukee, Wis., senior, said he didn't think having a pipe was a problem if the person didn't have any drugs.
"If it's not being put into use," he said, "I don't see a problem with it."
Edited by Erin McDaniel
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