THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5, 2011
PAGE 3
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ABRY DAVIS/KANSAN
Ali Zaidi cuts his food in the proper way after watching a demonstration. Zaidi was one of many students who came out to the Etiquette Dinner at Adams Alumni Center to learn about formal business dining.
LAWRENCE
Brick pavement poses danger
MARIT EHMKE editor@kansan.com
Lawrence's historic brick streets and sidewalks are unsafe.
As the city of Lawrence tries to maintain the authenticity of the brick street, property owners are stuck with the bill of maintaining the brick sidewalks. The conditions of both continue to decline in several areas around town despite claims from the city that the streets and sidewalks are not a problem.
Stueve, like many other residents, commutes around town via bicycle. He has a substantial scrape on his right elbow because he fell off his bicycle caused by uneven bricks near 11th and Massachusetts streets.
According to a Kansas statute (12-1808), it is the duty of the property owner to keep the sidewalk in repair. Lawrence city ordinance 16-105 emphasizes that statute by stipulating it is the duty of the property owner to not permit any holes or depressions in the sidewalk that could cause injury to pedestrians. This has left many Lawrence residents wondering what the real price is for keeping up appearances.
"I think the conditions are ridiculous," said Josh Stueve, a Lawrence resident. "They neglect those streets and ignore the problem."
Steuve isn't the only one who finds fault with the brick streets in Lawrence.
City engineer Shoeb Uddin said the sidewalk issue is not as dire as it may seem to some.
"Most of the roads are terrible," said Mike Calvillo, bus driver for the University's Jay-Lift program. "It's disturbing and unhealthy. Driving on them can be a pain, especially with the Jay-Lift program. It can be hazardous with specialty patients — sometimes even painful and hurtful."
If a person calls in to complain about a sidewalk, the Department of Public Works sends someone out to assess the situation. From then, a letter is sent requesting compliance. In Uddin's recollection, there hasn't been a case where a property owner has been fined.
Lynne Braddock Zollner, the historic resources administrator for Lawrence, said trying to maintain the brick streets and sidewalks couldn't be more important.
"Brick streets are a character-defining element of our historic areas in Lawrence," Zollner said. "The reason we preserve and maintain them is because they are a part of Lawrence history."
Edited by Mike Lavieri
MAX MIKULECKY/KANSAN
The bricks of a worn, historic sidewalk are stamped with "Lawrence Kansas" at 8th and Indiana streets. Some of the brick sidewalks that line some Lawrence streets are close to 100-years-old.
TRUANCY FROM 11
STATE BUDGET CUTS
The diversion program was among the many programs under the axe during this year's budget cuts by Gov. Sam Brownback and the Kansas legislature. The diversion program had more than a third of its budget cut, from $14,840 to $9,189, according to the Youth Services Department of Douglas County.
After the budget cuts, the Lawrence SRS office lost its employee working on truancy issues. This meant serious problems for the program, until the Youth Services Department of Douglas County offered to help support the program.
"I am so thankful to Douglas County youth services that they stepped forward and said we'll work with you," Sheldon said.
However, Sheldon said this year's budget cuts aren't the first time economic malaise has affected the program's ability to reach students.
During a separate round of budget cus that occurred a few years ago, attendance personnel at schools was reduced. This diminished the school's ability to detect excessive truancy and refer students to the diversion program, Sheldon said.
The number of children served by the program has dropped from 116 in the 2006-2007 school year to 43 in the 2010-2011 year, and Sheldon said she didn't think it was because fewer kids were absent.
"Data doesn't show the same kind of decline that we're seeing here," Sheldon said. "I think this is a financial issue of not referring."
INTERVENTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
Truancy correlates with lack of parental supervision, domestic violence, poverty, drug or alcohol abuse, single-parent homes and parents holding multiple jobs, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Sheldon emphasized the importance of intervention and support for truant children.
"Some of these kids are homeless." she said.
Sheldon said a successful intervention includes parental involvement, incentives for attendance, community resources and meaningful consequences for truancy. Sheldon described one such consequence as a boy losing his Xbox for a week. For a student in good standing, rewards might include a special activity with his or her intern.
"We're trying to develop a relationship; work with them, encourage them to go to school," Sheldon said.
These efforts help to prevent or mitigate the long-term effects of truancy, which have been correlated with marital problems, job problems, adult criminality and incarceration. The effects on society include a less educated workforce, higher daytime crime rates and increased reliance on state welfare programs.
"What we should do is try to intervene with truancy to prevent other problems from occurring or being exacerbated," Sheldon said.
Guiding a stray youth back toward school is not a simple task, but Sheldon said it is an important one, and said that University interns do a "fabulous job."
Edited by Jason Bennett
WEINBERG FROM | 1
gallery in early September.
The University has benefited from Weinberg's accomplishments not only as an artist, but also as an experienced traveler. Dr. Susan Gronbek-Tedesco of the Office of International Programs has seen the advantage of working with someone who has connections with people from around the world.
"He has maintained relationships for the University in several countries," Gronbeck-Tedesco said. "His presence just helps other colleagues, international colleagues understand that we're interested and we want to keep our partnerships alive."
As he enters retirement, Weinberg has every intention to stay in Lawrence, where he makes it a priority to give back. He has been on the Board of Warm Hearts of Douglas County, the campaign chair and board member of United Way of Douglas County and a member of the Lawrence Rotary Club.
"This is a wonderful community and it has given so much to me and it's very little, so modest what I do, to try to give back to the community," Weinberg said.
Edited by C.J. Matson
STREETS FROM 1
Iowa and 23rd streets had the most accidents in 2010, and other areas along 23rd Street are in the top five locations for accidents. The Lawrence Journal-World indicated that the intersection was the top location for accidents last year as well. Woosley said that a map addressing problem intersections could be difficult for the city.
"Depending upon the type of crashes that occur, there may or may not be solutions that would reduce the number." Woosley said.
However, the city is planning major modifications to the Iowa and 23rd streets intersection. Woosley said that the project is currently awaiting funding, which could exceed $1 million.
Along with this, the city offers a program to help offset the cost to property owners when driveways are consolidated to reduce the number of movements such as left turn-ins or left turn-outs. Woosley also said he anticipated that traffic on 23rd Street would decrease significantly after construction on K-10 was complete.
The city and state periodically conduct traffic counts to gauge the number of vehicles in particular areas. According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, between 30,000 and 50,000 vehicles passed through the intersection of Iowa and 23rd streets daily in 2010.
Woosley said there was a higher
volume of cars on the street during the rush-hour times of 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
"There is certainly an increase in traffic when school is in session," Woosley said.
Woosley also said that to avoid accidents, drivers should be defensive and pay attention.
"You should judge things for yourself," Sellers said. "Don't trust other drivers."
Sellers said that after her accident, she decided to change her route to avoid another accident and suggested other drivers consider doing the same.
Edited by C.J. Matson
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