2D THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OFF THE HILL
MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2004
Precautions a must for house parties
By Joe Burke
jburke@kansan.com
Kansas Staff Writer
Courtney Kuhlen/KANSAN
Alex Carr, Topea graduate,
walked through his house at 939
Indiana St. last Christmas and felt
satisfied as he watched all of his
friends enjoying themselves at the
annual Christmas party put on by
he and his other 12 roommates.
Last year's party was the third time Carr and his friends held the celebration. Each year the group has improved its party and the method in which they throw it, he said.
"When you live with that many people there tends to be a lot of people that come over when we have a party." Carr said. "We just try to monitor the alcohol and make sure everyone at the party knows someone that lives there."
This may sound simple, but even the smallest home gatherings can turn out to be a disaster.
Carr said he and his roommates learned right away the do's and don'ts of having a successful house party.
House parties in Lawrence are a regular occurrence. They may be held by people who are too young to go to the bars or people who don't want to pay for drinks at the bars. Whatever the reason, parties can get out of hand if the proper precautions are not taken.
“If we were going to have a keg we would try to keep it in the back of our house near the door and the cups would be somewhere else,” Hensley said. “That made it easier to monitor who was drinking it and if they had a cup from the party.”
Adam Hensley, Overland Park graduate, said one necessity was to keep the refreshments and cups in different places.
Another tip for house party safety is to know who the people are in your house. Sometimes simply asking someone who they can prevent a future problem later in the night.
This is especially important if you are a person attending someone else's party.
House parties are common in Lawrence, many times with kegs or other alcohols. Alerting neighbors and knowing who is at the party are some ways to avoid confrontations with police and unwanted visitors.
One way to avoid any trouble with the police is to notify your neighbors on both sides of your house, maybe an invitation would be nice as well.
"We decided the best way to avoid noise complaints from neighbors was to invite them to our party," Carr said. "Even if they did not come, they knew we were
having a party."
The most important aspect when throwing a house party is to have fun, Hensley said.
Z. G. Straus/KANSAN
"If you are not having fun at your own party it will be hard for others to enjoy it," Hensley said. "Try to relax and enjoy your friends wreck-
ingyour house because next week it will be at theirs."
- Edited by Marc Ingber
The city of Lawrence is cracking down on owners whose lawns are over one foot tall and is providing a number to report offenders.
Unkempt lawns could cost owners
By Amanda O'Tole
avotoole@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Rusty Wright uses his red riding lawn mower every day. The Lawrence Junior said he took pride in the 15 lawns his business, Wright Services, maintained. He neglected lawns were nothing more than eyesores for the city.
And other members of the community seem to agree with Wright. The Neighborhood Resources Department receives daily complaints about unruly lawns, is backed by the Neighborhood Resources Weed Ordinance, and has the right to mow an overgrown yard at the landowner's expense.
Any grass or weeds that reach more than a foot in height violate the ordinance.
The complaint-based organization has two full-time inspectors on staff who notify landowners of any violations. If the problem is not taken care of within 10 days, the city will hire one of four contractors to maintain the lawn and will send a bill to the landowner.
Wright said 10 days was too long. He said the city should take action before the grass reaches an extreme height.
"It makes our city look bad," he said. "I think a lot of those people don't care a lot about their lawns."
In addition to aesthetic purposes, the ordinance serves to keep rodent, insect and snake infestation down to a minimum.
Unruly lawns can also be traffic hazards if they impair vision or block signs.
Both residential and commer-
MAKING A COMPLAINT
Barry Walthall, Lawrence code enforcement manager, said residences can make complaints at any time on their Web site. www.lawrence.neighres.org, or by calling 832-7700.
social property are subject to the code.
Jerry Freeman, operational assistant at Earl May Garden and Nursery Center, 3200 Iowa St., said any yard that had growth over a foot tall was a case of obvious neglect.
When lawns grow to such an extreme height, it is important to bag or rake up clippings so they don't kill the lawn, he said.
He said an ideal lawn should be kept to 2.5 to 3 inches.
Bill Harmon Jr., president of the Landlords of Lawrence, Inc., said the majority of landowners left lawn responsibility in the hands of tenants.
He said he had not had any problems with tenants violating the policy, and landlords should be responsible and aware of the condition of their yards.
"Ultimately, the fine goes back to the landlord. We should be driving by and checking out our lawns," he said.
Wright said, many people may not have lawn mowers but should find a way to take care of their lawns.
"If a person is just lazy they should foot the cost," he said.
— Edited by John Scheirman
Street renamed in honor of developer Bob Billings
By Amanda O'Toole
aotole@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The newly displayed name of former KU basketball player Bob Billings can't be found hanging from the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse, but instead on 50 or so street signs west of Iowa. The stretch of 15th Street west of Iowa was renamed Bob Billings Parkway during the last week of
July as directed by a resolution the City Commission passed about a year ago in response to a petition.
And according to Chris Lazarino, associate editor of the Kansas Alumni Magazine, his name will be popping up on more than street signs.
"We're going to see this happening," he said of the recent honors to Billings, who died last February.
"I think it gives you an idea of how important he was," Bobbie Flory, Lawrence Home Builder's
Billings, a real estate developer who attended the University of Kansas from 1955 to 1959 and was involved philanthropically in Lawrence, was honored as namesake of the Lawrence Memorial Hospital's new cardiac center and also by a drawing that was donated on his behalf to the Spencer Museum of Art in June.
Association executive director, said.
Flory said the association chose 15th Street because of Billings' involvement with the development along the street, including Alvamar Country Club, and because of his time and involvement at the University.
Billings, who was a guard for the Jayhawks from 1956 to 1959 served the University and
Lawrence beyond the basketball court and for more than four decades.
Billings was also student body president in 1957 and served the University in several positions, such as the director of KU Aids and Awards Office, which was later named Office of Student Financial Aid, and the KU Athletics Corporation board.
Lazzarino said students should look to Billings as an
example. Billings, whom he said defined the concept of gentleman, was a business man whose top priority was not profit, Lazarino said.
"His main priority was to keep everyone's best interest in mind," he said. "Students today are trying to form ideas and concepts to grab onto — they can find no better example than Bob Billings."
— Edited by John Scheirman
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