CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Wednesday, June 11, 1997 3 Businesses close for summer KU students leave town, and many stores slow down. By Sean Patrick Kansan staff writer The signs of summer are everywhere in Lawrence. An announcement posted at Joe's Bakery, 616 W. Ninth St., reads, "We have decided to close for the summer. We appreciate your business very much! We hope you will come back in August. We are very sorry for the short notice." The signs are on businesses all over town. Most of them say that summer is here and that business hours have been cut. Each year, from the end of May until the middle of August, local business owners are forced to compensate for the drop in student population. Almost a quarter of the city's population leaves for the summer. Joe's Bakery was open for business until June 1 before owner Ralph Smith decided to close for the season. "We handle it on a year-to-year basis," said Smith. "Basically, I decided this weekend that I want to spend more time with my wife." Smith said that daytime business was adequate, but that late-night business had virtually disappeared. He said the drop was due to the high number of students that had left for the summer. "We kind of starve in the summer," Smith said. "The bakery is my only source of income." According to the University Infor mation Center, there were 26,160 students enrolled for the Spring 1997 semester. Because summer semester enrollment is incomplete, no exact figures for student population are available. Last June there were 7,100 students enrolled in summer school. The employees at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., also notice when the spring semester ends. "The students leaving has a pretty good effect on us," said Scott Bliss, manager of Liberty Hall cinema. "Business drops, especially between semesters. It's noticeable, but year after year it gets less noticeable." Liberty Hall fights the summer slowdown by changing their show times or trimming the number of times a movie plays. Bliss also said that summer was a slow time for bands that might use Liberty Hall as a live music venue. "In the summer, the bands go out doors," Bliss said. "They join the big festivals like the Warped tour or the H.O.R.D.E. festival. We definitely have a big drop-off there." However, Bliss did not think the summer slowdown was a bad thing. "We have been tackling projects that have demanded our attention," he said. "It's beneficial, we get a lot done." Not all local businesses feel the absence of students as sharply as others. The Hy-Vee Food and Drug store, 3504 Clinton Parkway, notices when spring semester ends but not as much as other stores. "We really haven't seen a big dropoff this year," said Jeff Cuttell, HyVee food store manager. "With us being on the southwest side of the city where we've had a lot of growth, we get a lot of the normal residents. We don't see a very big fluctuation." Water, water everywhere — except Robinson Swimming is restricted to instructional pool while renovation is underway. By Tamara Miller Kansan staff writer Summer is here and the pools should be filled—with both water and swimmers. However, anyone looking for swimming fun at Robinson Center may find an unwelcome surprise. The competition pool and diving well are out of order. George Lottes, Robinson Center aquatics director, said the part of the pool area was being renovated and was closed for the rest of the summer. "We have closed off the diving well and are moving the open swimming to the instructional pool." Lottes said. The project is part of the Kansas Crumbling Classrooms spending package. The renovation is scheduled to be finished by fall and classes are scheduled to meet in the pool next semester. Lottes said the pool had been leaking water through the tiling on the walls and had weakened the concrete underneath, which caused the tiles to pop off. And the drain pipes had cracked, which prevented effective filtering of the pool. The pool is being retiled, and the drain pipes are being completely replaced. "We'll make it safer, cleaner. And it will have better circulation of pool water," Lottes said. Wayne Osness, chairman of health and physical education, said that the deterioration was partially caused by chlorine. Chlorine is necessary to keep the pool clean, but the chemical's acidity breaks down metal pipes. But the biggest factor was the age of the pool. "The pool was built in 1966," Osness said. "Pools simply just don't last that long." The competition pool was used not only for open recreational swimming, but also for scuba and diving classes and swimming camps. Lottes, who also teaches the scuba and diving classes, said that it was important that the project be completed by the fall. If the pool is not open, Lottes said, only the scuba lecture class could be held, and the diving class would have to be canceled. The competition pool is also used by the swim team for practice and for meets. "The pool is critical not only for class but for the intercollegiate program." Osness said. In addition to the needed renovations, Lottes said that the pool would be brought up to comply with the federal regulations. A portable handicap ramp and a wheel chair that can be used in water have been ordered. Asbestos is being removed in the pool area. Dry niche lights, which can be changed without getting in the water, will replace the old lights. So far the project is on schedule, and Lottes said he was confident the pool would be open in time for fall classes. Robinson Center is renovating its diving well and competition pool. The pool is scheduled to re-open by fall semester. Graham Johnson staff photographer / KANSAN Parking pass or not, spots are available Some students avoid $26 fee for summer parking pass By Daniel Ethan Thompson Kansan staff writer With smaller summer enrollment and empty residence halls, KU students are finding ways to avoid buying a $26 summer parking pass. "I haven't seen anyone towed yet," said Jennifer Maxwell, Lawrence senior, who has parked behind the Gamma Phil Beta house on West Campus Road since school started. "My child's baby-sitter at Hilltop said to try over here. When I came over, it was almost full, and no one had parking passes." Maxwell said. She said she had noticed cars by the Jayhawk Bookstore with an "Attention: Immediately Tow" sticker stuck to the window. The Lawrence Police Department is responsible for all private-property property. But the owner must call and request the tow, a Lawrence Police dispatcher said. "We usually don't call the police for towing during the summer," said Julie Numrich, Overland Park junior and Chi Omega member. "When I can't park, then I'll get a little angr." she said. Numrich said the sorority house's lot started filling up when summer classes started. She said anyone who parks in the front row will be towed because of the construction in the house. Other greek houses on West Campus Road also have available parking spaces. The Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Kappa houses are both mostly vacant for the summer. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon house is no longer there. The parking lot, however, is in perfect working order. Maxwell's baby-sitter has also discovered safe parking at the scholarship halls. Donna Huntine, assistant director of parking, said that the parking department does not ticket student zones in the residence hall or scholarship hall parking lots during the summer. "Remember, although no one is living in the halls, there are still people in the offices," Huntine said. "In each of those lots there are staff areas that are subject to tickets, and if you park at a meter, you need to pay." For those who don't want to fight the free-spot-seeking cars descending on the scholarship halls and who don't want to leave their cars in the private parking lots of West Campus Road, there is one last option: Buy the $26 summer parking pass. There are plenty of summer slots in the lot, and your car will be there when you get back. For some, the gamble is worth the price. "I'm too cheap to buy a parking pass," Maxwell said. COME EXPERIENCE THE COSMIC GROOVES OF Free Jamiroqual Limited Edition T-Shirt, License Plates and more... Ond Free Hooverphonic Vinyl Samplers and Postcards HOOVERPHONIC A WORKSHOP IN MUSIC AND THEATRE ZWICKY JIMNAER - COSMIC GIRL COCKTAILS - $1 TWO-WICKY SHOTS - $1.75 WELLS - HORS D' OEUVRES ALL FOLLOWED BY REVOLUTION THE AREAS MOST POTENT DANCE NIGHT 1020 Massachusetts • 842-1390 Sometimes there are moments in our lives when we seem to see and think beyond the usual When our existence takes on greater meaning. These moments are like signposts. These moments can inspire our creativity. These moments matter. NEW LOW PRICE! $149.00 Jayhawk Bookstore 1420 Crescent Road 843-3826 This June 14th the Smoky Hill River Festival will feature the Paul Winter Consort premiering "Grasslands" a special musical production celebrating and honoring our prairie. The prairie... a complex system of plants and roots that is 30 million years old - in Kansas, we live right in the middle of it. Saturday, June 14, 7:00 p.m. at the Bi-Center in Salina, Kansas. Admission is a $5 ticket plus a Smoky Hill River Festival Button. A world class event for the people in Kansas... the internationally acclaimed and Grammy award winning Paul Winter Consort will premiere a musical work inspired by the prairie and grassland region of the world. Including 140 regional musicians, narration by Wes Jackson, dance, and more. An evening you will never forget. A project of the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission, a department of the City of Salina. For further information please call 913-826-7410.