University Daily Kansan / Thursday, March 30. 1989
Campus/Area
3
Fatal crash site still lacks warning system
by Candy Niemann
Kansan staff writer
More than two years after four KU students...saved by an accident at a railroad crossing north of the site. The student has yet to be installed at the site.
Al Cathecart, assistant coordinating engineer for the Kansas Department of Transportation, said authority was given to Union Pacific Railroad Company on July 19, 1988, to proceed with the purchase of a train warning system involving automatic gates and flashing lights.
Union Pacific has not set a date for installation of the warning system, but a spokesman said it could be in place within four months.
Cathcart said it normally took 18 months to two years for railroads to install warning systems.
"We do not set time limitations on the railroads," he said.
Jared Granthum, father of one of the students killed in the accident and professor of medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said that he was appalled that the system had not been installed yet.
system has it's disgusting." Grantham said. "It shows a definite lack of sensitivity on the part of the
lawmakers and the railroad.
"Bureaucratic red tape is no excuse. If they would have really been concerned about the situation, a guard would have been up by now."
The accident occurred March 27, 1987, when a car with four passengers, all KU students, collided with a train one mile north of Lawrence on county road 190NW, 75 yards west of U.S. Highway 2459. The students were on their way to Chi Omega barm party. All four died suddenly.
Jenifer Jones, St. Louis freshman and Alpha Chi Omega sorority pledge: Elizabeth Dunlap, Salina junior and member of Chi Omega; Daniel McDevitt, Salina sophomore and rush chairman of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity; and Joel Granham, Overland Park sophomore and Phi Gamma Delta scholarship chairman, all were killed in the crash.
Waiting for equipment
Cliff Shoemaker, director of industrial and public projects for Union Pacific said construction had not begun because the company was waiting for custom-made equipment for the system.
He said that the company also was
metallizing warning systems at five other sites in Douglas County, which had added three to six months to the project.
It was of our opinion that there were other crossings in the area that were actually more mature than that one, so we care of the moor. 'So shoemaker said.'
LL. Bill Shepard of the Douglas County sheriff's department said he grew up near the area. He agreed that other railroad crossings in the county had more blind spots but said that the accident's crossing was a problem because of nearby Laptad's barn.
"A lot of people drink out there," he said.
Blood alcohol tests by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation showed that one of the four students, McDevitt, was legally drunk at the time of the accident. Investigators could not determine who was driving the car.
Delay 'unfortunate'
Shoemaker said Union Pacific expected to begin construction within 100 days. He said each warning would be issued to 10,000 and take two weeks to install.
After the July 11 date, we still had
to make circuitry plans, be reviewed again and do internal accounting," he said. "It is unfortunate that it takes so long."
Catheart said installation of the warning system had to go through several steps:
- On June 13, 1987, the parties involved agreed that 90 percent of the installation costs would be paid for by the federal government, with 5 percent paid by Douglas County and 5 percent paid by Union Pacific.
- ■ On April 28, 1897, an on-site review of the crossing was conducted by members of the Kansas Department of Forestry. The crossing was Union Pacific and Douglas County.
- On September 15, 1987, a survey of the site was completed.
the site was completed.
■ On February 22, 1988, plans for the installation were completed.
On July 6, 1988, an agreement was reached for Union Peific to install the warning system
On July 11, 1988, Union Pacific was authorized to purchase installation equipment.
Clayton Reid, Topeka junior and member of Gila Gamma Delta, said that three days ago, on the anniversary of the accident, he and other members of his fraternity talked with Grantham's parents about the
Two years ago
On the night of March 27, 1987,
four KU students were killed
when the car they were in was
struck broadside by a train.
railroad crossing.
Rafael crossing,
"I don't want something like what happened to my friends to happen again." Reid said.
2 injured in accident on 15th St.
by a Kansan reporter
Two Lawrence residents were treated and released from Lawrence Memorial Hospital yesterday after being injured in a car accident on 15th Street in front of the Krohnell Environmental Services.
Crystal Wapp, 15, had just picked up her mother, Bett Wapp, both of 204 Heatherwood Drive, from work at Hall-Kimbrell, 4840 W. 158 St. at approximately 5:30 p.m.
Lawrence police officer Jim Haller Jr said the Wappes were pulling out of the parking lot when they collided with a car traveling west on 15th Street, Tim Baller, 39 of 210 Heatherwood Drive, was driving the car. His 10-year-old son, Kevin, was a passenger.
Crystal Wapp and Kevin Bailley were taken by the Douglas County Ambulance Service to the hospital, where they were treated and then released Betty Wapp and Tim Bailley were not injured.
Douglas County Ambulance workers assist Crystal Wapp, Lawrence,
away from the scene of a two-car accident on 15th Street. Wapp and
Student Senate denies allegations in column
Kevin Ballew of Lawrence were treated and released yesterday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
Kansan staff writer
by Stan Diel
Student Senate officials last night rebuffed accusations made yesterday in a University Daily Kansan column.
"We have been accused of trading funds for good press," Hutchinson said. "This is obviously untrue, with plots, no politics, no policies."
Senate officials said that the column accused the Senate of blackmailing the Kansan by making additional financing conditional on what the Kansan's editors said about the Senate, Jane Hutchinson, Student Executive Committee chairman, said that was not the case.
(Kansan general manager and author of the column) made his claims primarily based on information from Julie Adam (Kansan editor); who received her information from staff members who had heard senators make comments claiming that the Kansan could be hurting its chances for funding by criticizing the Senate.
hs. Period.
"We were told that Mr. Eblen
The Senate last night also voted to raise the restricted fee for Watkins Memorial Health Center.
"For one thing, this is secondary hearsa. Furthermore, even if the sources were accurate, these sources would be constructed as an offer of a deal."
Eblen and Adam declined comment.
Morlan cites school experience
Editor's note: This is the fourth of five Lawrence School Board candidate profiles. Three spots on the board will be filled in the April 4 election.
by Carrie Harper Kansan staff writer
Larry Morlan, 44, said he would continue working toward establishing a vocational-educational program, emphasizing the basics of education, and establishing a working *r*⁺⁽⁷⁾⁽⁸⁾⁽⁹⁾ program with
Morgan, director of corporate and foundation support for the Kansas University Endowment Association, has been appointed to serve on the board since 1985.
Morlan helped set up a committee to research the possibility of a vocational educational program that would include teachers and students to help students.
Morgan said his experience in budget analysis, labor negotiations, personnel management and teacher rela-
qualified him as a school-board member. Morlan bus. taught, in junior high and high schools.
he taught in major schools. He has taught in major schools. He said he did not fear the addition of binding arbitration to teachers' contracts because of his own experience.
Morlan received bachelor's degrees in education and political science from McPherson College in 1966 and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Kansas in 1979.
Morton was the only school board member to vote against adopting a second high school. He said he did not think a school of 2,000 students was too large because there were options to make it work.
were option to have Lawrence High School has a critical mass of fine teachers and curriculum that must be maintained, Morlan said.
Morlan is director of the Kansas International Development Association and director of the Lawrence Sports Corporation. He is a member of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and director of Aquahawks, a youth swimming club.
Morlan has lived in Lawrence for 19 years. He and his wife, Joyce, have a son, Clif, a seventh-grader at West Junior High School. They live at 2916 Westdale Road.
Candidate emphasizes job market
Editor's note: This is the fourth of six City Commission candidate profiles. The candidates are running for three available spots on the commission. The election is April 4.
by Carrie Harper Kansan staff writer
Shirley Martin-Smith, 42, said that Lawrence had an obligation to its children. and
future residents to ensure that the city continued to grow in job opportunities.
Martin-Smith,
owner of Martin-
Smith Personnel
she was proud of
Martin-Smith
putting thousands of people to work in Lawrence and of her ability to listen and understand the needs of the entire community.
She said the city needed fore-sighted commissioners who could make decisions about the problems of a large town growing into a small city.
open communication lines between the commissioners, all elected officials and the community is one priority Martin-Smith has suggested for Lee commission. She said she also would like to see an expanding tax base developed through quality economic growth and strengthened delivery of human services.
Martin-Smith placed second in the primary election with 2,839 votes.
The South Lawrence Trafficway is crucial to the successful development of the East Hills Business Park and the Intech Business Park in Eudora, Martin-Smith said. She said Lawrence was one of the key developments of a master traffic plan because Lawrence was growing and was located between two large cities.
"We must manage our traffic before it manages us," she said.
Martin-Smith is chairman of the board of trustees of Leadership Kansas and is vice president of United Way of Douglas County. In 1987, she was chairman of the United Way campaign in Lawrence. She also was a co-chairman of the bond issue to the Holcot Park Recreation Center.
Martin-Smith said she would not support construction of a suburban mall, especially after seeing what did to her home town of Topeka.
She said the Riverfront project would add many new shopping choices and had the potential to attract more retail shops downtown.
"The Riverfront is a good beginning to more variety of our shopping options," Martin-Smith said. "It going to be a good tourist attraction for Lawrence and the Midwest, actually."
Martin-Smith said she thought traffic systems, storm-drain systems and code enforcement issues might pose problems for the neighborhood problems facing the commission
"I think we should take care of our neighborhood environments," Martin-Smith said. "We need to take care of the physical aspects of our neighborhoods. Not only do you have to repair, you have to maintain."
martin-Smith said something needed to be done about the long City Commission meetings, but she did not know what would be the best solution.
solution.
Martin-Smith lives at 1616 Louisiana St.
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COLLEGE ASSEMBLY ELECTION
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