Olathe News - March 3 '08

Council to Present Farmers Insurance Group
with Pride Award
The Olathe City Council will award Farmers Insurance Group with a Pride Award
at their March 4 meeting.  Farmers is being
recognized for their community spirit and the tremendous investment they have
made in the Olathe
community. 

The City of Olathe can take great
pride not only in the many new jobs Farmers is creating and the positive
economic impact of their expansion, but of Farmers' outstanding community
spirit and the many ways in which they have stepped forward to become involved
as a valuable community partner and friend. 
In addition to their community sponsorships, including the Olathe Summer
Concert Series, Farmers is represented
in many volunteer efforts and on boards such as the Olathe Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors and the Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund Board. 

Accepting the
award for Farmers Tuesday night will be Rod Johnson, Vice President,
ServicePoint, and Vince Donofrio, Vice President, HelpPoint.

The Community Pride Award was created to
honor those individuals, businesses and community organizations of the City of Olathe who have excelled in enhancing the image of Olathe.  Award
submissions can be made to the Office of the Mayor.  Call 913-971-8700 for
more information.

The Olathe City Council will consider at their March 4 meeting several road
projects designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion. 

The first project consists of the
construction of a right turn lane from south bound K-7 to West bound 56 Highway. 
Because of anticipated increases in traffic volumes for this area the project
will include long-range planning as well.  This project includes State
funds and is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2009.

A second project will construct a merge lane
for traffic exiting north bound I-35 to east bound 151st Street.  This project has been
awarded Federal funds.  This project is tentatively scheduled to be
constructed in the spring of 2009.

The intersections of Santa
Fe and Lindenwood and Santa
Fe and Brougham will receive improvements to increase
capacity and improve traffic flow.  The
Lindenwood project will receive an additional northbound left turn lane from
Lindenwood to Santa Fe. 
The Brougham project will receive an eastbound left turn lane on Santa Fe to northbound
Brougham.  Construction of both projects
is expected to begin in the Spring of 2008.  Both projects received State
STP Safety funds.

March 11 Council Meeting Canceled
There will be no City Council meeting Tuesday, March 11 so that Councilmembers
may attend the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, D.C. 
Information about the Olathe City Council is available at www.olatheks.org.

Dispose of Household Chemicals
Safely Saturday
Olathe residents are asked to safely dispose of household products at Olathe's
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop-off site, located south of the Olathe
Municipal Services Center, 1385 S. Robinson, Saturday, March 8. 
The HHW collection site is open the second Saturday of the month year-round
from 8 a.m. to noon.   HHW also can be disposed of at other times by
appointment.  Call 913-971-9311 to schedule an appointment.

Household chemicals such as
motor oil, antifreeze, paint, batteries and pesticides can be harmful to the
environment and should not be thrown away with trash or dumped down the
sink.  Disposal of these types of chemicals at a HHW facility ensures
proper disposal of the chemicals and helps protect the environment. 

For more information, please
call the Olathe Municipal Services
Center at 913-971-9311.

Olathe Civic Academy Looks at Local Government from
Inside Out - Register Now!
Applications are available now for the Olathe
Civic Academy,
designed to provide an inside view of Olathe City
government.  Olathe
Civic Academy
is an exciting citizen program, led by elected officials and City staff, which
provides an enhanced understanding of local government, while providing a sense
of renewal and vitality about the community.  Olathe Civic
Academy clarifies the
City's organizational structure and its roles in capital improvement projects,
finances, parks and recreation, public safety and municipal services ranging
from water utilities to solid waste management. 

Olathe Civic
Academy is modeled after citizen
academies across the country, yet the program highlights what is uniquely Olathe.  Olathe Civic
Academy classes meet on
nine consecutive Thursday evenings from 5:45 to 9 p.m. beginning April
17.  There is no participation fee. 

Applications are available at www.olatheks.org, select Community Involvement, or by
calling Carolyn Hendley at 913-971-8946.  Applications are due by Friday,
March 28.

Champions of Character Parent Seminar Teaches
Sportsmanship to Adults on Sidelines
Good sportsmanship is a top
priority within the City of Olathe
sports programs for players, coaches, fans and especially parents.  That's
why one parent is encouraged to attend a Champions of Character Parent Seminar. 
The seminars, which educate parents about the importance of remaining
spectators and letting the participants play the game, are being taught by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA).

"While we are proud to say that we have not
had any incidents of bad sportsmanship by our parents or participants in the
City of Olathe's Parks and Recreation programs, we realize that seminars such
as these are important to inform everyone about the importance of respecting
one another during a sports event as well as realizing that it is a game and
that we all need to just have fun," said Brad Clay, superintendent of the City
of Olathe's Parks and Recreation Department.

One parent is encouraged to attend a
Champions of Character seminar if they have a child or children participating
in sports through Olathe
Parks and Recreation,
Olathe Youth Baseball, Inc., Olathe Girls Softball Association or Kansas Rush
Soccer. 

Parents who attend a seminar and sign the
"Parent Champions of Character Seminar" form will be exempt from attending
another Champions of Character seminar for three years from the last seminar
attended. This exemption includes all of the sports groups listed above.

The seminar for spring sports will
be March 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Olathe East High School Auditorium, 14545 W. 127^th St. 

For more information about the Champions of
Character Parent Seminar, call the City of Olathe Parks and Recreation Dept. at
913-971-6263.

For more up-to-date City of Olathe info. including Construction Alerts and Job Opportunities, visit the City website at www.olatheks.org.

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100 E. Santa Fe; Olathe, KS 66061
913-971-8700