Olathe News - Mar. 24 '08

Olathe News Releases

Downtown Olathe Parking Garage Opening with March 26 Ceremony
State of the City Luncheon March 28
Spots Still Available for Annual Scouting Open House
Public Art & Culture Commission Public Hearing March 26
Lawn Irrigation Inspection Program Protects Water Supply
Highly-Anticipated Mahaffie Heritage Center Opens Early April

Downtown Olathe Parking Garage Opening with March 26 Ceremony
The newly-expanded and enhanced downtown Olathe parking garage, located north of Loula between Cherry and Chestnut Streets, will officially open after a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 26. The ceremony will be held at the new Chestnut St. entrance to the expanded garage.

This expansion project has added 400 parking spaces in that area. The project was started June 30, 2007 and was completed on-time and on-budget.

Specifically, the project constructed a new six-level parking garage on the site of the existing parking lot located directly north of the existing parking garage. The project also linked the two structures together and made aesthetic improvements to the existing garage to tie it together visually with the new garage and other surrounding buildings.

This is a joint project of the City of Olathe and Johnson County.

Expanding parking in downtown Olathe is one component of the City of Olathe's commitment to downtown Olathe. In 2003 the Council approved the Envision Olathe Plan which outlines a comprehensive revitalization plan for downtown Olathe. The parking garage expansion project is one of the first visible steps taken from that plan. Other projects include the railroad elevation project, also near completion, and the Santa Fe streetscape project set to begin next spring.

For questions related to this work or the parking garage expansion project, contact Jeff Blakeman, project coordinator, 913-971-8767.

State of the City Luncheon March 28
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce will host the 2008 State of the City Luncheon at 11 a.m., Friday, March 28 at the Olathe Holiday Inn, 101 W. 151st St. The event will feature Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland's annual State of the City address.

For more information contact the Olathe Chamber of Commerce at (913) 764-1050.

Spots Still Available for Annual Scouting Open House
The City of Olathe will host its annual Open House for Scouting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10. The session will be held in the City Council Chamber of Olathe City Hall, 100 E. Santa Fe.

The Open House for Scouting offers Olathe Boy and Cub Scouts an opportunity to learn about local government and the many aspects of the City, including Olathe's form of government, the role of the Mayor and other City officials, how City departments operate, and good citizenship. Helpful handouts will be available for all Scouts who attend.

Contact Karen Hooven, assistant to the Mayor, at (913) 971-8941 or khooven@olatheks.org to make reservations to attend. Space is limited for this event.

Public Art & Culture Commission Public Hearing March 26
The Olathe Public Art and Culture Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, March 26 for agencies who applied for the 2008 grant program for public art and culture programs and events. The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. at Olathe City Hall, 100 E. Santa Fe.

Art funding must benefit the Olathe community, its artists and audiences. Only 501(c) (3) agencies qualify, although the Commission itself may submit and qualify for programs. The Commission was established by the City Council to help make recommendations on arts funding as well as advising on establishing policies and regulations relating to public art and culture programs in Olathe.
For more information call (913) 971-6263.

Lawn Irrigation Inspection Program Protects Water Supply
With the arrival of spring, comes the inevitable return of routine lawn maintenance. The City of Olathe Municipal Services Department would like to remind Olathe water customers of the City's Cross-Connection Program, which includes an annual inspection and testing for all backflow prevention devices installed on underground lawn irrigation systems.

The City's Cross-Connection Program helps to ensure safe water for all Olathe water customers by eliminating the risk of potential water contamination through cross-connections. A cross-connection is any connection between the public water supply and a source where there is potential for contaminants to enter the City's water supply. The connection between a lawn irrigation system and the City's main water supply is an example of a cross-connection.

The installation of an approved backflow prevention device on lawn irrigation systems can prevent possible contamination of the City's water supply with contaminates such as lawn fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides. The Olathe Municipal Code and Cross-Connection Program require that an approved backflow prevention device be installed on all cross-connections that are considered "high risk" by the International Plumbing Code, including lawn irrigation systems.

These devices must be tested and inspected by a certified backflow tester, available through many licensed plumbing and irrigation companies, with results recorded on a City of Olathe report form and submitted to the City. Additional program information is being mailed to all Olathe residential and commercial water customers with underground lawn irrigation systems and is also available at www.olatheks.org.

For more information about the City's Cross-Connection Program or how to make the most of your lawn irrigation system, call 913-971-9311 or visit the City website at www.olatheks.org, select Municipal Services Department.

Highly-Anticipated Mahaffie Heritage Center Opens Early April
The much-anticipated opening of the Mahaffie Heritage Center will become a reality April 4 when the facility opens its doors for the first time to tell the story of the Mahaffie family and their connection with Olathe, Johnson County, Kan., and the Santa Fe Trail.

The celebration for the new Heritage Center kicks off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon on April 4. A Heritage Center public Open House will be from noon to 4 p.m. April 5.

Visitors to the Heritage Center during the public open house will be able to tour the new facility, view historical exhibits, listen to live period music and special presentations on Mahaffie history and enjoy refreshments. Also, the Mahaffie home will be open with cooking demonstrations and other living history activities in the historic house and the stagecoach will be operating with a fee per rider.

The 10,000-square-foot Heritage Center is built on about eight acres at the northwest corner of Kansas City Road and Ridgeview Road. The Heritage Center features a 2,300-square-foot assembly room with a working fireplace and adjacent catering kitchen facilities with a pass-thru window to the outdoor patio. Besides the assembly space, the new facility features a gift shop, exhibit galleries for Mahaffie and the Olathe Historical Society, offices, and restrooms.

A unique aspect of the facility is that it will be available for rent for corporate meetings, business meetings, wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners, family reunions, and birthday and anniversary celebrations.

The Heritage Center is being funded through $900,000 raised by the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm Historic Site's Foundation in partnership with $1.65 million from the retail sales tax fund approved by the Olathe City Council. Additional donations were received from several agencies and individuals (please call for a complete list).

For more information about the Mahaffie Heritage Center and the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm Historic Site, 1100 Kansas City Rd., Olathe, call (913) 971-5111.

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