Olathe News - May 5 '08

• Joint Meeting with Olathe School Board
• Celebrate National Drinking Water Week
• May 13 City Council Packet Posted Late to Web Due to Scheduled Maintenance
• Council to Consider Restrictions on Payday and Title Loan Businesses
• Welcome Reception for Dr. Dan Richardson, CEO, K-State Olathe Innovation Campus
• Mark Your Calendars: Americana Jubilee is June 7
• Olathe Accepting Applications for 2009 CDBG Funds: Deadline May 15
• City of Olathe Receives Award for Support of National Defense

Joint Meeting with Olathe School Board
The Olathe City Council and Olathe School Board will hold a joint session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 at the Bell Cultural Events Center located on the MidAmerica Nazarene University campus.  The governing bodies meet routinely to discuss issues and opportunities that affect both entities.

Celebrate National Drinking Water Week
The City of Olathe will join the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and water utilities across North America in recognizing National Drinking Water Week, May 5 - 9, 2008. Celebrated for more than 30 years, Drinking Water Week provides a unique opportunity for water professionals and communities they serve to join together to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives. 

A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community.  It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment, and provides for health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression.  The water supply is often taken for granted until it is threatened by drought, water main breaks, or some other events. 

The City has a number of projects in place to highlight National Drinking Water Week: 

• The City is revising its Water Conservation Plan in accordance with new guidelines issued by the Kansas Water Office. 
• Recently, the City became a utility partner to the EPA WaterSense Program. This program is designed to help consumers conserve water through high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and efficient irrigation practices. 
• The City's 2008 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report will be sent to water customers on May 14, showing the City continues to meet all state and federal standards for safe drinking water. 
• The City is proceeding with plans to construct a 42-inch transmission main to enhance the water distribution infrastructure to meet the community's long-term needs.

May 13 City Council Packet Posted Late to Web Due to Scheduled Maintenance
Due to scheduled maintenance of the City of Olathe website, the agenda for the May 13 City Council meeting will not be available on-line until Monday, May 12.  Typically City Council agendas are available on-line the Friday prior to the meeting.  Visit www.olatheks.org/Council for more Olathe City Council information.

Council to Consider Restrictions on Payday and Title Loan Businesses
The Olathe City Council will consider at their May 6 meeting regulations on payday and title loan businesses in Olathe.  The purpose of these restrictions would be to minimize the detrimental effects such businesses can have on residents.  There are currently 11 payday and/or title loan businesses within the city of Olathe. 

Staff's recommended proposal outlines an annual licensing fee as well as restrictions on where a business may operate.  If approved, new payday and title loan businesses could not be opened within 5,280 feet of a similar business or within 200 feet of a single family residence. 

In 2007, the cities of Overland Park, Lenexa and Shawnee enacted similar regulations.

Welcome Reception for Dr. Dan Richardson, CEO, K-State Olathe Innovation Campus
The City of Olathe and the Olathe Chamber of Commerce will host a reception to welcome Dr. Dan Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas State Olathe Innovation Campus, his wife, Kathy, and the KOIC staff, to Olathe.

The reception will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at the Olathe City Hall, 100 E. Santa Fe St., Olathe.  There will be brief welcoming remarks, beginning at 5 p.m.  The reception is open to the public.

Dr. Richardson, a veterinarian, is a nationally-known expert in biosciences and animal health. He was recently vice president, Pet Nutrition Center, and chief animal welfare veterinarian for Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., in Topeka, Kan.

He was named President and CEO of the K-State Olathe Innovation Campus last October.  This unique research park, made up of the KSU campus, research facility, and a bioscience business incubator, is expected to generate 3,000 new jobs with $57,000 in average, annual salaries, and provide $150 million in public and private investments.

The innovation campus is located on 92 acres of City-owned property near College Blvd. and Lone Elm Rd.  

Mark Your Calendars: Americana Jubilee is June 7
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm Historic Site

Visitors of all ages will come to celebrate Olathe's diverse multicultural heritage and enjoy a variety of free entertainment that is fun for the whole family at the third annual Americana Jubilee!

The free family-friendly event is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm, 1200 Kansas City Rd.

Highlights of the event:

• Two stages featuring cultural dances, music, and entertainment
• Interactive children's area featuring crafts and activities from around the world
• Educational booths highlighting culture, service, and historical contributions
• A variety of ethnic food vendors

And new this year a Summer Concert Series performance at 4 p.m. featuring the "high energy, swamp funky Zydeco music" of Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band on the main stage.

Americana Jubilee is sponsored by the City of Olathe, Comcast, Farmers Insurance, Univision, Alpha & Omega, United in Service/Unidos En Servicio, Brown Mackie College, First National Bank of Johnson County, Chick-fil-A, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Fulk Chiropractic, Asian-American Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City, Olathe Public Library, and Johnson County Coupon Magazines.

For more information and a schedule of events, go to www.olatheks.org/ParksRec/Events/Jubilee.

Olathe Accepting Applications for 2009 CDBG Funds: Deadline May 15
The City of Olathe is now accepting applications for 2009 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.  Applications are due Thursday, May 15, 2008.  The City of Olathe's CDBG program has funded housing rehabilitation programs, public services, public improvements and neighborhood revitalization projects that benefit low and moderate income persons or older neighborhoods since 1975. 

The City is inviting applications from local social service agencies and community organizations that provide a service to Olathe citizens that meet one of the national CDBG objectives:

1. Benefit low and moderate income persons or neighborhoods.

2. Aids in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight.

3. Meets an urgent community need.

Federal funds have been invested in Olathe through the CDBG program in nearly every neighborhood in older parts of Olathe providing a wide variety of neighborhood revitalization activities including housing rehabilitation, streets, water mains, sewer lines, storm drainage improvements, sidewalks, curbs, parks, historic preservation and human services.

When requesting an application packet, please specify whether you would like a public service, housing or public improvement/neighborhood revitalization application.

For more information or to request an application packet, visit the City of Olathe Housing and Human Services Office located at 201 North Cherry Street, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.; e-mail a request to Carol Ramseyer at cramseyer@olatheks.org; or call 913-971-6260.

City of Olathe Receives Award for Support of National Defense
The City of Olathe received the Pro Patria Award at the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) annual awards banquet held April 12 in Topeka, Kan.

ESGR is a United States Department of Defense organization.

The "Pro Patria" award is presented annually by each ESGR Committee to the one employer in their state or territory who has provided the most exceptional support of the country's national defense through leadership practices and personnel policies that support their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

The oval-based shaped marble award is decorated with a bronze eagle atop a bronze tree with the seal of the Defense Dept.

By receiving this award, the City of Olathe qualifies to be considered for the national award. The recipient of the national award will be announced in the fall. 

For more information about the award, contact the Human and Organizational Development Department's Anita Dickey at (913) 971- 8934.

Work on Downtown Parking Garage Expansion Project Continues: "Old" Section to be Closed Temporarily
As part of the parking garage expansion project, additional repairs within the previously-existing garage are scheduled to begin on Monday, May 12.

Due to the nature of the repairs, parking will not be permitted within the previously-existing portion of the garage.  All parking will be limited to the new parking garage addition beginning Thursday,

May 8 and remain effective for approximately six weeks.

The existing parking garage will remain open only to provide vehicular access to the new parking garage addition. The Cherry Street entrance and exit will remain open throughout this process.

For any questions related to this work please contact Jeff Blakeman, project coordinator, City of Olathe, 913-971-8767 or jblakeman@olatheks.org.

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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City of Olathe Communications Office
100 E. Santa Fe; Olathe, KS 66061
913-971-8700