Free severe weather training offered March 2 at Lawrence Public Library

Douglas County Emergency Management and the Topeka National Weather Service are hosting “Weather 101,” a free severe weather training at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. It will include information about severe thunderstorm development, identification of storm features and safety tips.

In conjunction with Severe Weather Awareness Week, which runs March 6-10, the community is invited to join Douglas County Emergency Management at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 7, for the statewide tornado drill. Emergency Management staff will activate and test the outdoor warning sirens, and they encourage Douglas County residents and businesses to use the event to test their emergency plans.

During the spring, Douglas County is at higher risk for severe weather that can include damaging winds, large hail, flooding and tornadoes. “It’s up to each of us to know the right steps to take in order to ensure our safety when severe weather strikes,” Emergency Management Deputy Director Jillian Rodrigue said.

Rodrigue encourages Douglas County residents to sign up for emergency alerts through the Northeast Kansas Regional Notification System at http://dgcoks.org/notify. For information about severe weather safety, visit: http://dgcoks.org/swaw.

Road improvement project set to begin March 6 on County Route 458

Starting on Monday, March 6, Douglas County Route 458 (N1000 Road) is scheduled to be closed for construction at two locations:

• At E1600 Road, the road will be closed to kick off a major road improvement project between E1500 and E1600. This road closure will be in place for roughly nine months. The work will proceed in phases to ensure access to affected properties. This project will improve safety on Route 458 in several ways. The vertical alignment will be modified to increase sight distance. Paved shoulders will be added to improve traffic safety. Drainage culverts will be replaced and lengthened, and an eastbound right turn lane will be added at E1600 Road. The work also includes resurfacing E1600 Road south of N1000 Road.
• 0.4 miles west of E2200 Road, the road will be closed for roughly five months for bridge repair work. The contractor will remove and replace sections of the concrete bridge deck and approach roadways, and install new guardrails.

If you have questions, please contact Douglas County Public Works at 785-832-5293.

Deadline to apply for 2023 user-fee dust control program is March 10

Public Works is accepting applications for the 2023 user-fee dust control program. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, March 10.

The program consists of applying liquid calcium chloride or magnesium chloride to rock roads typically in front of houses in an effort to reduce dust created by vehicles. Both products consist of a brine solution found naturally in various regions of the United States. The products have been found to control dust by attracting moisture from the atmosphere causing dust to clump together.

The cost to participate is $1.50 per linear foot of roadway treated plus an administrative fee of $60 per location. The expected life of dust reduction by this method is about one year, depending on weather, road and traffic conditions.

The program is available to all residents in Douglas County living adjacent to public roadways. If the road is township maintained, cooperation with the Township Board is needed to prepare the road prior to application and to protect it from blading as long as possible after treatment.

Landowners need to follow regulations when burning outdoors to ensure safety

Landowners typically burn their fields and brush piles – known as prescribed burning - in the spring. The practice is used to restore native grasslands, recycle nutrients, control woody plants and weeds, and improve certain wildlife habitat.

Prescribed burning is regulated by Kansas Administrative Regulations (KAR 28-19-645 through 28-19-648) and Douglas County Home Rule Resolution 17-3-1. These legal documents provide the framework for everyone to follow and help ensure prescribed burning is done safely and with little to no impact on the surrounding area. These regulations can be found on Douglas County Emergency Management's Open Burning Regulations and Safety webpage.

"Nearly 95 percent of all wildfires result from the activity of people and, therefore, a significant number could be prevented through taking proper actions towards fire safety." said Fire Chief Mike Baxter, of Douglas County Consolidated Fire District No. 1.

In 2021, Kansas fire departments responded to close to 5,000 vegetation-related fires that caused two fatalities, injured 20 people, burned over 185,000 acres and damaged more than 40 buildings, according to the Kansas Fire Marshall. Over 900 of these fires required counties to seek mutual-aid assistance to bring them under control. The fires also caused over $4 million in damages to property owners.

In 2022, Consolidated Fire District No. 1 responded to 308 grass fires in Douglas County.

About your Board of County Commissioners

Chair Patrick Kelly

Vice Chair Karen Willey

Shannon Reid

The Board of County Commissioners meets at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts Street, on the second floor in the Commission meeting room. Meetings are also available on Zoom.

Since there are five Wednesdays in March and it’s spring break, there will be no Commission meeting on March 15.

The County Commission took the following action on regular business agenda items in February:

• approved updates to the Douglas County and Consolidated Fire District No. 1 personnel policies to include two more funeral days and a shared leave pool policy.
• approved entering into a contract with CT Design+Development and Landplan Engineering for design of a new maintenance building at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
• approved a conditional-use permit for a communication tower at 727 E 1700 Road, near Vinland.
• approved the 2023 tow service provider agreement. It includes a 25% increase in the maximum amount providers can charge. It’s the first increase since 2016.
• approved five temporary business use permits from NextEra Energy, Inc. for Tower Associates, LLC to allow a meteorological evaluation tower and four sonic detection and ranging systems on five different properties in southwest Douglas County. Commissioner Karen Willey voted against two of the sonic and detection and ranging systems. One was located along E 550 Road between N 100 and N 1 Road and one was located near the intersection of N 1 Road and E 150 Road.



** Recordings of the meetings can be found on the Douglas County YouTube channel.

Work sessions

County Commissioners also have work sessions to study and discuss various topics throughout the year. No action is taken during work sessions. If there's a work session, they are held at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays before the business meeting. Here’s the schedule for upcoming work sessions; however, these may change. So, please check the agenda before attending.

• March 1 – Private roads
• March 8 – Pre-budget review of forms and process
• March 22 – Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center funding alignment for the 2024 budget process
• March 29 – Housing and homelessness strategic plan

Don't cheat! Answer is at the bottom.

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez, right, was among the panelists at a forum about the dangers of fentanyl.

Law enforcement, USD 497 team up to increase awareness about fentanyl

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office recently participated in an unprecedented effort to educate the community about the fentanyl crisis.

As part of a one-day tour, members from USD 497, the Lawrence Police Department, FBI Kansas City, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas Highway Patrol and DCCCA met with nearly 3,500 high school students before hosting a community forum in the evening. A recording of the forum can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/e73AD-UIQtI.

“One pill can kill,” said USD 497 Executive Director of Inclusion, Engagement and Belonging Cynthia Johnson. “If you remember nothing else that we are sharing tonight – take that home with you.”

The panel talked about how the opioid is often mixed into other drugs and purposely mislabeled, packaged and sold to unsuspecting buyers as other prescription drugs such as oxycodone and Xanax. The panel also highlighted local overdose statistics and community resources.

For more information and resources, visit http://bit.ly/3lLE2EF. Law enforcement experts also recommend every household have Narcan (naloxone), a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, readily available. Kansas residents can request the nasal spray for free through DCCCA at http://bit.ly/3xyc9lU.

Free presentation tonight about fentanyl

District Attorney's Office hosts attorneys from around the world

Nearly a dozen attorneys representing jurisdictions from around the world recently toured the Douglas County Courthouse to take a look at the criminal justice system in Douglas County.

District Attorney Suzanne Valdez hosted the group that also made stops in Johnson County and Jackson County, Mo., in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and Global Ties Kansas City, which facilitates the program.

“We were honored to host this distinguished group who also provided insight into their own judicial processes,” Valdez said. 

The group included representatives from Kenya, Ecuador, Belize, Israel, Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda, Serbia and Romania whose trip focused on the rule of law and the U.S. judicial system.

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister, Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart and Judge Sally D. Pokorny also met with the group to discuss their roles in the criminal justice system.

Senior Resource Center seeking community input

Every few years, the Senior Resource Center (SRC) for Douglas County completes a very important process – a survey! The results help the Senior Resource Center identify what services are being utilized, which ones may have run their course and should discontinue, and, more importantly, what services are needed at the center or in the community. 

“This type of information gathering is critical to meeting SRC’s mission of helping seniors live their best possible quality of life,” said Executive Director Megan Poindexter. “It also helps make sure we are investing our finite resources – time, money and staff – in the most important and efficient ways we can.”

Agritourism topic on KTWU's Inspire show

Douglas County Zoning and Codes Director Tonya Voigt, left, was a guest on an episode of KTWU’s Inspire about agritourism. The show also featured guests Colby Sharples-Terry, of Kansas Tourism, and local farmer Amy Saunders, of Amy’s Meats.

Carrie Neis, Reentry Director at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, explains the Reentry Simulation exercise that community members who work in the criminal justice system, social services or other organizations participated in last year.

Sheriff's Office offering Reentry Simulation exercise on April 26

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office Reentry staff is offering a Reentry Simulation exercise from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

The simulation is an educational outreach event that highlights the challenges faced by people transitioning from being in custody back into the community.

• Video: Brandon Scrimsher's story

Students win cash prizes for competing in Douglas County Entrepreneurship Challenge

Congratulations to these students who competed in the Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on Feb. 24 at Peaslee Tech! From left: Karly Neufeld, first-place award winner, $1,250, of Baldwin High School; Charlie Andrade, second-place winner, $750, of Free State High School; and Phoebe Ulbrick, third-place winner, $500, of Bishop Seabury Academy.

Since Karly was the first-place winner, her teacher Bronte Batman received a $250 award. Karly now qualifies to compete in the state competition in April at Kansas State University! Good luck, Karly!

Pam Weigand, center, Director of Criminal Justice Services, was recognized during an employee luncheon for 30 years of service to Douglas County. She is pictured with County Commissioner Shannon Reid, left, and County Administrator Sarah Plinsky.

County recognizes employees during luncheon

Douglas County hosted its first Employee Service Award luncheon on Feb. 21. During the event, employees who celebrated a milestone work anniversary in 2022 were recognized as well as employees who retired during the past year.

County Administrator Sarah Plinsky described employees as the heart of the organization. “The work that you do as a public servant is immensely important. It is my honor and privilege to work alongside all of you. Thank you for your service, hard work and dedication.”

These Douglas County employees were recognized for 25 years of service. From left, are: Marjorie Hedden, Emergency Communications- 911; Leigh Housman, Criminal Justice Services; Rita Fulton-Mays, Sheriff's Office; and Donovan Thornton, Public Works.

These Douglas County employees were recognized for 20 years of service. From left, are: Amanda Cole, Treasurer’s Office, Cammy Owens, Administration, and Lorelei Springer, Sheriff's Office. Not pictured are: David Hardy, Bouapane Phrakornkham and Bryon Revell, all of the Sheriff's Office.

Kaitlyn Ammerlaan joins Douglas County as Heritage Conservation program coordinator

Kaitlyn Ammerlaan is Douglas County's new Heritage Conservation program coordinator. Kaitlyn comes to Douglas County from her position as the program director and preserve manager at Grassland Heritage Foundation, a Lawrence-based nonprofit organization that focuses on prairie education and preservation. While at Grassland Heritage Foundation, she coordinated public education and outreach events, hosted native plant sales, and oversaw land management activities at Snyder Prairie, a 140-acre property located 20 miles north of Topeka.

Born and raised in Chandler, Arizona, Kaitlyn has always had a passion for protecting and caring for our natural spaces. After graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability in 2019, Kaitlyn moved to Lawrence and quickly fell in love with the town and with the tallgrass prairie. Following graduation, she worked alongside the Natural Resources team at Johnson County Parks and Recreation and learned about land management in northeast Kansas and the importance of protecting and restoring our native landscapes.

Outside of work, Kaitlyn spends her time identifying native plants, gardening, baking, and playing with her dog, Junimo. She is excited to begin work with the Heritage Conservation Council and share her passion for preserving natural and cultural heritage with her community.

Ed Healy hired as Deputy Clerk of Elections

We’re seeking to hire people with all kinds of talents, skills and occupational interests. Our job openings include:

• Administrative Officer in Emergency Communications
• Community Corrections Adult Services Officer
• Food Service Worker/Cook in Douglas County Correctional Facility

For more information and a full list of Douglas County job openings, visit: http://dgcoks.org/jobs

Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:

111 East 11th Street

Lawrence, KS 66044