Kayla's experience is an example of the community's continuum of care. | New home, fresh start highlight community collaborations in Douglas County | |
On the day she celebrated her one-year anniversary of being drug-free, Kayla received some unexpected, good news.
She found out she could move into her own place. Her support team from the Bert Nash Center helped her move in.
The brand-new, 450-square-foot home, called the Phoenix House, is a collaboration between Dirt Works Studio and Tenants to Homeowners. Dirt Works Studio is part of the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Kansas.
“When they showed me the house, I almost cried,” Kayla said.
The house is subsidized through a Douglas County HUD Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing Grant.
Kayla moved into the house in August. Earlier that month, she had graduated from the Douglas County Behavioral Health Court (BHC).
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The Honorable Amy Hanley will preside over a new Veterans Treatment Court program. | District Court receives federal grant to start Veterans Treatment Court | |
Douglas County District Court has received a $1 million federal grant to establish a new specialty Veterans Treatment Court. The money will be disbursed over four years. The program is expected to start next year with the Honorable Amy Hanley as presiding judge.
The mission is to promote public safety by providing an interagency, collaborative, non-adversarial treatment strategy to veterans in the criminal justice system who suffer from mental health and/or substance abuse issues related to their service in the military.
“Veterans face a number of challenges. Every time we help a veteran with the support they need to return to a law abiding lifestyle, the benefits ripple through their family and our community,” Judge Hanley said. “I care deeply about those who served our country in the military. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this life-changing program.”
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County, cities, nonprofits, community groups working collaboratively on 'A Place for Everyone' | |
A Place for Everyone is the community’s strategic plan to end chronic homelessness. The goal: By 2028, to create a system that achieves functional zero through policy, system and environmental changes resulting in all Douglas County residents having access to the fundamental human right of safe, accessible, attainable, and affordable housing, and in which homelessness is a rare and brief occurrence.
Community stakeholders have identified an overwhelming need to increase the availability of:
- Affordable Housing
- Supportive Housing
- Emergency Shelter
Douglas County GIS has created a website – dgcoks.gov/aplaceforeveryone - that showcases the collaborative work happening among agencies, nonprofits and community groups. It includes data, photos, podcasts, resources and more.
Additionally, Douglas County and the City of Lawrence have hired ETC Institute, of Olathe, to complete a community survey. Survey results will help guide community engagement efforts.
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KU researchers complete Native Pasture Survey project in western Douglas County | |
Jennifer Moody and Jennifer Delisle, of the Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research, have completed a Native Pasture Survey project that was funded through the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s Natural and Cultural Heritage grant program. They received a $38,731 grant in 2022.
Beginning in the fall of 2022 and continuing through 2023, they traveled more than 600 miles of roads in western Douglas County as they conducted roadside surveys and on-site visits of grasslands and pastures. They were able to visit 16 native pastures owned by 11 different landowners. During the visits, they made an inventory checklist of the plant species growing in the pastures. They also talked with landowners about their land, its history and the challenges they face.
As part of the project, they created a StoryMap website - https://arcg.is/144fDn0 - that describes their research and highlights the importance of native pastures to the ecology of Douglas County.
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Douglas County Commission meetings are at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Public Works/Zoning and Codes building, 3755 E. 25th St., in the training room. Meetings are also available on Zoom. Commission meetings are taking place in the Public Works/Zoning and Codes building due to renovation of the Commission meeting room in the historic Courthouse.
The County Commission took the following action on regular business agenda items in November. They unanimously approved:
- authorizing the County Administrator to enter into contract extensions for subawards, interagency Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to obligate ARPA funds and a reclassification of funds that cannot be obligated before Dec. 31.
- a request to rezone 11 acres at 1760 E 1100 Road from CP (clustered preservation) zoning district to the AG-2 (transitional agriculture) district and a conditional use permit for equipment storage at the same location, which is north of Lawrence.
* Recordings of the meetings can be found on the Douglas County YouTube channel.
Work sessions
County Commissioners have work sessions to study and discuss various topics throughout the year. No action is taken during work sessions. There are no work sessions scheduled for December.
Please note: The Commission will not have a meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
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Douglas County Emergency Management recognized and honored its volunteers on Nov. 3 at the Lawrence Public Library. The event included a costume contest. | Emergency Management celebrates its volunteers | |
Douglas County Emergency Management recognized and honored volunteers earlier this month at the Lawrence Public Library, where they had lunch and presented awards and certificates.
Emergency Management has more than 50 volunteers who are critical to its mission. So far in 2024, volunteers have served over 1,000 hours through outreach, training and exercises, and activations. Emergency Management volunteers serve in several ways:
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The Amateur Communications Team (ACT). They are licensed amateur radio operators who provide alternative communications capabilities.
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Skywarn Storm Spotters. These volunteers are authorized weather spotters who report severe weather activity threatening Douglas County.
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The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This team leads and performs outreach activities, including presenting two CERT trainings for the community each year. CERT members can also be deployed to perform various emergency response activities such as light search and rescue, door-to-door emergency notification, and the performance of personnel accountability.
- The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Support Team. These volunteers work to provide crucial assistance to Emergency Management staff and community partners during incidents in which the EOC is activated.
If you are interested in becoming an Emergency Management volunteer, visit dgcoks.gov/em/volunteer.
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Tyler Fleming earns state GIS Professional Award | |
Douglas County GIS Manager Tyler Fleming was honored with the Prestigious Cartographer/GIS Professional Award at the Kansas Association of Mappers conference this fall.
Fleming earned this recognition for his outstanding leadership and implementing the new GIS system called GeoPortal. This innovative system uses cutting-edge software to deliver public information in a modern, user-friendly platform.
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County Clerk Jamie Shew is interviewed on Election night by KLWN radio host Kim Murphree. | County sets record for most in-person advance ballots counted at 20,991 for general election | |
The Board of Canvassers met with Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew on Nov. 18 and certified the general election results. They approved adding 1,679 provisional ballots, bringing the total number of ballots counted to 59,054 – the second largest in history. Of those, 35,075 were advance ballots.
The county set a record for the most in-person advance ballots counted at 20,991. That's nearly as many as those who voted in person on Election Day at 23,984.
Special thank you to the approximately 440 community members who served as poll workers at 46 locations across Douglas County on Election Day. We greatly appreciate their dedication and service.
| Entrepreneur Kira Cheree’ Cobb facilitated an Entrepreneurship Listening Project event on Nov. 19 at the Lied Center Pavilion. | Listening Project highlights challenges, opportunities for BIPOC entrepreneurs | |
A group of about 30 entrepreneurs, community leaders and policymakers gathered on Nov. 19 at the Lied Center Pavilion to talk about a local Entrepreneur Listening Project and to discuss solutions that can drive equity and empower local Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs.
The Entrepreneur Listening Project emerged from a Forward Cities E3 (Equity for Every Entrepreneur) Nation Tour event in February 2023. The event was a three-day comprehensive, interactive experience, featuring workshops, town halls, and guided discussion of equity-centered entrepreneurial ecosystems. The event was funded by a $35,000 federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant from Douglas County, with additional funding from the City of Lawrence, Douglas County Community Foundation, Lawrence Chamber, and Network Kansas.
The most significant outcome of the E3 Nation Tour was the creation of the Entrepreneur Listening Project (ELP). The ELP was designed to document and elevate the stories of BIPOC entrepreneurs in Douglas County with the goal of influencing local decision-making, policy development and resource allocation.
A key component of the ELP was to capture stories of entrepreneur experiences in our community through a video. The video, which includes translation from non-English speaking interviewees, is designed to spark discussions on systemic barriers and opportunities for change.
The ELP included representatives from Douglas County, City of Lawrence, KU Small Business Development Center, Douglas County CORE, under the leadership of local entrepreneur Nicole Rials. Additional support to facilitate project completion, including the video, was provided by Forward Cities.
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Douglas County Food Systems Analyst Connie Fiorella Fitzpatrick is featured in the E3 Listening Project video. | |
County Commissioner Shannon Reid participates in the Entrepreneurship Listening Project event. | |
Assistant County Administrator Jill Jolicoeur helps facilitate the Entrepreneurship Listening Project event. | |
Douglas County Government offices and District Court will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28-29, for the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be no County Commission meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 27. | Sheriff's Office participating in 'Thanksgiving Safe Arrival' campaign | |
With AAA forecasting Thanksgiving travel to exceed pre-pandemic levels, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office encourages travelers to buckle up, use proper child safety seats and avoid impaired and distracted driving.
“We are glad to see people on the roads and hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe Thanksgiving holiday,” Sheriff Jay Armbrister said. “The first step is to make sure you are able to reach your destination safely so you can celebrate with family and friends. Stay buckled up, avoid distractions and avoid impaired driving any time you get behind the wheel.”
The enhanced patrol campaign started Nov. 21 and will run through Nov. 30. The “Thanksgiving Safe Arrival” campaign is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with safety funds administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). It’s a public education and enforcement partnership with local and state police agencies aimed at increasing travelers’ compliance with Kansas occupant-restraint and impaired-driving laws.
Armbrister encourages drivers to arrange for a sober driver or a ride service.
Additionally, drivers are encouraged to be alert for deer especially from dusk to midnight and before and after dawn. Armbrister said it's best to avoid swerving because crashing into another vehicle or rolling your vehicle can be more dangerous than hitting a deer. Deputies have been responding to several reports per day of vehicle-deer collisions on roads and highways in Douglas County.
| Winter Workshop provides opportunity for students to learn about Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge | |
There will be a YEC Winter Workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. It is open to all Douglas County youth in grades 6-12 who are registered or considering registering for the Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on Feb. 7, 2025.
The workshop includes a brief presentation followed by opportunities to brainstorm business ideas with other youth and receive assistance in developing a business pitch, presentation and tradeshow display.
The workshop is free to attend, but registration is required. It is being hosted by Douglas County, KU Small Business Development Center, CORE, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and the Lawrence Public Library.
For more information about the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, visit: dgcoks.gov/yec.
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Courthouse:
1100 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
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Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:
111 East 11th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
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