CITY OF LEAWOOD MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER

Leawood is Getting a New Website!

The City is launching its brand-new website on Aug. 15! Packed with user-friendly features and tools, navigating through city services, updates, and community events has never been easier! Here are just a few of the new features:

Notices and Alerts: You can find emergency alerts and notices on our homepage or sign up to receive them via email and text.

Calendar: Our new and improved calendar features upcoming events, activities, governing body meetings, and more all in one place! Residents can also sign up to receive calendar updates and email or text reminders.

Contact Forms: Have a question? Easily submit forms to contact Leawood’s departments directly.

Service Requests: Need to report a pothole, streetlight outage, or other issue? Residents can quickly submit service requests directly to departments.

News: Stay up to date on city happenings and city news with a new function called News Flash! Find news and updates on the website's homepage.

Easy Navigation: The new user-friendly website design boasts prominent buttons and mega-menu options that make navigating the site a breeze.

Learn more about Leawood's new digital hub on our website!

Leawood Welcomes Dynamic New Communications Team

We are happy to introduce the City's new communications team. Meet Beth Breitenstein, our Strategic Communications Director, and Sam Sieben, our Marketing and Digital Content Specialist.

Beth started with the City of Leawood in July. She brings 20 years of experience in broadcasting, marketing, and strategic communications to the city.

Sam started working for the city in March after graduating from the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas.

The recent Leawood resident survey showed that you wanted improved city communications, and this dynamic duo is here to deliver!

The Fall/Winter 2024 Parks, Recreation and Arts Program Guide is Now Available!

You can now view the Fall/Winter Program Guide on our website. Residents will receive physical copies in the mail starting the second week of August.

Registration for programs will open on Aug. 9 for Leawood residents and Aug. 14 for non-residents at webtrac.leawood.org.

Shoutout to Marica Putman, Leawood's Graphic Design Specialist, for designing the guide and our entire Parks, Recreation and Arts staff for putting together an exciting roster of events and activities for all ages to round out 2024!

August Governing Body Meetings

Meetings of the Governing Body for August will take place on:

Monday, Aug. 5
Monday, Aug. 19

Meetings of the Governing Body are held at City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive, Leawood, KS 66211. Work Sessions are conducted in the Main Conference Room. Regular Sessions are conducted in the Council Chamber. Agendas for meetings are posted online on Thursdays preceding the meeting. To receive email notifications when agendas are posted, click here to sign up.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Part-time, full-time, and seasonal positions are open at the City of Leawood! Click here to view open positions.

Lighting Nuisance Ordinance - Recently Revised

We want to inform you about the recent changes to the Lighting Nuisance Ordinance, effective July 1, 2024. This update aims to ensure that outdoor lighting in our community is functional and respectful of everyone's property.

Key Changes:

· The requirement of maintaining a minimum of 0.5-foot candles at property lines remains unchanged, aligning with the Leawood Development Ordinance.

· New language prohibits lighting that unreasonably disrupts the regular use or enjoyment of neighboring properties. Factors such as light intensity, timing, and duration will be considered.

· The definition of "primary structure" now includes additional parts of residences with light fixtures. Any lighting not attached to a primary structure must be low intensity.

· Outdated fixture specifications that were difficult to enforce have been removed for clarity and practicality.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please get in touch with the Building & Code Enforcement Department at (913) 663-9166.

LEAWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS

UPCOMING EVENT

Police at the Pool – National Night Out

Join us for “Police at the Pool” on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Leawood Aquatic Center!

Leawood Parks and Recreation and the Leawood Police Department are teaming up with National Night Out - a nationwide community-building campaign promoting strong police-community relations.

Cool off during an evening swim with discounted admission, check out various police vehicles, and enjoy popsicles, games, and more!

Admission is $5.00 at the door, or use your pool pass to swim, but it’s always free to visit with officers! An adult must accompany kids under 13. See you there!

Get Updates from the Leawood Police Department on Social Media!

EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER:

OFFICER DAVID CHATELAIN

Officer Chatelain joined the department in 2018 and currently serves as a motorcycle officer in the department’s traffic unit. Recently, Officer Chatelain graduated at the top of his class from police motorcycle training.

He also serves as a department armorer, and is certified as an instructor to train officers in self-defense and tactical maneuvers with a ballistic shield. In addition to his traffic duties, Chatelain is a field training officer and helps train newer officers after they graduate from the police academy.

Congratulations!

FALL 2024 CITIZEN'S ACADEMY

Is policing in real life the same as what we see on TV today? Come find out for yourself! Join us for the Fall 2024 Leawood Police Department Citizen’s Academy.

This interactive course will meet Wednesday evenings, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., from Sept. 11 – Nov. 13 at the Leawood Justice Center. The class is open to those who live or work in Leawood, and gives participants an inside look at the operations of the department. Each of the ten weeks offers the chance to hear from different focuses within the department, including an opportunity to ask questions to the Chief and police administration, a K9 demonstration, animal control, dispatch, detectives, a tour of the Johnson County Crime Lab and Johnson County Adult Detention Center, and so much more!

BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVING

LEAWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT NEWS

Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) are becoming more common in homes and at work. In addition to using less electricity, they also have a positive impact on the global climate. Here are some important safety tips you should know about CFLs.

Purchasing CFL Light Bulbs

Purchase of CFL light bulbs that have the listing label of a recognized testing laboratory. Light bulbs labeled by a recognized testing lab will ensure that the bulb meets the latest product safety standards.

When a CFL Burns Out

When a CFL bulb burns out, it may smoke, and the plastic base may blacken. This is normal and not a fire safety issue.
CFLs should never be discarded with household trash. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that consumers use local recycling options for CFLs. Contact your local government or visit epa.gov to identify local recycling options.

If a CFL Breaks

CFLs are made of glass and can break. Be careful when removing from packaging and installing or removing from a socket. If a CFL breaks:

Open a window to allow the room to air out for 5-10 minutes.
People and pets should leave the room.
Turn off forced air heating and/or air conditioning.
Collect broken glass and visible powder using stiff cardboard, tape, or a damp paper towel.
Place the debris in a glass jar or a plastic bag in a safe location outside until you can dispose of it.
Contact your local government to find out how to dispose of the debris.
Continue airing out the room for several hours.

LEAWOOD CULTURAL ARTS

September Sounds

Spend your Friday nights in September at Leawood City Park with free live music from local bands!

Friday, Sept. 6: Four Fried Chickens and a Coke

Friday, Sept. 13: Twice on Sunday

Friday, Sept. 20: Liverpool: a Tribute to the Beatles

The Oxford Writers Series

The Oxford Writers Series continues Aug. 10 at 10 am at the Historic Oxford Schoolhouse in Ironwoods Park at 147th and Mission Road.

The next presentation will feature author and Kansas native Jackie Aaron. Jackie will discuss her book about the trials of Lucy Tennison, who was accused of murdering her husband, James D. Tennison, in 1887 at their farm near present-day Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village, Kansas. James Tennison is buried at Linwood Pioneer Cemetery in Leawood, Kansas.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Soggy Doggy

The last swim of the season goes to the dogs! Bring your dog for a cool swim!

For everyone's safety, humans are not allowed to enter the pool during this event. In case of inclement weather, please call (913) 982-2433

$5 per dog in advance

$7 per dog day of the event

OPEN CLIMB SATURDAY*

Ages 9+ · 10 am-1 pm (come and go)

2024 Dates: Aug. 17, Sept. 28, Oct. 19, Nov. 16, Dec. 21

2025: Jan. 18, Feb. 15

Resident: $20 Non-Resident: $25

TINYTYKES

Fall Soccer for ages 2-5

Sept. 14 - Oct. 19

Resident: $120 Non-Resident: $135

Children will receive a jersey and a soccer ball

*Registration for the Aug. 17 "Open Climb Saturday" is now open. All other sessions will open on Aug. 9 for Leawood residents and Aug. 14 for Non-Residents. Learn more and register at webtac.leawood.org.

Leawood Listens

Do you have a non-emergency concern you'd like to report? From potholes to traffic light outages, we are happy to help!

Report a problem here!