Friday, May. 09, 2008

Council OKs funding for Oregon Trail Park upgrades

Funding was authorized Tuesday to renovate Oregon Trail Park.

The nearly 30-year-old park between Dennis Avenue and U.S. Highway 56 on South Robinson Street was identified for improvement with funds generated by the eighth-cent park sales tax.

Renovation of the park includes the construction of four new baseball fields, an all-purpose sports field, new concession stands and restrooms, two new picnic shelters and a new playground structure.

The existing pond will facilitate stormwater retention, and the two sand volleyball courts will be relocated. The trail system, which loops around the park, will connect with the Rolling Ridge Trail.

“We see this now as a park that will facilitate a number of recreational opportunities, both active and passive,” said Kevin Corbett, the city’s parks and recreation director.

A parking lot to accommodate 275 cars will be added, but it comes with a twist. Olathe received more than $468,000 in Johnson County stormwater funding to construct the parking lot with permeable concrete, the only one of its size in the county, Corbett said.

Stormwater will flow through pores in the concrete and drain into the retention pond. The water will be cleaned and filter out of the pond within 40 hours, but most importantly, slow it down, Corbett said. The water also won’t enter the city’s stormwater system.

Perhaps the most exciting aspects of the project, Corbett said, was coming in under budget. The project was earmarked $3.3 million, but the total cost came in at $3.1 million. Subtract the county funding and a $100,000 contribution from Olathe Youth Baseball, and only about $2.5 million will be used from the park sales tax.

Corbett said the remaining funding, $724,000, will be returned to the park sales tax for other park-related projects.

Phase II of the 10-year park sales tax, which took effect in 2005, is expected to generate more than $27 million for the city’s parks projects. Phase I covered the previous five years.

Councilmember Jim Randall called the park a “great addition” to west Olathe.

“This is something that’s been needed on the west side for a number of years,” he said. “It’s (an example of) promises made and promises kept from our park sales tax.”

Not all councilmembers were on board with the project. John Bacon was the only councilmember to oppose the project. He said it was too expensive and other things, like addding lighting to double the usage, could have been done to enhance the existing park.

Corbett said lights, which would have cost $500,000, were previously opposed by residents.

Bacon, however, said he was pleased that $724,000 would be returned to the park sales tax.

“Maybe we can allocate that to some other parks that need improvement like Black Bob Pool,” he said. “It’s in dire need of repairs and improvements there.”

Corbett said money from the sales tax would be dedicated to Black Bob Park down the line.

“When we passed (the park sales tax) five years ago, you crystal-ball it the best you can, but certainly we had a different plan for Black Bob Pool at that point,” he said. “Today we have to find a way to get it fixed.”

Construction of the park began Thursday and is expected to be finished by the end of the year. The park will open in spring 2009.

Council approves plan for school district’s newest elementary school

Plans for Olathe’s 35th elementary school were approved by councilmembers, but its development is not imminent.

A zoning request and preliminary development plan were approved for the yet-unnamed elementary school that could be at the northwest corner of 148th Street and Lakeshore Drive.

Chris Gralapp, the Olathe school district’s planning manager, said the school’s location hasn’t been determined yet. The district is going through preliminary development plans for the four sites the district acquired in 2003, he said.

“We acquired the property because of the growth potential that was in the area,” Gralapp said.

The development of the district’s newest school will depend on the enrollment growth in the area around Clearwater Creek Elementary, 930 Clearwater Creek Drive, he said.

Gralapp said that at this point, the district is merely taking the appropriate steps to prepare for that growth.

According to September enrollment figures, 2,114 of the district’s 26,385 students are in kindergarten — its largest grade.

Gralapp couldn’t provide a timetable for the development of the more than 66,000-square-foot school that will accommodate up to 650 students and 50 teachers.

“It’s going to depend on how fast (the area) gets built out and how many kids move out there,” he said.

Currently, the district’s 34th elementary school, Forest View Elementary at 125th Street and Canyon Drive, is being constructed. It’s scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.

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