BLACKWELL’S BY-LINE By Mayor Billy Blackwell As we start off the New Year, I’d like to say “thank you” for allowing me to serve you as mayor. I’m truly humbled that you placed your confidence in me. I met some wonderful people while I walked the streets of Lansing during my campaign. I listened to many of you tell me about your concerns and your vision for Lansing. Please know that your words did not fall on deaf ears. My campaign theme was, “Let’s Work Together to Keep Lansing a Great Place to Live!” It is now time to continue that theme during the next four years. You do have a voice in the future direction of our city. Today I would like to explain some opportunities that you will have to contribute to the future growth of Lansing. We will be updating our city’s comprehensive plan, and we need volunteers to sit on a variety of committees. This is an excellent opportunity for you to have a voice in areas of interest to you. It is also an opportunity for you to provide input regarding what you want Lansing to look like in the future. The city’s comprehensive plan is essential to our economic growth, and will go a long way toward getting us into position to take advantage of economic opportunities once the economy recovers. The committees will be organized under a broad range of topics, including land use, transportation, community facilities and services, and future growth. There will be others. Please consider joining this effort so we can effectively develop and implement a plan that we can all be proud of and support. I will be starting a Citizen’s Advisory Committee in the next couple of months. I encourage you to participate. I am having a meeting with the potential chairperson for that committee soon and expect that the full committee will be completed by the end of March. My vision for this committee is
SPRING 2013 CONNECTION CALENDAR FEBRUARY February 21 – City Council Meeting February 28 – City Council Work Session
MARCH March 7 – City Council Meeting March 21 – City Council Meeting March 28 – City Council Work Session
APRIL April 4 – City Council Meeting April 5 & 6 – City Wide Garage Sale April 12 & 13 – Annual Clean-Up April 18 - City Council Meeting April 25 – City Council Work Session
MAY May 2 – City Council Meeting May 3 & 4 – Lansing DAZE/Brew, Blues, & Bar-B-Q May 11 – Fishing Derby – KWB Community Park
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 28 Leavenworth, KS 66048
Continued on next page
Coming Up! The city of Lansing will host a Citywide Garage Sale on Friday, April 5 & Saturday, April 6, 2013, from 8am to 4pm. Families, clubs, and organizations are invited to participate in Lansing’s Citywide Garage Sale. The City will advertise each garage sale by publishing a list of the garage sale locations and on the City's website – www.lansing.ks.us A map will be available at City Hall, and
LANSING CITYWIDE GARAGE SALE! the city’s website www.lansing.ks.us. This event is free to participants and will feature garage sales throughout the City and draw treasure hunters from sur
ber, hanging signs on any utility pole is illegal and subject to fines. rounding areas. This unique community event is fun for collectors, families and bargain hunters. For
more information, call 913-727-5488 or email holler@lansing.ks.us. Permits are not required. Remem-
Find good bargains! Shop the Citywide Garage Sale!
FOR MORE INFORMATION - CHECK OUT WWW.LANSING.KS.US Check out what is sprouting at your Community Library
Calendar of Upcoming Events By Kim Turner Director of The Lansing Community Library
With the promise of spring just around the corner, you can expect great things to happen at Your Lansing Community Library! From a visit with our own library leprechaun, to a special mother-daughter event, the upcoming months promise you what we do best and that is FUN! Bilingual story time with Miss Diana is one of my favorite story times at the Library. Miss Diana brings her magical hour of bilingual story time the second Friday of each month. She will join us on the following Fridays: March 8, April 12 and May 10. Make plans to join us for a fun filled hour where Miss Diana disguises learning as fun. Our “Read to the Dogs” program sponsored by Human Animal Bond, Inc. happens the third Friday of every month. Look for the dogs and owners to join the Story Time Bunch on the following Fridays: March 15, April 19 and May 17. Always one of my favorite story times, this event gives children the opportunity to read or picture walk a story to one of the very patient dogs and owner. “Gentle” is the perfect way to describe this enchanting story time. March will see the return visit of the Library’s own leprechaun, Seamus McBook. Each year around St. Patrick’s Day, the rascally leprechaun causes mischief and mayhem in the Library. The Story Time Bunch always gets a letter from Seamus with the promise of green milkshakes. I have my suspicions Seamus will visit on Tues., March 12, and again on Fri., March 15. Don’t tell him the dogs will be visiting on Fri., March 15 too! The Library will host our Great Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, March 29. Come dressed in your best and get ready to search the Library for that perfect egg or two! April will bring a writing competi-
tion for patrons of all ages. The theme remains a super secret so stay tuned! Coming Sat., May 11 is the Library’s annual Fancy Nancy Mother/Daughter Tea and Fashion Show featuring dirtylicious design. Always a hit in Lansing, and followed closely by the fashion houses in Paris, the afternoon of fashion design accompanied by elegant snacks is the must attend event of the season for all young ladies and mothers. The red polka dotted runway has been remastered and is ready for this fantabulous fashion event. Remember ladies, practice your sashay and pinkies up! On behalf of the staff of Your Lansing Community Library, I would like to let you know it is a pleasure working for you! As always, Miss Kimberly, Miss Anne, and I look forward to talking books with you soon!
Mayor’s By-line continued to have another means for citizens to voice their concerns or provide suggestions to me for consideration by the governing body. Ideally, I would like to have four residents from each ward on the committee. Our city does a good job of communicating information to the public through a variety of methods. Now I am looking for a mechanism to receive information from Lansing residents. Please consider joining this effort. It is another opportunity for our citizens to work together to keep Lansing a great place to live! Much has happened in the short time since I took office. We held our Lansing legislative breakfast where we had an opportunity to pass on concerns and issues to our state senators and representatives. I met with the developer of Towne Center to discuss all options for getting development moving in that area. We met with the school district to discuss infrastructure needs for the construction of the new high school. We met
with senior personnel from KDOT to discuss the re-alignment of K-5. We also had our annual Salads and Solutions lunch with our local businesses. The Salads and Solutions lunch provides an excellent opportunity for business owners and community leaders to exchange information in order to ensure their businesses remain healthy and prosperous. Your input is needed. It is encouraged and welcomed. If we want to continue to make our city a place we all can be proud of and enjoy, we all must do our part. Let’s work together to keep Lansing a great place to live. Keep your emails and phone calls coming, folks! Best wishes in the coming year! As always, thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Billy Blackwell 913-250-6820 mayor@lansing.ks.us
The Lansing Community Library and the Lansing Parks & Recreation Department present:
2013 PROGRAMS All programs are on Thursdays at 10 a.m. at the Lansing High School Auditorium, Located at 220 Lion Lane. PERFORMANCE DATES FOR 2013: JUNE 20 JUNE 27 JULY 11 JULY 18 JULY 25 Super-secret performers and exciting surprises to be revealed at the April 19 “Read to the Dogs” story time at the Lansing Community Library! Punch cards will be available May 20 through June 19. Punch cards are $5.00 and will allow five admissions to any of the shows throughout the summer. Punch cards may be purchased at the Lansing Community Library or Parks & Recreation Department. Call 913-727-2929 or 913-727-2960 for more information. Patrons without a punch card may pay at the door on the day of each event. Individual admission is $2.00 per person.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - CHECK OUT WWW.LANSING.KS.US 2012 MAYOR’S CHRISTMAS TREE CELEBRATION
ANNUAL CLEAN UP By Amber McCullough, City Clerk
By Amber McCullough, City Clerk Previous Lansing Mayor Kenneth W. Bernard hosted the 26th annual Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Deccember 2. The celebration included cookies, coffee, and hot chocolate for everyone to enjoy. Employees donated baked goods for a fundraiser for the program, which took in over $200.00 that night. Guests also enjoyed performances by the Lansing High School Sound Spectrum, A Deere Place Daycare, and Katie’s Dance Studio. The event raised more than $4,200.00 to help support Lansing area families this past holiday season. Area citizens and organizations selected tags from Angel Trees located at City Hall, the Lansing Community Library, the Lansing Historical Museum, and IHOP that provided information on the needs of children in Lansing. Many gifts of new toys and clothing were brought to City Hall for distribution to the Angel Tree recipients. Donations for the program also included non-perishable food items and monetary contributions. The non-perishable food donations were provided thanks to students from the Lansing schools as well as the Lansing Boy Scouts. This was an extremely successful event for 30 families, including 95 children in Lansing. We would like to send a special thank you to the Lions Club, Kiwanis, and Lansing PRIDE for their assistance with distributing the donated items to all the families, as well as the many local businesses that allowed us to place a donation jar at their locations or adopted a family for the holidays.
Spring is around the corner and residents will be completing their spring cleaning. To assist in this endeavor, the city of Lansing will have their Annual Clean Up on Fri., April 12, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sat., April 13 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Leavenworth County Transfer Station on Gilman Road. This is a free service for all Lansing residents. Residents must bring their driver’s license with current residency to verify they are a resident of Lansing. The Transfer Station will accept most items for disposal except motor oil, concrete waste, or items containing hazardous materials such as refrigerants. All truck beds/trailers MUST be covered with a tarp. Document shredding will be available on April 12 only, beginning at 8 a.m. It is first come, first served from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The service will end earlier if the truck is full prior to 2 p.m. Please visit our website at www.lansing.ks.us for details on this event. If you are disabled or age 65+ you may call Lansing City Hall at 727-3036 by Fri., April 5 to make an appointment to have your items picked up.
APRIL 2013 ELECTION INFORMATION By Amber McCullough, City Clerk Voter registration is currently being accepted for the April 2, 2013 General Election. Registration will close at 5 p.m. on March 12, 2013 for the General Election and re-open on April 3, 2013. To beat the deadline you may register to vote at Lansing City Hall, Mon. through Fri. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents interested in registering to vote must meet the following guidelines set by the Office of the Kansas Secretary of State: • be a U.S. citizen and a resident of the State of Kansas • have reached the age of 18 years before the next election • have received final discharge from imprisonment, parole, or conditional release if convicted of a felony • have abandoned your former residence and/or name If you are registering for the first time in Kansas, you must submit proof of United States citizenship. You may provide a copy on paper or electronically, or you may show the document to an election officer or official registrar. The following is a partial list of acceptable documents: • Birth certificate that verifies U.S. citizenship • U.S. passport (may be expired) • U.S. naturalization documents or the number of the certificate of naturalization • Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal treaty number or tribal enrollment number • U.S. hospital record of birth indicating place of birth in the U.S. • U.S. military record of service showing the applicant’s name and U.S. birthplace Voter registration forms are also available at the Lansing Community Library or online at www.kssos.org. Return your completed application to Lansing City Hall or the Leavenworth County Clerk’s Office. The Leavenworth County election officer will mail you a notice when your application has been processed indicating your location for voting. The following is a list of voting locations for each Ward in Lansing: WARD 1 – Leavenworth County Fire District #1 (111 E. Kansas) WARD 2 – Lansing Community Center (800 1st Terr.) WARD 3 & 4 – St. Francis De Sales Church (900 Ida St.) The office where you register to vote will keep your information confidential and use it for voter registration purposes only.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - CHECK OUT WWW.LANSING.KS.US
LANSING’S NEW RESIDENTIAL SEWER RATES LANSING’S NEW RESIDENTIAL SEWER RATES
Effective May 1, 2013, Residential customers will see a $1.25 increase to the base charge and an increase of $.85 per unit. The new residential structure is as follows: Combined Monthly Residential User Charge Rate
Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Base Charge $13.25 $14.50 $15.75 $17.00 $18.25 **1 unit =
New Customer Volume Charge Charges (6 (per unit)** units) $3.85 $36.35 $4.30 $40.30 $4.75 $44.25 $5.20 $48.20 $5.65 $52.15 750 gallons of water
New residents will be charged six units. This rate structure does not include the amount billed for trash service. LANSING’S NEW COMMERCIAL SEWER RATES Effective May 1, 2013, Commercial customers will see a $1.25 increase to the base charge and an increase of $.85 per unit. The new commercial structure is as follows:
Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Combined Monthly Commercial User Charge Rate New Customer Base Volume Charge Charges (6 Charge (per unit)** units) $15.25 $4.00 $39.25 $16.50 $4.45 $43.20 $17.75 $4.90 $47.15 $19.00 $5.35 $51.10 $20.25 $5.80 $55.05 ** 1 unit = 750 gallons of water
The Lansing City Council approved changes to the city’s residential and commercial wastewater rates at its December 20, 2012 meeting. Based on an independent consultant study, a recommendation was made to adjust Lansing wastewater (sewer) “Per Unit” rates (with one unit defined as 750 gallons of wastewater usage), and corresponding “Base Fee” rates for both commercial and residential accounts. Incremental increases were scheduled for 2013 through 2017.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - CHECK OUT WWW.LANSING.KS.US
Kenneth W. Bernard Community Park Bike Trail Over the last couple of years, the Parks and Recreation staff and community volunteers have worked to clear a natural surface single lane bike trail at Kenneth W. Bernard Community Park. The trail is now complete and ready for users. The trail is approximately 2.8 total miles in length and winds around the perimeter of the park through timbered and open areas.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - CHECK OUT WWW.LANSING.KS.US
Coming Up!
The Lansing Parks & Recreation Department will be hosting the 12th annual Fishing Derby at Kenneth W. Bernard Community Park on Sat., May 11 from 9 to 11 a.m. Registration for this event is $5 per child. Cost includes bait and a picnic lunch – be sure to bring chairs or a blanket! Youth up to the age of 15 years may participate in the Derby. All participants will need to bring a fishing pole and MUST be accompanied by an adult. Only one fishing pole per participant will be allowed.
Anyone not participating but attending may purchase a lunch ticket for $3 on the day of the derby. Registration forms for this event are available at the Lansing Parks and Recreation office, located inside the Lansing Activity Center at 108 S. 2nd Street. You may also download the forms at: www.lansing.ks.us and bring them to the Parks and Recreation Office. ONSITE REGISTRATION ON THE DAY OF THE DERBY WILL BE OFFERED FOR
Lansing Parks and Recreation will be accepting registrations for the Summer 2013 Youth T-Ball, Baseball and Softball programs March 1 through March 29. Registrations may be completed in person at the Parks and Recreation office, located in the Lansing Activity Center at 108 S. 2nd Street in Lansing. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mon. through Fri. Registration forms are also available online at: www.lansing.ks.us. Completed registration forms may be mailed with payment (checks or money orders made payable to the City of Lansing) to:
er m m Su ts r o p S n o i t a tr s i g ! e n R o o gS n i m Co
T-Ball (co-ed)
AN INCREASED PARTICIPATION FEE OF $10 PER CHILD. PRE-REGISTRATION MUST BE RECEIVED BY 4:30 P.M., FRI., MAY 10. If you have any questions about this event contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 727-2960 or by email at: parks@lansing.ks.us In the event of inclement weather on the day of the Derby, call the information line at 7275555 for potential cancellation notice.
5 – 6 years
BOYS BASEBALL Coach Pitch 7 –8 years 10 and under 9-10 years 12 and under 11-12 years 14 and under 13-14 years
GIRLS SOFTBALL 8 and under 7-8 years 10 and under 9-10 years 12 and under 11-12 years 15 and under 13-15 years
Registration fees are $40 per youth; Registration fee includes jersey. A scholarship program is available for qualifying individuals; for more information please contact our office. The deadline for scholarship applications is Mon., March 18. Practices will begin mid-April; practice times are dependent upon the coach. Games begin the end of May and run through mid-July.
LATE REGISTRATIONS MAY NOT BE ACCEPTED. Lansing Parks & Recreation 108 S. 2nd St. Lansing, KS 66043 Age divisions are as follows, (all ages as of June 1, 2013):
Refunds will NOT be offered after the uniform/equipment order is placed on APRIL 15, 2013. Please contact us with questions at: 913-727-2960 or by Email at: parks@lansing.ks.us
WARD NEWS - CHECK OUT WHAT YOUR COUNCILMEMBERS HAVE TO SAY... WARD 1 WARD 3 NEWS Councilmember Jesse Garvey NEWS Councilmember Gene Kirby
WARD 1 NEWS
Councilmember Dave Trinkle
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our new Mayor, Billy Blackwell on his election. We look forward to working with him and the entire council in the days ahead. As always, we will face many challenges as we work to continue
to grow the city. There will be many issues to tackle as we move forward. We and the city staff are continually working to attract new businesses as well as retaining those that we already have. We hope to have good news later this year on these issues.
WARD 4 NEWS
Councilmember Gregg Buehler
WARD 4 NEWS
Councilmember Tony McNeill
Happy 2013!! We hope the year has started well for everyone. As we were interviewing candidates to fill Mayor Blackwell’s vacant council seat, one of the candidates mentioned that communication with the residents of the ward would be one of their priorities. The Council and the city staff work hard to keep everyone in the city informed about local happenings. Events are posted on the city of Lansing’s website, Time Warner Cable Channel 2, the Lansing Facebook page, the free standing message sign near the Leavenworth County District #1 Fire Station and in the Leavenworth Times.
We are working on infrastructure, which is always a challenge for us but these are things we need to address to ensure our growth potential. We need to be ready whenever a chance arises for new business and housing additions as well. Work will begin soon on next year’s budget, a concern to all of us. We and the city staff are always working to ensure that we are getting maximum return for your tax dollars. As always, we want thank our entire city staff for their hard work and dedication in making our home the best it can be. Remember to vote in the upcoming elections. Your vote matters. Gene Kirby Dave Trinkle
There were a number of reasons for our relocation to Lansing from Leavenworth. Community and schools are just a few. We attend Calvary As I start this new position Baptist Church and are active serving the citizens of Lansing, in a number of ways and I I have one thing to say WOO have served on numerous HOO!! I am so exited to be committees. I look forward to apart of the future of the great serving the city of Lansing and city. its residents. With this being my first Connection article as a new City Councilman for Lansing, I would like to briefly introduce my family and I to the citizens and share who I am. My family moved to Lansing in 2001. Brenda and I were married in 1988. Sarra, our daughter was born in 1992 and Greg, our son was born in 1996.
Sometimes it doesn’t seem to be enough, so we’re going to talk about a few things that seem to be issues, for one reason or another. Lansing City Code, Chapter 2, paragraph 2106 states “…it shall be unlawful for any person(s) to own, keep or harbor any combination of more than four non-prohibited animals at the same address or on the same premises within the City limits without first applying for and obtaining a Special Permit as provided for in Article 5 of this Chapter.” This means that if you want to own more than four dogs or cats, or any combination of them totaling more than four, you must apply for a permit. Please don’t wait until a citation is issued because of a complaint. It makes it significantly more difficult to get the permit approved that way. As everyone knows, trash pickup is Thursday, but sometimes, normally due to holidays, pickup is delayed a day. If there was a holiday during the week and you’re not sure if there will be trash pickup on Thursday or Friday, you can check the city’s website, www.lansing.ks.us, Channel 2, the city’s Facebook page, or look on your trash bill for special notices. Additionally, Deffenbaugh has a spot on their website (http://www.deffenbaughinc.com) where you can check to see if the pickup has been delayed. There is a lot happening in the city this spring. Brew, Blues and Barbeque will be May 3 and 4. There are a lot of activities for the kids, some great BBQ to sample and good music. The Annual Kids Fishing Derby is always a
great time for families. This year’s fishing derby will be on May 11 at Kenneth W. Bernard Community Park. In addition to the annual activities, the City will be starting efforts on updating the City’s ten year Comprehensive Plan. There will be plenty of opportunity for volunteers to assist in shaping that plan. If you are interested in serving on a committee and playing an active role in the process as a Ward 4 representative, please let one of us know so we can keep you informed about the committee meetings, dates and times. If you have any questions or issues, please contact one of us: Tony McNeill at amcneill@lansing.ks.us or Gregg Buehler at gbuehler@lansing.ks.us
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU UPDATE
Lansing Historical Museum By Laura Phillippi The Lansing Historical Museum celebrated Kansas Day early on Sat., Jan. 26 with its 6th annual cake decorating contest. This year we had a record nine cakes entered. Wujeong Duncan won “Best Theme” for her Lansing cake. Mallory Schere received “Best Use of Materials” for her Home on the Range cake and Michael Bradley won “Most Creative” for his Over the Rainbow cake. The winners received a cutting board, gift certificate to The Pot Rack, and a sunflower themed lid. We would like to thank Gloria Carney’s catering students from Leavenworth High School for entering seven cakes in the contest. We would also like to thank The Pot Rack for the donation of the sunflower lids for prizes. Matthew Thompson of the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum presented “From Fatherland to Farmland,” German POWs in the Great Plains to approximately forty-three people. In addition to the Museum’s festivities, the Site Supervisor attended Fort Leavenworth’s Kansas Day celebration and made butter with 1,500 students. We are gearing up for spring events. On March 9, the Site Supervisor will be promoting Lansing at Fort Leavenworth’s Post Activities Information & Registration (PAIR) Day. PAIR Day is an opportunity for new military families to learn about area businesses. As a service to Lansing businesses, we will be taking 200 tote bags to distribute at PAIR day filled with information. If you are a Lansing business and would like to add a promotional item to the bags, please contact the Museum at 913-250-0203. There is no charge for participating. On April 20, the Site Supervisor will have a booth at Osawatomie’s Railroad Day and a booth at the Kansas Sampler Festival in Liberal May 4-5. In case you missed the festival when it was in Leavenworth, the 2014-15 Kansas Sampler Festivals will be in Wamego. The Museum is continuing its partnership with the University of Saint Mary through its service learning program. In addition to Dr. Mulliken’s history students, all freshmen are required to perform fifteen hours of service learning. Some of the freshmen have chosen to work at the Museum and three were on hand to assist with the Kansas Day activities. The students assist at the Museum in a variety of ways including collections management, publicity, and exhibits. One of the long term projects in process is adding the names from all of the yearbooks into the Museum’s database. This will serve as an aid for researchers looking for people who grew up in the area. We just finished entering the names from the 1997 yearbook. We continue to process research requests. An English professor from Ohio requested articles about the executions at the prison in Lansing. He is writing a book about the history of the noose. The first new exhibit “Threads of History” will open in March. The exhibit will feature vintage clothing, accessories, and textile related tools. Stay tuned to local media for details.
EMPLOYEE of the QUARTER Melvin Derritt Melvin Derritt was selected Lansing Employee of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2013. Melvin has been with the city since May 9, 2000, and works in the Parks and Recreation Department. Melvin was nominated because of the way he interacts with citizens. He is always very kind and respectful. He makes it a point to know people by their first name. Melvin also treats the Activity Center like it was his home by going the extra mile and is the kind of city representative of which we can be proud. Melvin was honored at the January 17, 2013 Lansing City Council meeting by Mayor Billy Blackwell and City Administrator Mike Smith. Congratulations Melvin!
City Website Features ➢ More Modules so Residents Can Interact with their City Government ➢ Use the Web Calendar to Check on Dates for City Events and Meetings ➢ View the Latest City Council Meetings and Newsmaker Interview Shows ➢ Pay Your City Bills Online ➢ Report a Pothole or Other Maintenance Issue ➢ Register for youth sports leagues or city events!
LGTV - Channel 2 Update ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Time and Temperature Instantly! City Council Meetings Rebroadcast 6 Times per Week Legislative Forums Historical Documentaries about Lansing and Leavenworth County Get Your Local Weather Forecast Complete Program Guide on www.lansing.ks.us
City’s Facebook Page Update ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Lansing’s Facebook Page now has 1,023 friends! Links to City Videos Check out photos from city staff and the community City Job Opportunities Announced “Like” Our Library, Parks and Museum Facebook Pages, too!
And coming in Spring for iPhone and Android…
a City of Lansing Mobile App!