TEG
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016
L Y O N
V V V
C O U N T Y
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895
V V V
By John Robinson
[email protected]
Q
The Gazette keeps noting
that the Lyon County Commission wants public comment on
Americus Road. Why, what’s going on with Americus Road?
It all comes back to through
truck traffic.
When the commission closed
down through truck traffic on
Burlingame Road in July, commissioners then received reports the
trucks moved to Allen Road (Road
L). After a similar limit was placed
on Allen in February commissioners were informed that through
truck traffic has become an issue
on Americus Road.
During the March 25 action
session for the Lyon County Commission, Commissioner Scott
Briggs said he started receiving
phone calls from John Waechter,
owner of J.W. Trucking.
“When they closed Burlingame Road and Allen Road, the
trucks started coming down
Americus Road,” Waechter said
in March. “All the trucks coming down here … tearing up this
county road and the taxpayers
A
have to pay to fix (the road) up.”
According to Waechter, trucks
don’t actually save time driving
on Americus Road instead of U.S.
Highway 50. Waechter said he
tested this theory by driving from
his store at the intersection of 50
and Americus to Council Grove
then returning to his store via the
state highway and Strong City.
“That way is six miles further,” Waechter said. “But when
you slow down at Americus ... it
is faster to go the other way even
though it’s six miles further.”
Briggs expected calls from the
community after they took action
on Allen and Burlingame.
“It’s not a surprise by any
means,” Briggs said at the March
action session. “These roads
weren’t designed for the truck
traffic so we’re starting to hear
from the community. (We are)
going take a look at and process
this.”
When asked whether the commissioners would look at making
a motion to ban through traffic on
all county roads, Briggs said special considerations would have to
be made after Americus Road.
“We’ve only got two more
roads to go,” Briggs said. “The
Olpe-Hartford Road has a different dynamic to it and even Old 50,
which is now County Road 175,
was a state highway at one time,
so it has the base and it’s wider.”
According to commissioners,
the only which has been taken on
Americus thus far is a traffic count
By Danny Giefer
Please see Roads, Page 8
moving it inside but the turnout is
awesome,” Aron Dody said.
The basketball courts inside
A chance of rain didn’t deter the recreation center were packed
with people, some walking laps,
participants in the ninth
and others perusing the
annual Laps for Landon
tables full of silent aucevent on Tuesday evetion items. Silent aucning. The event is usution items ranged from
ally held at Welch Stafreshly-baked pies and
dium on the Emporia
cookies to a backyard
State University campus
fire pit with all the fixbut this year was moved
ings for S’mores.
inside the student rec“I’m really hop reation center due to
ing to win some of the
intermittent rain.
cupcakes over there,”
The event raised
Stacy Morris of Empoawareness and money
ria said. “I’ve bid on the
for cystic fibrosis recupcakes and a couple
search in honor of Landother items. It all goes
on Dody, 9-year-old
to a great cause so I’m
son of Aron and Blythe
hoping that negates the
Dody. Landon was diagcalories.”
nosed with cystic fibroAll money raised at the event
sis when he was just three months
old.
“We were a little worried with
Please see Laps, Page 8
By Jessie Wagoner
[email protected]
COURTESY PHOTO
Lori Heller leads a story time at the “Frozen” themed family fun
night at the Emporia Public Library. Children had the opportunity
to make crafts and play games all themed around the Disney movie.
EMPORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY INVITES
FAMILIES TO BUILD A SNOWMAN
Summer break may be only
five weeks away for Emporia
Public Schools, but Tuesday
night was a winter wonderland
inside the Emporia Public Library for a “Frozen”-themed
family fun night.
“This is an annual event
which is part of April Month
of the Young Child,” said Lori
Heller, children’s coordinator
at the library. Heller began the
event with story time reading
WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM
Special to The Gazette
LAPS 4 LANDON
UNDETERRED BY RAIN
[email protected]
Should we pay for
others’ damage?
STATE OF
THE CITY
See related editorial, PAGE 4
By John Robinson
VVV
C O M M I S S I O N
COULD RESTRICTING TRUCK
TRAFFIC SAVE ROADS AND
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS?
More counties
forcing trucks to
use state highways
to save taxpayers
money
Good Evening
of a “Frozen” book which incorporated songs and activities to
help encourage participation.
“In our story times we try to
do lots of things with music and
interaction so our kids are really participating and interacting with us,” she said.
The event also featured numerous “Frozen”-themed activities, from ice skating using wax
paper to creating a hand puppet
which resembles the “Frozen”
character Olaf.
“We want to provide opportunities for families to get together and interact with one
VOL. 124, NO. 250
Please see Library, Page 8
JESSIE WAGONER/GAZETTE
The ninth annual Laps 4 Landon event was held at Emporia State
University on Tuesday evening.
As I come close to the end of
my term as mayor, it is traditional, that the mayor reviews the
progress of the city over the past
year. I can say that it has been a
very active, successful and exciting year for Emporia.
Early last year the city commission and staff met to update and set goals for the 2016
through 2017 timeframe.
The goals are as follows:
✦✦Promote single-family housing development and redevelopment.
✦✦Maximize economic development rec