The big item on the March 4th agenda was the facilities assessment of the Public Works buildings at 3535 Somerset Drive. You can see the full agenda and board packet HERE.

Council members at roll call: Herring, J. Nelson, Schermoly, R. Nelson, Poling, Myers, Morehead, Runion, McFadden, Odell, and Gallagher.

Here are some highlights from this meeting:

• Prairie Elementary students will be at the next Council meeting to present the PSA videos they created about recycling at home.
• Wes Jordan, City Administrator; Mayor Eric Mikkelson; and Lisa Santa Maria, Finance Director met with Paul Welcome from the Johnson County Appraiser’s office. No specific details were given about this meeting, but a publication was mentioned, which I believe is this 2019 Reval Report.
  • Notable in the Report: The average Prairie Village residential appraisal increase was 10.53% (excluding apartments), outpacing the overall Johnson County average of a 6.26% increase for single family residences.
  • Also of Note: “if you are a residential property owner, we have introduced a new format for you to file your [residential] appeal through our website at https://appraiser.jocogov.org. Every residential property owner will be given a unique PIN# printed on the back of their NOAV [Notice of Appraised Value] below the appeal process instructions.” 😉

• Council ratified the reappointment of citizens to the following City committees:
  • Arts Council
    • Ada Koch, exp. March 2021
    • Julie Hassel, exp. March 2021
    • Sheila Evans, exp. March 2021
    • Shelly Trewolla, exp. March 2021
  • Civil Service
    • Braden Perry, exp. March 2022
    • Patrick Delaney, exp. March 2022
  • Parks & Recreation
    • Carey Bickford, exp. March 2021
  • Planning Commission
    • Greg Wolf, exp. March 2022
    • Jeffrey Valentino, exp. March 2021
    • Jim Breneman, exp. March 2022
    • Melissa Brown, exp. March 2022
    • Patrick Lenahan, exp. March 2021
  • Tree Board
    • Pamela Jorgensen, exp. March 2021
    • Tom Brown, exp. March 2021

• Wes Jordan has asked the YMCA to develop their “needs” list for a new facility as well as the level of funding they would be able to contribute toward a combined Prairie Village/YMCA Community Center. Council and staff are also reaching out to other possible partners.
  • **I emailed Mayor Mikkelson and suggested reaching out to the Johnson County Library. The Corinth facility is at the end of its lifespan, and the idea of having an “activity complex” anchored with basketball/volleyball courts, an indoor track, a gym, community rooms, outdoor park space, swimming, and the library all together in one block with shared parking is very appealing. What a great space for community gathering!**

• It’s D.A.R.E. graduation time again, and Mayor Mikkelson announced that this will be Officer Brian Wolf’s last year facilitating the program for our elementary students. Officer Seth Meyer will be taking his place. So when you see Officer Wolf around the schools or neighborhood, be sure to share with him what a wonderful experience he created for our students and how much we appreciate him!
• No update on KCP&L. The meeting had to be postponed again due to snow. It is currently scheduled for March 18th.
• Public Works Facilities Assessment: Of the six structures on the PW campus, 2 are in “good” condition, 2 are in “fair” condition, and 2 are in “poor” condition.
  • After extensive evaluation, it is the consultant’s recommendation to:
    • Tear down B Building, and build a new Equipment Maintenance Building,
    • Make major renovations and ADA upgrades to A Building which functions as office space, and
    • Demolish the Dirt Barn, but retain the exterior storage bays
  • Council voted to approve further work for the consultant to come up with a conceptual project budget.
  • Council members requested that the consultant evaluate sustainable design features meeting LEED requirements for the new and renovated buildings.
• Deputy City Administrator, Jamie Robichaud, presented the current solar panel verbiage (which falls under 19.50 of the City’s zoning regulations), the interpretation issues staff have experienced, the Planning Commission’s work to update the regulations, and Councilperson Poling’s update suggestions. The overall discussion ultimately led to Ms. Robichaud agreeing to take all of the discussion points back to the Planning Commission for their evaluation and recommendation.

Also, discussed loosely as staff begins work on 2020 budgeting, were the Mill Levy and upcoming Public Work projects. If you’d like to watch the proceedings yourself, all Council meetings are live streamed and available here after the meeting as well: https://www.pvkansas.com/city-government/city-council-meeting-streaming !

Upcoming Events

• March R.G. Endres Gallery Featured Artists: Layla McDill, Crystal Nederman, Paula Acheson
• March 8 Artist Reception in the R.G. Endres Gallery
• March 18 City Council Meeting
• April in the R.G. Endres Gallery: The Art of Photography

Take care and reach out if you have any questions or concerns,

#ShowUp
#Breathe
#DoYourBest
#BeKind