To the editor:

In addition to being concerned about the devastating environmental impact the SLT would have on the Prairie Park Nature Center I was curious how much was spent developing this area.

The Prairie Park Nature Center was opened September 1999 and cost about $950,000. It was one of about a dozen or so park projects on the list for the 1994 sales tax question.

The trail system, fishing dock and bridges cost about $300,000 of which 80 percent was reimbursed to us as part of a Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department grant.

The trail signage cost was about $6,000. The floating dock for pond and program study at the north portion of Mary’s Lake was added this summer at a cost of $4,500. Our total investment for the center and trails, most of which came from the 1-cent sales tax has been $1,040,000 or $1,260,500.

In addition we developed the neighborhood park portion of the 72-acre park, south of the Prairie Park School in 1996 for about $375,000. Our sales tax dollars were spent to develop this area and our gas tax dollars will be used to buy out Harris Construction, LRM (road construction), RSC Equipment Rental (new this year) and a commercial electric company, all so Haskell Avenue can be moved to the east. Are we really getting the best bang for our tax bucks? Apparently KDOT and five of our city/county elected officials think so. I disagree!!!

Richard Heckler,

Lawrence