Governing board to sell group home

Achievement Place for Girls has decided to sell its historic, five-bedroom house at 637 Tenn.

“I’m getting calls on it left and right,” said Steve Lopes, a member of the group home’s governing board.

Lopes said he and other board members were preparing the property for sale.

“We’re not ready yet,” he said. “But the plan now is to have an open house, probably right after Labor Day, and then open it up for bids.”

Cheapskates needn’t inquire; the house is valued for tax purposes at $338,500.

“We intend to maximize our profits,” Lopes said, noting that proceeds from the sale would be used to underwrite a child welfare program that had yet to be determined.

Board members closed the nonprofit group home this year after it became clear the program’s income would not keep pace with expenses.

The house was built by Jimmy Green, Kansas University’s first law school dean. It was later deeded to Achievement Place for Girls.

Police

Officers sparse during power outage

Lawrence Police on Thursday responded to criticism that officers didn’t direct traffic in central Lawrence during a blackout late Wednesday.

“It wasn’t that we didn’t want to direct traffic,” Lawrence Police Sgt. Dan Ward said. “It’s that we didn’t have the manpower.”

Power went out about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, affecting 3,100 Westar Energy customers between Massachusetts and Iowa streets. That blackout shut down 12 traffic lights, Ward said.

Ten officers are on duty to cover the entire city on Wednesday nights, Ward said. One officer did help direct traffic, but police were also busy responding to a number of other alarm calls during the blackout — including a burglary in progress and four reports of fireworks use.

“We have to respond to those,” Ward said. “We don’t know if it’s guns or fireworks or what.”

Power was restored within two hours. A spokeswoman for Westar Energy attributed the failure to “equipment problems,” declining to offer more details.