Briefly

Indoor Aquatic Center to close for repairs

The city’s Indoor Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Drive, will close for two weeks starting Sunday for annual maintenance.

General maintenance to be conducted during shutdown includes rebuilding pumps and motors, heating and ventilation work, repainting features and major cleaning of tiles, carpet and concrete.

The Outdoor Aquatic Center, 727 Kent., will be available from 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. daily during the indoor pool’s closure.

Growth

Planning Commission pans rural development

For the second time in four months, the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission gave a unanimous thumbs-down to a proposed 219-acre housing development between Lone Star and Clinton lakes.

The Douglas County Commission in June asked the Planning Commission to reconsider its April recommendation, after hearing from developers that a 30-acre man-made lake would reduce flooding in the nearby town of Lone Star by up to 1.3 feet.

Price Banks, an attorney for the developers, said Wednesday the actual decrease in potential flooding was thought to be closer to six inches.

“We find that the actual benefit on this property is about half what we said it was,” Banks said. “We’re a little embarrassed it’s not what we said it was initially, but it is some help.”

Planning commissioners said the effects of the dam would not be significant enough to justify the development, which is nearly a mile outside the county’s regulatory urban growth area, plus 1.4 miles, by road, from the nearest housing subdivision.

A final hearing before the Douglas County Commission has not been scheduled.

Awards

Veritas students earn writing honors

Five Veritas Christian School students were honored for their creative writing abilities in a competition held by the South-Central Region of the Association of Christian Schools International.

Three students received “superior” ratings and will have their material included in ACSI’s regional publication. Those students are Emilie Nikodym and Elizabeth Bartlow for their free verse poems and Aileen Doll for her essay/narrative. Bartlow also received a “superior” rating for a short story.

Mark Randtke received a “good” rating for the rhymed poetry he submitted. Michael Penny received an “excellent” rating for his short story entry.

Gasoline Prices

Pump Patrol seeks deals

The Journal-World has found gasoline prices as low as $1.77 a gallon at several locations around Lawrence.

If you find a lower price, call the Pump Patrol at 832-

7154.