Lease approved for boathouse site

Commissioners approved a lease that will allow Kansas University Athletics to build a new multimillion dollar boathouse in Burcham Park.

Commissioners approved the lease on a 4-1 vote after Commissioner Boog Highberger objected to the $1 per year lease rate. Highberger said he thought it should be higher, given that KU Athletics has a multitude of private funding sources.

But the other four commissioners balked at increasing the lease payment. Mayor Sue Hack and Commissioner Mike Amyx both pointed to a lease agreement that the city has with the KU Endowment Association that is a $1 per year lease for property near 19th and Iowa streets that is the site of Fire Station No. 5.

“It is a relationship of give and take, and sometimes we feel like there is more give than take,” Amyx said. “But I think given the deal we have on the fire station that it makes sense.”

The boathouse along the Kansas River will serve the KU women’s rowing team. The 25-year lease does allow the city to use the boathouse for functions at least 15 times per year.

Bridge to provide foundation for bras

The Kansas River bridge near downtown Lawrence will look different on Friday.

Commissioners unanimously approved a request to allow brassieres to be strung across the bridge as part of an event being dubbed Bras Across the Kaw. The event, sponsored by local radio station KLWN, is to promote breast cancer awareness and will benefit Health Care Access’ efforts to provide mammograms to low-income women.

Commissioners didn’t object to the event, but Highberger did take exception to how it was presented to the commission. The event was added Friday afternoon to the agenda, and unlike most items, it did not include a memo providing background information.

The agenda item didn’t include the name of the event, and made no mention of women’s undergarments being displayed on the bridge.

“I thought it was a little crass to not have the name of the event on the agenda,” Highberger said.

“It seems like it was an attempt to slip it under the radar.”