Category: News

One of Lawrence Central Rotary’s largest and most exciting projects is our annual Community Bike Ride. Every year for the past decade we have gathered at the Rotary Arboretum promoting safe cycling and healthy lifestyles.

We cherish the opportunity to give out free helmets, safety gear, and go on fun bike rides in the area. Unfortunately this year we do not feel it is safe or responsible to hold a large group gathering due to the dangers presented by COVID-19.

However, we do still feel that staying active and enjoying the outdoors is important for health and wellness. This year instead of joining us for a large event we suggest you go out with your “bubble”. Those people you live with or have chosen to maintain close contact with through this unique time.

To help you get out and enjoy the riding Lawrence has to offer we have put together some suggested routes for you to try on your own. Each week we will publish one or two new routes that you can try at any time.

Please remember to stay distanced from other trail users and always bring a mask in case you need it.

We hope to see your smiling faces again in person in July of 2021, but until then, please enjoy the Community Bike Ride 2020 Bike With Your Bubble Edition!

Week 1

 

The Classic CBR

Description: Just because the Community Bike Ride has to look different this year doesn’t mean the routes have to. We’re kicking off our Bike With Your Bubble ride series with the Classic CBR! This route will be familiar to those of you who’ve ridden with us in the past. Starting from the Rotary Arboretum this route follows the Lawrence Loop around the western edge of the city. There is a good mix of uphill and downhill sections and a few road crossings. We recommend this route for families with kids who feel comfortable on two wheels and are ready for a bit of a challenge. (if there are puddles on the trail, it is highly recommended that you walk through them as they can get very slick.)

Directions: Follow the trail west away from the Arboretum, after a few miles follow the hill up to the right instead of crossing the Dam Road. At the top of the hill cross Clinton Parkway and head east until the trail continues again to the left. After that follow the trail all the way until it dead ends and turn back the same way.

Parking: Parking is available at the Rotary Arboretum. If that lot is full you can also park at the Youth Sports Complex.

Amenities: A unisex restroom is available at the Arboretum year-round. There is a Fix-It Stand in the parking lot.  

Mileage: 12 Miles

Elevation: 576 feet

Arboretum Loop

Description: Does anyone in your Bubble still use training wheels? Not sure how far they’re ready to ride? The Rotary Arboretum gives you the opportunity to ride a mile loop while never being too far from the parking lot if you have to call it a day early.  The Arboretum, is a project supported by all three Rotary Clubs in Lawrence and includes three-shade/rest structures as well as two ponds with fish and frequented by Canadian geese.

Directions: Instead of joining the Lawrence Loop to the south of the parking lot go north and head either right or left when you reach the sidewalk. You can follow this loop around both fishing ponds, there is also a small detour that takes you into some tall grass before bringing you back out to the ponds.

Parking: Parking is available at the Rotary Arboretum. If that lot is full you can also park at the Youth Sports Complex.

Amenities: A unisex restrooms is available at the Arboretum year-round. There is a Fix-It Stand in the parking lot. 

Mileage: .9 miles

Elevation: 9 feet

More Rides and descriptions coming soon!

Mitzi McFatrich is passionate about caring for the elderly in Kansas. 

In her position as Executive Director of Kansas Advocacy for Better Care, McFatrich helps coordinate an annual legislative forum on senior issues, provides legislative progress reports and assists seniors in participating in the governmental process.

Founded in Lawrence in 1966 by six women concerned about the quality of nursing homes in the state, KABC is a statewide advocacy group that works to ensure that older adults receive safe, compassionate care at home or in an adult care facility. 

KABC addresses legislative issues related to the quality of long-term care and the elimination of elder abuse.  It provides guidance and support to elders and their families as they face the challenges of finding quality care and solving care problems. In addition, it provides education and support to constituencies who may need special training in order to deal effectively and safely with the elderly.  Among the publications on their website are a wide assortment of booklets, reports, and other materials.

McFartrich encourages everyone who shares her concern to participate in KABC’s annual fundraising  event, Stand By Me.

 

There are numerous big issues and countless details to address in order to deliver safe and supportive instruction in schools during the COVID pandemic.  

In mid-July, the Kansas State Department of Education endorsed “Navigating Change,” a 1100-page document that outlines guidelines for school districts as they plan for schools to resume in the fall.  For each cluster of grade levels, the report articulates ways to address Access and Equity, Competencies, Assessment, and Implementation. In addition, there are sections about Operations and Funding.  The document seeks to give guidance on how to keep students, faculty, and staff safe while providing appropriate learning support to all students. 

Shannon Kimball, president of the USC 497 School Board, outlined the “Navigating Change” document, explained the current decisions that the local school board has made, and made a few predictions about where the district is headed.

Kimball said that USD 497 has developed three options for achieving the state-required 1,116 minutes of contact time for every student:  traditional in-person instruction; remote teaching/learning; and a hybrid of these two models.  Work groups have devoted summer hours to devising these options.  There have been surveys of parents and of faculty/staff to understand their points of view. 

At their July 27 meeting, school district leaders decided to postpone the beginning of the school year to  September 8 and to provide virtual instruction only during the first six weeks of the academic year.   A local task force will coordinate and communicate as conditions evolve in the community.

Kimball assumes there will be a re-set by the end of September, but there will be no easy decisions.   

 

Derek Kwan, director of the Lied Center in Lawrence, explained the process that he and his staff use to book a winning season of programs. The goal is to devise a selection of options where every potential patron can find something that appeals to their taste. The task is to juggle quality with relevance, Kwan says. A successful selection will bring the necessary critical mass of audiences to the Lied.

A judgment about quality involves research about what awards and positive reviews a program has received in other places.

Relevance is an educated assessment of the needs of the various stakeholders that the Lied serves: the Lawrence community and schools; KU and its students; and supporters such as Friends of the Lied, Kansas Public Radio, Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning, and local businesses.

As Lawrence is a secondary market near Kansas City, the Lied seeks to avoid over-saturating the market. In addition, they must consider the size and cost of the production itself as well as exclusivity concerns.

Jerry Jost returned to tell the story of the Kansas Land Trust once again. At this presentation, he highlighted the various types of protected lands: farmland, prairie, woodlands, streams, and wildlife areas. The Trust protects 77 lands in 22 Kansas counties covering 39,000 acres.

Many Rotarians had not visited the Lawrence Nature Park on the Lichtwardt Conservation Easement in northwest Lawrence off of Folks Road. Its trails wander through 37 acres of woodlands.

To find prairie and wildflowers, visit Akin Easement south and east of Lawrence.

Other Douglas County areas held by the Trust include the private lands of Earles Woodland, located east of Baldwin City, and the Hamilton Farmland near Eudora. A list of places you can visit is available on the Kansas Land Trust website.