Flip. Flop.
First, Gov. Bill Graves said he wouldn’t take public input before deciding the fate of houses in the 1300 block of Ohio Street. He changed his mind last month, but his office said at the time he wouldn’t conduct a public hearing.
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Now he has changed his mind again. Officials said Wednesday that a hearing was set for Aug. 20 at the Douglas County Courthouse.
Graves spokeswoman Kristin Heuertz said previous public hearings in the matter focused on whether demolishing the houses would hurt the historic value of other nearby buildings. They didn’t answer the question Graves was trying to resolve, which was whether there were “feasible and prudent alternatives” to the wrecking ball.
“We haven’t had public hearings on this aspect,” Heuertz said.
That’s the argument opponents of demolition have been making for two months. They were gratified, and a little stunned, by the governor’s reversal.
“I’m pleased,” said Pat Kehde, president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, which is fighting demolition alongside the Oread Neighborhood Assn. “I’m gratified he’s interested in all the sides and hearing the facts.”
Kansas University officials, who want the houses torn down, are receptive to the hearings.
“KU welcomes this hearing and the opportunity, again, to give input to the governor so he can make the best decision possible,” said Kevin Boatright, a university spokesman.
KU wants to tear down three dilapidated, century-old houses on Ohio Street to make way for scholarship halls. But the university has been prevented from doing so because of a state preservation officer’s ruling in March that the demolition would harm the historic value of nearby Usher House, 1425 Tenn.
That house, now being used by Beta Theta Pi fraternity, is on the National Register of Historic Places. KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway in June appealed the state preservation officer’s ruling to Graves, who nearly made a decision without taking public input.
He reversed course July 8, and letters started coming in from proponents and opponents of demolition. The final day for letters was Wednesday; officials said they received 54 e-mails and 39 letters on the matter.
Graves won’t personally attend the Aug. 20 hearing. It will be supervised by a lawyer from his office. Both sides said Wednesday that they could make a winning case.
“We’re pretty confident the law upholds our side,” Kehde said.
“We continue to believe,” Boatright said, “that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the demolition of these properties.”
Flip. Flop.
First, Gov. Bill Graves said he wouldn’t take public input before deciding the fate of houses in the 1300 block of Ohio Street. He changed his mind last month, but his office said at the time he wouldn’t conduct a public hearing.
|
Now he has changed his mind again. Officials said Wednesday that a hearing was set for Aug. 20 at the Douglas County Courthouse.
Graves spokeswoman Kristin Heuertz said previous public hearings in the matter focused on whether demolishing the houses would hurt the historic value of other nearby buildings. They didn’t answer the question Graves was trying to resolve, which was whether there were “feasible and prudent alternatives” to the wrecking ball.
“We haven’t had public hearings on this aspect,” Heuertz said.
That’s the argument opponents of demolition have been making for two months. They were gratified, and a little stunned, by the governor’s reversal.
“I’m pleased,” said Pat Kehde, president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, which is fighting demolition alongside the Oread Neighborhood Assn. “I’m gratified he’s interested in all the sides and hearing the facts.”
Kansas University officials, who want the houses torn down, are receptive to the hearings.
“KU welcomes this hearing and the opportunity, again, to give input to the governor so he can make the best decision possible,” said Kevin Boatright, a university spokesman.
KU wants to tear down three dilapidated, century-old houses on Ohio Street to make way for scholarship halls. But the university has been prevented from doing so because of a state preservation officer’s ruling in March that the demolition would harm the historic value of nearby Usher House, 1425 Tenn.
That house, now being used by Beta Theta Pi fraternity, is on the National Register of Historic Places. KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway in June appealed the state preservation officer’s ruling to Graves, who nearly made a decision without taking public input.
He reversed course July 8, and letters started coming in from proponents and opponents of demolition. The final day for letters was Wednesday; officials said they received 54 e-mails and 39 letters on the matter.
Graves won’t personally attend the Aug. 20 hearing. It will be supervised by a lawyer from his office. Both sides said Wednesday that they could make a winning case.
“We’re pretty confident the law upholds our side,” Kehde said.
“We continue to believe,” Boatright said, “that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the demolition of these properties.”
Flip. Flop.
First, Gov. Bill Graves said he wouldn’t take public input before deciding the fate of houses in the 1300 block of Ohio Street. He changed his mind last month, but his office said at the time he wouldn’t conduct a public hearing.
|
Now he has changed his mind again. Officials said Wednesday that a hearing was set for Aug. 20 at the Douglas County Courthouse.
Graves spokeswoman Kristin Heuertz said previous public hearings in the matter focused on whether demolishing the houses would hurt the historic value of other nearby buildings. They didn’t answer the question Graves was trying to resolve, which was whether there were “feasible and prudent alternatives” to the wrecking ball.
“We haven’t had public hearings on this aspect,” Heuertz said.
That’s the argument opponents of demolition have been making for two months. They were gratified, and a little stunned, by the governor’s reversal.
“I’m pleased,” said Pat Kehde, president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, which is fighting demolition alongside the Oread Neighborhood Assn. “I’m gratified he’s interested in all the sides and hearing the facts.”
Kansas University officials, who want the houses torn down, are receptive to the hearings.
“KU welcomes this hearing and the opportunity, again, to give input to the governor so he can make the best decision possible,” said Kevin Boatright, a university spokesman.
KU wants to tear down three dilapidated, century-old houses on Ohio Street to make way for scholarship halls. But the university has been prevented from doing so because of a state preservation officer’s ruling in March that the demolition would harm the historic value of nearby Usher House, 1425 Tenn.
That house, now being used by Beta Theta Pi fraternity, is on the National Register of Historic Places. KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway in June appealed the state preservation officer’s ruling to Graves, who nearly made a decision without taking public input.
He reversed course July 8, and letters started coming in from proponents and opponents of demolition. The final day for letters was Wednesday; officials said they received 54 e-mails and 39 letters on the matter.
Graves won’t personally attend the Aug. 20 hearing. It will be supervised by a lawyer from his office. Both sides said Wednesday that they could make a winning case.
“We’re pretty confident the law upholds our side,” Kehde said.
“We continue to believe,” Boatright said, “that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the demolition of these properties.”
Flip. Flop.
First, Gov. Bill Graves said he wouldn’t take public input before deciding the fate of houses in the 1300 block of Ohio Street. He changed his mind last month, but his office said at the time he wouldn’t conduct a public hearing.
|
Now he has changed his mind again. Officials said Wednesday that a hearing was set for Aug. 20 at the Douglas County Courthouse.
Graves spokeswoman Kristin Heuertz said previous public hearings in the matter focused on whether demolishing the houses would hurt the historic value of other nearby buildings. They didn’t answer the question Graves was trying to resolve, which was whether there were “feasible and prudent alternatives” to the wrecking ball.
“We haven’t had public hearings on this aspect,” Heuertz said.
That’s the argument opponents of demolition have been making for two months. They were gratified, and a little stunned, by the governor’s reversal.
“I’m pleased,” said Pat Kehde, president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, which is fighting demolition alongside the Oread Neighborhood Assn. “I’m gratified he’s interested in all the sides and hearing the facts.”
Kansas University officials, who want the houses torn down, are receptive to the hearings.
“KU welcomes this hearing and the opportunity, again, to give input to the governor so he can make the best decision possible,” said Kevin Boatright, a university spokesman.
KU wants to tear down three dilapidated, century-old houses on Ohio Street to make way for scholarship halls. But the university has been prevented from doing so because of a state preservation officer’s ruling in March that the demolition would harm the historic value of nearby Usher House, 1425 Tenn.
That house, now being used by Beta Theta Pi fraternity, is on the National Register of Historic Places. KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway in June appealed the state preservation officer’s ruling to Graves, who nearly made a decision without taking public input.
He reversed course July 8, and letters started coming in from proponents and opponents of demolition. The final day for letters was Wednesday; officials said they received 54 e-mails and 39 letters on the matter.
Graves won’t personally attend the Aug. 20 hearing. It will be supervised by a lawyer from his office. Both sides said Wednesday that they could make a winning case.
“We’re pretty confident the law upholds our side,” Kehde said.
“We continue to believe,” Boatright said, “that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the demolition of these properties.”
