Common Ground, the community gardening and urban agriculture program, has 11 sites across Lawrence and needs volunteers (individuals or groups) to help maintain the gardens, plant and harvest produce, and transport produce to local food banks.

For the 2023 season, Common Ground sites that need the most volunteer help are:

The Housing and Homelessness steering committee, which is facilitated by the City of Lawrence and Douglas County, is working to draft a five-year Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan. The goal is to create a community-wide system that achieves functional zero in homelessness through policy, system and environmental changes that give all Douglas County residents access to safe, accessible and affordable housing. When a community achieves functional zero, homelessness is a rare and brief occurrence.

USD 348 (Baldwin City school district) and USD 491 (Eudora school district) called for a special bond election to be held today, May 16.

Unofficial results can be found here: http://dgcoks.org/spelection23.

The canvass will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 25, at the Douglas County Elections Office, 711 W 23rd Street, Suite 1.

The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council (HCC) announces $210,000 in funding is available through its 2023 Natural & Cultural grant program. An additional $75,000 is available this year for projects that inform Douglas County’s Open Space planning.

The Heritage Conservation Council encourages applications that focus on the conservation of cultural, natural, agricultural or environmental resources, or projects that produce educational programs or products on these topics. All projects must take place in Douglas County, Kansas, and be completed within two years.

The Douglas County Appraiser’s Office mailed change of value notices for about 41,290 properties on Feb. 28. The information includes last year’s value and the new 2023 value.

Property owners who want to appeal their value need to fill out the request form on the back of the notice and submit it to the Appraiser’s Office by 5 p.m. March 30. It can be mailed or dropped off at the office, which is located in the basement of the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

Douglas County Commissioners will discuss a map option for five districts during their next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 5:30 p.m. in the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., on the second floor in the Commission meeting room. The meeting also is available by Zoom. Meeting information is posted here: http://dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings. There will be an opportunity to hear from the public during the meeting.

Landowners typically burn their fields and brush piles – commonly referred to as prescribed burning - in the spring. The practice is used to restore native grasslands, recycle nutrients, control woody plants and weeds, and improve certain wildlife habitat.

Douglas County Emergency Management and the Topeka National Weather Service are hosting “Weather 101,” a free severe weather training at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. It will include information about severe thunderstorm development, identification of storm features and safety tips.

Public Works is accepting applications for the 2023 user-fee dust control program. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, March 10.

UPDATE ON FEBRUARY 1

When Dagna D’Ercole started as a Lawrence Police Department dispatcher in 1989, the dispatch center looked much different than it does today with all the technology in the now-consolidated Douglas County Emergency Communications Center.

K-State Research and Extension – Douglas County, in partnership with the Douglas County Community Foundation, is hosting a four-part series, “Welcome A-Board: Board Leadership Basics,” that begins Feb. 16.