The Douglas County Zoning and Codes Department is hosting several meetings in October about proposed changes to the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations for unincorporated Douglas County. During the meetings, staff will provide an overview of the changes and then encourage residents to share feedback.

The meetings will be:

Public Works announces that pavement rehabilitation on portions of Routes 438 and 1029 will likely begin Wednesday, Sept. 25,  or Thursday, Sept. 26. It was previously scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 23. The postponement is due to a contractor delay in completing previously contracted work outside of Douglas County.

About 140 athletes will compete in the 2019 CSCAA National Collegiate Open Water Swimming Championship at Lone Star Lake on Saturday, Sept. 14! The men’s race is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and the women’s race will be at 10 a.m. 

The event has been held at Lone Star Lake for the past three years, and is presented by KU and the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

Schedule for lake use:

• Thursday, Sept. 12 - The course will be set up, but the lake will remain open.

Douglas County has partnered with United Way of the Plains and Johnson County to provide MyResource Connection, a new website where residents can locate hundreds of services. The website is Douglas.MyResourceConnection.org.

Douglas County Public Works announces that Route 1061 between N 1100 Road and N 1150 Road is open to traffic.

Public Works closed Route 1061 to through traffic between Route 458 (N 1000 Road) and N 1150 Road beginning July 31 for a large culvert replacement project. The culvert is located 0.38 miles north of N 1100 Road.

Public Works crews have substantially completed this project. Miscellaneous work items remaining will be completed under traffic. This may require periodic lane closures with traffic controlled by flaggers.

The Douglas County Long-term Recovery Committee is finalizing the list of unmet community needs following the May 28 tornado and August 1 flood event.

Representatives from Douglas County will be calling individuals who indicated additional needs using 2-1-1.

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announces that earlier today a jury convicted Lawrence resident Michael A. Hormell, 20, of one count of criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling, a level seven/person/felony.

Deputy Douglas County Clerk Heather Dill was designated as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA), the highest professional achievement, in a ceremony conducted by the National Election Center on Aug. 20 in Orlando, Florida.

One of the employees you’re likely to interact with when you visit the Treasurer’s Office on the first floor of the Douglas County Courthouse is Ida Crawford.

With a background in customer service, Crawford said she likes “everything” about her job. She enjoys computers and helping people. “Being able to talk to customers and help meet their needs is always nice,” she said. “My co-workers make it fun, too.”

The Douglas County District Court Clerk’s Office is closed due recent flooding and current cleanup efforts.

Residents who need to make a cash or check payment can go to the Court Trustee’s Office located on the main level of Judicial and Law Enforcement Center. Unfortunately, the Clerk’s Office cannot take credit payments during this time. If residents need to file a document in their court case, they can do so by visiting the Court Trustee’s Office.

Douglas County, Baldwin City and the Kansas Department of Agriculture will host a public open house to discuss the draft Flood Insurance Rate Map from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at the American Legion Hall, 705 High Street, in Baldwin City.

The Flood Insurance Rate Map and Flood Insurance Study for some areas near Baldwin City are being updated to provide more accurate information regarding a property owner’s flood risk.

Areas of Douglas County received between 8 and 10 inches of heavy rainfall within eight hours July 31-Aug. 1, which caused widespread flooding and potentially caused damage to more than 100 homes.

If this rain had fallen over a 24-hour period, it would have been close to the 100-year rainfall event used to create Douglas County FEMA floodplain maps. Because it happened over eight hours, historical data indicates that this particular storm is similar to a 500-year flood event.