Wednesday, Oct. 05 2011 12:44PM
City to celebrate safety, sustainability Oct. 8
By Miranda Wycoff
mwycoff@lsjournal.com
Print
E-Mail
AIM
ReprintBy Miranda Wycoff mwycoff@lsjournal.com
Staying safe and being green – that’s the city of Lee’s Summit’s focus this weekend as it hosts two special events Oct. 8.
The Safe City Celebration and the Lee’s Summit Sustainability Fair will take place Saturday in two separate locations – the Safe City Celebration at Summit Fair and the Sustainability Fair on City Hall Plaza, 220 S.E. Green – but those planning on attending one, might as well stop by the other, says city spokesperson Melissa Fears.
This is the first year for the Safe City Celebration, an event hosted by the Lee’s Summit Police Department, but the concept is nothing new.
Beth Glover, the Lee’s Summit Police Department’s Community Interaction Officer said the department usually hosts a community-wide event through the National Night Out program, but this year switched to the Safe City format sponsored by the National Crime Prevention Council – a.k.a. home of McGruff the Crime Dog.
Glover said the primary reason for the switch was the date. National Night Out is usually in August, which means the heat is always a major factor. The NCPC always celebrates Crime Prevention Month in October, which usually makes for much more pleasant weather.
Safety and crime prevention will highlight the activities and displays at the Safe City Celebration, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Summit Fair outdoor shopping center, at Chipman Road and Blue Parkway. Activities include the LSPD’s heavy equipment display – including the bomb truck – the Emergency Services Squad, which will have riot gear and firearms on display and a fire truck from the Lee’s Summit Fire Department.
Also on display will be police cruisers dating from the 1960s to the present.
“This is an opportunity for people to see the police not in a negative aspect,” Glover said. “It’s a time when they can come up to us on their own terms and see that we do a lot more in the community besides the historical definition of policing.”
Additionally community information booths from Lee’s Summit Social Services, ReDiscover, Hope House and more will be available.
“It’s not just about the police services, it’s about the community services in general,” she said.
The Second Annual Green on Green Sustainability Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Green Street in front of city hall.
“We’re inviting residents and businesses to come out and learn what they can do to improve sustainability,” said Kara Taylor, the city’s environmental coordinator.
Taylor said the event will be as “green” as possible. None of the more than 20 exhibitors will have electricity at their booths. In fact, the only electricity available will be for the musicians – Eco Elvis and the Green Spirit Band – and the children’s moonwalk.
There will also be a mobile paper shredding truck available from 9 to 11 a.m. and an athletic shoe drive. Kansas City Power and Light will be demonstrating the city’s electric vehicle charging station in the city hall parking garage and four different demonstration booths will show event goers how to make rain barrels, how to compost and more.
For more information on both of these events, see www.cityofls.net.
