SHAWNEE, Kan. — The public will have a chance to speak out on Tuesday about a Blue Valley School District plan to turn a Johnson County nature park into athletic fields.
The Johnson County Park & Recreation District will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed property exchange of the district’s 40-acre Stanley Nature Park that borders the south side of the Blue Valley High School campus for two separate properties totaling 60.8 acres located in the Camp Branch Creek watershed in south Johnson County.
The plan has some residents near the Stanley Nature Park upset, saying that it’s a unique spot where you feel like you’re lost in nature, even though you’re basically in the heart of a city.
Johnson County Grappling with Nature vs. Athletic Fields
“It’s pretty, there’s some streams with water running. I often run into deer. I’ve seen a fox running through,” said Julie Dierickx.
“It’s just a great place to come and run or bring your dog,” added Mark Hanson.
But officials with the Blue Valley School District say that they need the space to expand the athletic fields and parking for Blue Valley High School.
“Currently softball players all have to go offsite in order to go have practice. Our parking continues to be a problem for the building,” said deputy superintendent Al Hanna.
Hanna says the district’s first high school was built before there were girls high school sports or soccer, so the school doesn’t have enough fields. He says it’s the perfect 40-acre space near the school, and one that he says that the Parks Department might not miss.
“This is a park that the Parks and Recreation Department had plans to abandon,” Hanna pointed out.
In exchange, the district is offering to give 60 acres of land to Johnson County Parks and Recreation in the southern part of the county. That land could become “stream way” parks, or trails along creeks.
“It does fit into the streamway parks master plan,” explained Mike Brown, a commissioner for the Johnson County Parks and Recreation Board.
The public hearing will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Blue Valley Academy Commons located at 7500 West 149th Terrace in Overland Park.
