Note: The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns and letters to the Times written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
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How sad to see a city like Lawrence, that we’ve always looked at as progressive and in touch with the needs of those who call Lawrence home, even consider such a move as to place the Prairie Park Nature Center on the chopping block.
We were there recently with an elementary-aged friend and had a very enjoyable time in the center and on the trails. In addition, a summer camp was in progress for elementary children. What fun it was to see how those kids were involved in so many outdoor activities. Yet, we read “least aligned with the City’s strategic plan” in the Times story. What?
We drove from Paola to Lawrence having heard good things about Prairie Park just to spend the morning at this nature center. And from there, we went to lunch in the city! “Least aligned?” To have a nature center and beautiful trails within the city limits? And want to give this all up? And with no real plan as an option — just possibilities? The City of Lawrence is far better than this!
Kevin and Diane Gray, Paola, Kansas
More Community Voices:

Clay Wirestone: I knew Kansas officials would overstep after Marion raid. I didn’t expect it to be in Lawrence. (Column)
”The fiasco in Marion generated national attention. This dustup in Douglas County will likely fly under the radar, given that it was conducted in the far more restrained forum of legal filings. But we should all be on notice,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.


Letter to the Times: Turning neighborhoods into marketplaces without children
”There is a long-term financial advantage for cities to stabilize their modest housing stock and the infrastructure which already exists by utilizing district overlays that provide a level playing field for working families to buy into the market and become long-term residents,” Deborah Snyder writes in this letter to the Times.