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Basehor has a new outdoor event space that is ready to host birthdays, anniversaries, showers and other events with less than 100 attendees. Oak Creek Nursery, located at 14301 Parallel Road, held its launch party for that outdoor space recently with plenty of great music, cool drinks, family-friendly games and delicious barbecue. The space has been named The Magnolia View at Oak Creek for the magnolia trees near the entrance to the space.While the idea of establishing an outdoor space that could accommodate crowds of people had been on the drawing board for several years, it wasn’t until last November when construction began. The mostly mild winter weather allowed the Oak Creek crew to dedicate time and resources to the project which began by removing the area dedicated to shade and ornamental trees behind the main office space. That blank space has now been transformed into an open and airy space, perfect for entertainment. Two silos were located by Oak Creek owner Kevin Jensen in Nebraska, disassembled there and reassembled at Oak Creek. One of those silos provide a shaded seating area and the other has been built with electric and water hook-ups as well as a bar space for serving and seating. A firepit area has also been created, complete with a custom firepit created by Rough & Rigid, located just up the road. Plants and other landscaping surround the area. “Having a nursery is a bonus for an event space like this. We have plenty of plants to make it beautiful, and something like this has been planned for several years. Now to see people enjoying the space and kids playing here is really great. We enjoy having a place like this in a small town,” said Kevin Jensen, owner of Oak Creek Nursery.Likely one of the first things that customers see is that the entire area is covered with green artificial turf which helps keep dust and insects away from visitors. Much of that turf was recycled from the baseball fields at Kansas City Kansas Community College. A worker drove by those fields and saw the artificial turf was being torn up and discarded. He asked if he could take it to be used at Oak Creek.Guests access a second level of the relaxing space by walking down several limestone stairs to a cozy, shaded area, complete with a seating area, small pond and fountain. Many of the decades-old trees were kept as part of the design to add plenty of shade. Jensen said he can imagine a bride walking down those stairs and a wedding ceremony taking place on the hardscape patio.Jackie and Jeff Himpel are Basehor residents and are customers of Oak Creek Nursery. They attended the launch party, curious to see how the new space looked. “We are always looking for options for events. We really like this design with all the trees. It really is beautiful,” Jeff said.Pricing and availability for The Magnolia View at Oak Creek can be obtained via email at info@oakcreeknursery-ks.com or by calling the nursery at 913-351-5296.

Lansing City Hall remains closed this week after receiving significant water damage during a storm Thursday night.

Marcus Majure had several mentors during his military career who gave him advice he lives by: “Give back to your community.”He took that seriously and says he wants to “give, give, give” until he rests in his grave.For the past four and a half years, Majure has done that by serving on the Lansing City Council. He was elected to a four-year term in November 2019 and began serving in June 2020, a year he recalls as one that was a “war against COVID.” Despite that setback, he feels the council was successful in meeting nearly all the goals he’d mentioned during his campaign.On July 11, Majure officially stepped down from his Ward 2 seat, not because he doesn’t like serving on the council and helping direct Lansing’s growth. It’s because he and his family bought land in the county years ago where they have always planned to build a home.He’d been told it would probably take 18 to 24 months for it to be completed because of pandemic-related supply chain issues, but since most of those issues have been resolved, it took only nine months. So they’re moving in, which makes Majure ineligible to serve as a city councilman. But looking back at his campaign promises, he is satisfied most of his goals have been met. Some of them, he notes, were already in the planning stages, but he has supported city staff in their efforts. He supported improving infrastructure, which includes roads, streets, curbs and bringing businesses to Lansing. He’s enthusiastic about Bernard Park and all the sports teams there, as well as the pool expected to open in the summer of 2025.“I’ve always said build it and they will come,” Majure said of the parks and pool. But he is disappointed the city has not attracted developers who will build new neighborhoods, increasing the population. “We’ve built (the infrastructure), but they’re not coming,” he said. He’d also like to see more businesses.Still, he knows city staff is continuing to work on all fronts and he is optimistic they will accomplish these things.Another goal that was accomplished in his term was fiber optic 5G internet, which Majure knows has helped many working at home. Now, he notes, residents even have a choice of providers.But his service as a councilman was not the beginning of his community service. He was co-executive of the Lansing Reds baseball program from 2012-2017, which he describes as having a competitive program with multiple teams for kindergarten through 12th grade. “I didn’t want any kid to be left behind,” he said. This way if players wanted to go to the “next level,” they could do so in Lansing.He’s also been a coach/assistant coach and team dad for Lansing High School’s baseball program and the city’s Parks and Recreation sports programs. The city also appointed him as a member of Leavenworth County’s Fire District No. 1 in 2015.His enthusiastic leadership has not gone unnoticed. All his fellow council members expressed their pleasure in serving with him as did Mayor Tony McNeill, who presented him with a plaque commemorating his time with the council. Majure said he’d waited until the last minute to file for a second term, thinking someone else would step up as a candidate. But since no one did, he filed and was ran unopposed for a second term.Giving back to his community is not going to stop. County Commissioner Mike Smith, former mayor and city administrator in Lansing, announced Majure was appointed to the county planning commission and is now its chairman. Smith presented him with an official coin for his service at the July 11 meeting.Majure has some plans for the future. When he retires from his civilian job at Fort Leavenworth, he’d like to run for the county commission.Majure points out that is not all the accomplishment he considers the most important. That distinction goes to his family, “my bride that I’ve been married to for 36 plus years,” and their two sons, who he said did well in Lansing schools. One son is a dentist in the U.S. Army and the other is now in dental school.

Lansing City Hall was closed Friday because of water damage, and it was unclear how soon the building would reopen. The closure came after a… Login to continue reading Login…

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