BonnerSprings.com

• A few tidbits from Monday’s Bonner Springs City Council meeting: Bob Reeves, council member, said he’s noticed several lights are turned off or burnt out in the parking lots serving the Goodwill, Nuts and Bolts Truevalue hardware store and neighboring strip mall, making it rather dark. It’s private property, so the city wouldn’t be responsible for getting the lights back on, but city staff is checking into it to see if the property owner is required to have the lights on under city code. • Last week I shared that the Pizza Hut is moving from its Front Street location to a smaller, carry-out and delivery only location on Kansas Avenue starting Wednesday; both locations are closed today for the move. Well, Marcia Harrington, community and economic development planner, told the council that the old Pizza Hut building will be put on the market the first of February. It will be interesting to see if the building is purchased for a restaurant or other business. • I was chatting with David Block, the next chamber of commerce president, at the meeting, and he was thinking the possibility of there being concerts at Sandstone this summer was iffy. I didn’t think it was a problem, because when The Chieftain talked to Chris Fritz and New West Presentations, the venue promoters, at the end of the 2011 season, they seemed confident there would be a 2012 season. But since it seems there is some doubt, I thought I’d mention one positive indication I ignored last week from Helin’s city manager’s report: The UG did recently renew Fritz and New West Presentations’ contract for concerts at Sandstone for 2012. We’ll let you know if we hear any differently. • George Cooper, council member, noted what John Helin, city manager, said in a Chieftain article last week about using the city’s casino revenue funds for street repairs, and put his bid in for repairs to Pine Street, particularly in the blocks closest to the city library. This is a cause he has been promoting for some time. What streets would you like to see repaired? Or do you think the money should be used for other items? This likely will be something The Chieftain will look into in March or April, or whenever the city receives its first allotment of revenues. • One last thing, not related to the council meeting, but speaking of the casino — When the Feb. 3 opening date was announced last week, Bob Sheldon, general manager, told me that the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway's Facebook page and Twitter account, which haven't seen much activity, would become more active. They seem to be making good on that promise. The Facebook status at 10 a.m. was: "Help us hit 4,000 "Likes!" Trust me, you'll want to be a Facebook fan soon." Didn't take long; by 3 p.m., the page was already at 4,100+.