Local Fire Pit Causes Controversy

In early January, a group of Prairie Village residents started construction on a fire pit at the intersection of Oxford and Prairie Lane, violating the rules of the Prairie Village City Council.

It started with a group of neighbors wanting a convenient place to gather. One of the neighbors, Brian Stouse, owns a landscaping company and was happy to start construction. The only thing the they didn’t think to do was contact city council.

Councilman Andrew Wang finds it hard to believe that the neighborhood didn’t think the city would notice.

“It is okay not to know the rules, it is not okay and not believable to say [the neighbors] didn’t think [they] had to ask about the rules,” Wang said.

City Council voted on a motion that stated the group needs to acknowledge that the city owns the property, stop using the fire pit, and put a standstill on additional construction or improvements until approved by the city. The vote ended up 11-1, with councilman Wang being the only dissenting vote.

Councilman Wang believes that the neighborhood didn’t think about how it would affect the rest of the community.

“When scores of well-behaved Shawnee Mission East students find out that the fire pit is a suitable place to hang out; when their cars line the streets, when they are there past 10, 11 or 12 – because there is not closing time for a traffic island – then maybe the fire pit seems something different than what was originally intended,” Wang said.