A forthcoming indoor youth sports training facility in Lenexa will honor the memory of a Shawnee Mission East High School student who died three years ago.
Earlier this month, the Lenexa City Council voted 7-0 to approve a special use permit for the Piotrowski Indoor Facility, a 2,640-square-foot facility planned at 13720 W. 108th and and 13722 W. 108th streets. Councllmember Joe Karlin was absent.
Headed up by Andrew Piotrowski, the father of Olivia Piotrowski, the facility will operate as a private sports conditioning gym that trains youth in a variety of athletic pursuits.
“We’re challenged every day, trying to figure out how we can do something that keeps her memory alive and maybe help some of the community and our son,” Andrew Piotrowski told the city council at its Oct. 15 meeting.
The facility fulfills a need in Lenexa
The facility will occupy two contiguous lots in the College Business Park Condominiums, which is zoned BP-2, a Planned Manufacturing District.
A special use permit is required for the location because the facility will be greater than 20% of the entirety of the multi-tenant building that is allowed by right for personal instruction in that zoning area, according to city documents.
It will be run by Andrew and his wife, Amy Piotrowski, both former college athletes themselves.
The space will offer sport performance training and conditioning for youth athletes ages 6 to 18 years old. Included in its activities are fitness classes, after-school programs and summer camps, as well as sport performance training and conditioning in one-on-one and small group settings.
“There’s a shortage (of places) for our kids to be able to train safely,” Andrew Piotrowski said. “You can’t go in Life Time (gym) in Lenexa as a kid and train with parents, really, as easy as you’d like. So my wife and I decided we’re going to go down this road and have this place in memory of Olivia.”
Olivia was an athlete
Olivia Piotrowski ran cross country as well as track and field at Shawnee Mission East High School.
While she had other aspirations, like modeling, Olivia started running so she could be with her friends.
“She was just natural at it, but I don’t think that’s what her passion was,” Andrew Piotrowski said. “I think the biggest thing was she had fun hanging out with her friends after school, you know, just kind of that team atmosphere, camaraderie.”
Wanting to keep kids out of mischief and focused on their athletic pursuits, while also providing guidance and help, Andrew Pitrowski said he hopes this facility can do that.
“We want to have positive role models there for the kids, whether it’s coaches or trainers or outside people we bring in,” he said.
Olivia died when she was 18
On Sept. 16, 2021, she died at the of 18 of an accidental fentanyl overdose. On May 1, Cameron Bryant, 28, of Grandview, Missouri, the person that sold her the drugs that ultimately killed her, was sentenced in Johnson County District Court to more than 11 years in prison for felony distribution of drugs.
Following her death, Andrew Piotrowski said the family wanted to continue to honor her memory, as well as help her brother Axel in his athletic pursuits.
“We fought … to get justice for her,” he said. “So after that, we really started deciding we wanted to do something for our son, to keep him straight and to help out other kids that maybe want a place to go somewhere safe with good coaches.”
The facility will be open to select teams, groups
The facility will be privately run and open to select teams and groups. It will operate after 3 p.m. during weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. They also hope to offer sessions with parents and their children to train together.
“We wanted to have some clinics to kind of have the communication with the kids with sports and … the parents to kind of bond a little bit more,” he said.
All coaches will be certified by SafeSport, an independent authority that prevents and responds to all forms of abuse and misconduct involving amateur athletes, Piotrowski said.
During his speech to the city council, Piotrowski thanked the city planning department and city leaders for guiding his family through the process.
“(We) thank the council for the consideration of the special use permit and everybody at the planning department,” he said. “They were awesome to work with, so (we) appreciate that.”
The facility helps keep Olivia’s memory alive
When asked what he hopes people take away from their time at the facility, Andrew Piotrowski takes some time to think about it.
“To keep her memory alive,” he said. “People can know who she was, what she was about, that she enjoyed running, that she enjoyed her friends. We want to keep her memory alive and share her spirit with everybody.”
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