Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Utilities Department

TO:	Dave Corliss – Interim City Manager
FROM:	Philip Ciesielski
CC:	Debbie Van Saun Dave Wagner Chris Stewart Michael Tubbs
Date:	June 7, 2006
RE:	Southeast Area County Sanitary Sewer Benefit District

The Utilities Department staff have reviewed the proposed Douglas County Sanitary Sewer Benefit District for the Southeast Area of Lawrence, Kansas.  The ultimate area to be served by the facilities constructed through the Benefit District includes the current Fairfield Farms West development and the area east of O’Connell Rd generally bounded on the north by K10, the south by N1300 RD and on the east by E1750 RD.   

The approach to the sanitary sewer facilities proposed to serve this area is consistent with the previous Southeast Area Sanitary Sewer Plan submitted by Peridian and Black & Veatch.  This plan, along with the Sanitary Sewer study for the Fairfield Farms East development, recognizes differences from the 2003 Wastewater Master Plan recommendations and provides reasonable approaches to accommodating those differences.

Participation in the Benefit District by the City would allow the immediate decommissioning of two existing sanitary sewer pump stations; PS41 on East 27th Terrace; and PS38 located southeast of Franklin Rd and East 25th Street.  The flows to these pump stations would be routed by gravity to the regional pump station proposed as part of the Benefit District.  The decommissioning of these two pump stations represent capacity, operational and maintenance benefits to Utilities Department.

City staff intend to contact those land owners within the ultimate service area of the Benefit District facilities that have elected to not participate in the Benefit District at this time.  The purpose of this contact will be to:

- Review with these land owners the facilities being constructed by the Benefit District and what they mean to providing sanitary sewer service to their property.

- Outline required participation in the current Benefit District costs at the time these properties would desire connection to the sanitary sewer system.

- Outline potential improvements, in addition to the facilities proposed under the Benefit District, which would be required to provide sanitary sewer service to these additional properties.    

Staff are requesting the City Commission approve the City’s estimated financial participation of $806,161.00 in the Benefit District for the purpose of decommissioning the two pump stations identified above, and approve the agreement between the City and County for the establishment of the Southeast Area Benefit District.