CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Swarts Keynote Speaker at Housing Conference
Margene Swarts, Community Development Manager for the Neighborhood Resources Department, recently returned from attending the Tri-State Affordable Housing Conference June 7-8 in Tallahassee, Florida. The theme for this year’s conference was “Models in Affordable Housing” and Margene was the keynote speaker, providing a presentation on the City of Lawrence affordable housing efforts and initiatives. Included in her presentation were highlights of the following programs/projects:
· First-time homebuyer program – HOOT Program, now the Lawrence Community Land and Housing Trust Program
· HAND Addition- a partnership between the City, Tenants to Homeowners, Inc., and the Lawrence Home Builders Association
· Atherton Court Project, - a partnership between the City, Tenants to Homeowners, Inc. and Lawrence Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
This last program received a “Best of Best Practices Award” from the Kansas City HUD office in 2003.
Mill and Overlay Completed at Hawthorn and Clinton Parkway
Public Works recently completed the mill and overlay of Hawthorn Drive and Lowell Drive just south of Clinton Parkway. The attached photos show the progression of the project including the completed product.
Waste Reduction and Recycling Hosts Rainbarrel Workshop
To help increase conservation and reduce stormwater runoff, Waste Reduction and Recycling staff has hosted a number of workshops in which citizens build their own rainbarrels for capturing runoff from roofs for use watering home landscapes. Please see attachment for more information and photos.
Planners Give Flood Insurance Presentation to Realtors
On June 6th, Amy Miller, with support from Dan Warner, both Long-Range Planners, gave a presentation to realtors with the Century 21 Miller & Midyett office. The presentation covered information about the National Flood Insurance Program, current local ordinances, as well as information on the role of realtors regarding floodplain regulations.
Transit Ridership Continues To Climb
Transit ridership for the month of May for fixed-route “T” service was up a phenomenal 24.9% from May of 2005. In May we provided 35,676 rides on fixed-route service compared to 28,561 in May 2005. “T-Lift” paratransit service ridership increased 111.2% in May, 2006 compared to May 2005 (4,467 to 4,017, respectively).