Memorandum               

City of Lawrence                                       

Parks and Recreation Department

TO:	Dave Corliss, City Manager Debbie Van Saun, Assistant City Manager
FROM:	Fred DeVictor, Director, Parks and Recreation Department
Date:	November 1, 2006
RE:	Agenda item Sesquicentennial Point Plaza

We request the Sesquicentennial Point Plaza to be placed on the November 7^th City Commission agenda for consideration to bid this project.

Project Background

During the celebration of our 150^th birthday in 2004, a Plaza at Sesquicentennial Point was approved as a gift to the community. The Sesquicentennial Commission raised $213,000 privately for this project and these contributions have been turned over to the city.

Plans (Site Plan 1, Site Plan 2) have been reviewed by the Sesquicentennial Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and the Public Works Department. The Planning Department has reviewed and approved the site plan.

As part of this project, a roadway will be installed to the plaza area and will be debt financed, as per previous City Commission approval during the 2007 budget process.

Private funds will not complete the remaining portion of the plaza project but we have worked with the architects, Landplan Engineering, to develop a bid package with alternatives designed to meet our project budget.  Some features of the plaza project we anticipate completing with the available funding are a circular concrete plaza with seating, walkways, timeline engraved for donors, steps, and a parking lot.

Subject to City Commission approval, we would plan on bidding this project this fall for completion in the spring, 2007.

Action item:

Approve Phase I development of the Sesquicentennial Plaza and accompanying roadwork in the City leased land at Clinton Lake, if appropriate, and set an estimated bid opening date of November 28, 2006.