CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Public safety personnel honored
The Lawrence chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles has recognized Officer Jim Phillips of the Lawrence Police Department and Firefighter Nate Jamison of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical Department for their service to the community. Phillips received the Reverence for Law Award and Jamison received the Excellence in Fire Prevention and Medical Services Award.
Budget and financial information provided by Budget Manager
Budget Manager Casey Liebst has prepared the attached report for fiscal year 2006, and a report comparing the assessed valuation, mill levy, and local sales tax for the ten largest cities in Kansas.
All-America City Award application
City staff has prepared the attached application for the All-America City Award. Comments from the City Commission regarding the application may be directed to Management Analyst Jonathan Douglass by Friday, March 9. During a February 12 meeting, staff presented the application to the Community Review Team, which was made up of representatives of the organizations profiled or mentioned in the application. Comments from that group were incorporated into the draft that is provided here. City staff members Beth Frailey Krishtalka, Lisa Patterson, and Lesley Rigney all contributed sections of the application. Finalists are expected to be named in April, and winners announced in June following an awards competition.
Douglas County Science and Engineering Fair
In 1951, Wayne Bly, (then Director of the Lawrence Parks & Recreation Department) started the Douglas County Science and Engineering Fair. In 2007, this is the 56th fair. Starting with less than 100 exhibits, it has grown to a peak of 500 exhibits. We have had between 370-480 exhibits for the past several years. Douglas County Science and Engineering Fairs are open to any student that lives in or goes to school in Douglas County. The fair covers grades from kindergarten to high school seniors. It is broken up into seven grade groups which are then divided into Life or Physical Sciences, creating fourteen sections. A Beginning Engineering area has recently been added. The fair is held in the first week of February at the 4H Fairgrounds in Building 21. Dave Nordlund has been acting Douglas County Science and Engineering Fair Director for over 30 years.
In 2005, the Douglas County Science and Engineering Fair made an agreement to become a “feeder” fair to the Greater Kansas City Fair. They normally work directly with the school districts, so this arrangement is a first for both organizations. In 2006, we sent 16 exhibits to the Kansas City Fair. This agreement also gives our exhibits and their supporters access to all the materials the Science Pioneer provides to the Kansas City area. We had a total of 370 entries in 2007 and 308 actual exhibits in this year's fair (see photos). This event was very well attended by the public.
Solid Waste crews perform well during winter weather
During the past several weeks the Solid Waste crews have continued to provide excellent service despite adverse weather conditions. Even in extreme cold and difficult road conditions sanitation crews have not missed a pickup or been significantly off schedule. See attached photos and video of the crews performing their duties.
Cardio fitness room upgraded at Community Building
The Parks & Recreation Department recently completed a new cardio fitness room at the Community Building (see photos). This project transformed the old racquetball court at the south end of the gym into a new facility to house the cardio equipment in the building. This additional space will allow us to have more equipment and allow more people to workout at one time. In the past people waited in lines for a chance to use the equipment. The new room houses 5 treadmills, 3 elliptical machines, 2 upright bikes and 2 recumbent bikes.
Stormwater projects update
Despite challenging weather conditions, Stormwater crews have made progress on the following projects:
§ In October 2006 crews removed a large cottonwood tree that was growing in the flow line of a ditch on Maple Street in North Lawrence. In late January 2007 the ditch improvements were completed. See attached photos.
§ In Burcham Park crews are removing log jams from the stream that outlets the water treatment plant. There is also another spot that holds water year round that crews are working to drain. Frozen ground has actually made these projects easier. See attached photos.
§ The last phase of the project to reinforce the river banks at Burcham Park was completed in January.