CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Downtown Holiday Decoration Efforts Culminate with Lighting Ceremony
With the holiday lighting ceremony on November 23rd, the City completed a three year project to replace the electrical service to the planters along Massachusetts Street. This project provided the power to light all of the trees along Massachusetts Street downtown and will also be used for a variety of downtown events throughout the year. The City purchased and installed the new lights in over 300 trees. Parks and Recreation staff worked on this project starting in mid-October to assure all of the trees would be lit for the holiday season. The lights were complemented by garland and bows installed on the street lights by Downtown Lawrence, Inc. and holiday banners installed by the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Indoor Aquatic Center Featured in Public Management Magazine
Public Management (PM) Magazine, the professional publication of the International City/County Management Association, annually releases a “Hot Stuff About Swimming Pools” article profiling innovative public pool projects from around the country. This year’s article features a profile of the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center written by Aquatic Manager Jimmy Gibbs.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture Update
Local, state, and federal representatives in the Lawrence-Douglas County area are exploring ways to use technology to improve the efficiency and safety of roads, public transit and emergency services. The goal is to develop a long-range plan using technology to improve the transportation system. Possible technologies include cameras for monitoring real-time traffic conditions or vehicle location systems on transit buses and emergency vehicles so dispatchers know exactly where each vehicle is located. The plan will lay out how all of the agencies and technologies will communicate and work together to improve transportation. More information and a draft plan can be reviewed at: http://www.lawrenceplanning.org/its/. The plan is expected to be completed in February. The city has received a $250,000 grant through KDOT (50/50 match, $250,000 City) for the installation of fiber optic cable, modems and central control hardware to develop a closed-loop traffic signal system and optimize traffic flow along 6th Street between Massachusetts and Iowa. This is budgeted in the 2008 Capital Improvement Budget.
Vehicle purchasing by City of Lawrence
The Public Works Department has prepared the attached memo to provide vehicle purchasing information to the City Commission:
Planners attain AICP Certification
Current Planners Joe Rexwinkle and Mary Miller and Long-Range Planners Amy Miller and Michelle Leininger have successfully completed the American Institute of Certified Planners [AICP] examination this year. They join the following members of the Planning staff who have previously achieved this certification: Sandra Day, Anson Gock, Scott McCullough, Paul Patterson, and Dan Warner. AICP is the American Planning Association's professional institute, providing recognized leadership nationwide in the certification of professional planners, ethics, professional development, planning education, and the standards of planning practice. Certified planners use their skills to find solutions to community problems in ways that will carry the community toward its desired long-term goals.
No Inspection Services Available December 5
The Building Safety Division will not be providing inspection services on Wednesday, December 5, because inspection staff will be attending a training seminar relating to the transition from the 1997 Uniform Building Code to the 2006 International Residential Code. If urgent situations requiring inspection arise, individuals should contact (785) 832-7700. Notices containing this information have been posted on the City’s website as well as in the Development Services reception area, and postcards are being mailed to contractors and distributed in the field by inspection staff.