Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager
CC:	Frank Reeb, Director of Administrative Services and City Clerk Chuck Soules, Director of Public Works Ron Olin, Police Chief
DATE:	July 17, 2008
RE:	Request to close 800 block of Massachusetts Street

Earthwork, LLC is preparing to shoot a movie downtown and in other Lawrence and Douglas County locations. Earthwork requests the following (see attached letter and use of right-of-way permit application):

Closure of the 800 block of Massachusetts Street (to traffic and parking) from 6:00 a.m. to midnight on Monday, August 4, 2008

The use of four parking spaces on each side of Massachusetts Street north of the intersection with 8^th Street for the same time period as the 800 block closure

Traffic control by the police department at the intersection of 8^th and Massachusetts to stop traffic periodically for short times (to keep anachronistic vehicles out of their shots) from approximately 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

City practice has been to bag parking meters 24 hours in advance of enforcement actions, meaning that in this case the meters would be bagged at 6:00 a.m. Sunday, and towing of cars still parked on the 800 block of Massachusetts could begin at 6:00 a.m. Monday. It would be possible to bag the meters later, possibly Sunday late afternoon/evening, but this would be a departure from City practice. If meters are not bagged a full 24 hours in advance, Legal staff recommends making extraordinary notification efforts of the upcoming parking prohibition, such as posting notices on meters approximately every 50 feet a few days in advance of the closure. The applicant would be expected to pick up the necessary meter bags from the Parking Division during regular business hours and put up and take down the bags at the approved times.

The City can provide the barricades necessary to close the 800 block of Massachusetts. The Street Division would drop off saw horse barricades on Friday afternoon and the applicant would be expected to place them in the street at the approved time on Monday morning.

Pedestrian access to the 800 block of Massachusetts would be maintained, and Earthwork plans to post signs at each end of the block notifying pedestrians that filming is occurring and that their presence indicates consent to possibly appear in the film. These signs would need to be approved as “signs of community interest” by the City Commission.

Additionally, Earthwork would store equipment, including an RV/mobile home, on the empty lot on the southwest corner of 9^th and New Hampshire during the day of filming. Because this use is for such short duration it would not require any special City permission such as a Special Event Permit.

If the weather does not cooperate on Monday, August 4, Earthwork would like to push the entire request back one day to Tuesday, August 5. If the City Commission approves the use of right-of-way permit for August 4 and weather necessitates moving the permit back one day, the City Manager could administratively approve that change.

On July 15, staff mailed a letter to all the addresses on the 700, 800 and 900 blocks of Massachusetts, as well as the cross streets in between those blocks, notifying them that this request would be considered by the City Commission at the July 22 meeting. It is staff’s understanding that the applicant also distributed fliers to downtown merchants regarding their project.

If this request is approved, staff requests City Commission direction on the following items:

Should meters on the 800 block be bagged a full 24 hours before the street closure?
If the weather does not allow filming on August 4, should staff administratively approve moving the use of right-of-way permit and street closure to August 5?

ACTION: Approve a use of right-of-way permit for Earthwork, LLC, to close the 800 block of Massachusetts Street to parking and traffic from 6:00 a.m. to midnight on Monday, August 4, and the use of four parking spaces on each side of the street immediately north of 8^th and Massachusetts for the same time period, if appropriate.

Approve, as signs of community interest, a request to place signs in the right-of-way of the 800 block of Massachusetts Street on August 4, 2008, notifying pedestrians that filming is underway on the block, if appropriate.