CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Lawrence Magazine features LDCFM female firefighters
The winter edition of Lawrence Magazine has a feature story about female firefighters of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department. Please see the attached article for profiles of Division Chief Eve Tolefree, Captain Sandy Herd, Captain Lexie Engleman, Lieutenant Kathy Elkins, Firefighter Tiffany Saturday and Engineer Karen Glotzbach.
October building permits report
There were 197 permits issued in October 2008 compared to 225 during the same period last year. The total number of permits issued also continues to lag behind last years pace, with 1865 issued so far in 2008 compared to 2025 for the same period in 2007. Although the quantity of permits is lower, permit valuation and total fees generated are higher than a year ago. Please see the attached memo, summary report and full report for more information.
2008 Third Quarter Report
The attached report summarizes the financial activities of the City of Lawrence for the first three quarters of 2008 and advises the City Commission as to current budgetary issues that may become a concern. With seventy-five percent of the year lapsed, we have collected 78.4% of budgeted General Fund revenues and expended 68.1% of the 2008 General Fund cutback budget. Historically, expenditures made in the fourth quarter have exceeded revenues received in the fourth quarter. Therefore, it is projected that the fund balance in the General Fund will be reduced by approximately $1.5 million from the balance at the end of 2007. The report also provides budgetary highlights from the Recreation, Public Transportation, Water & Wastewater, Solid Waste, Storm Water, and Public Golf Course funds. In addition, the report includes a summary of the City’s investment activities for the year and outstanding debt.
Ohio Street brick reconstruction completed
Ohio Street from 6th Street to 8th Street reopened for through traffic on November 11th following the reconstruction of the street back to brick. Construction on the two block section of Ohio Street began in April. The project is part of the KDOT Transportation Enhancement Program for the rehabilitation of a historic facility. The project cost $670,000 and funding is an 80%/20% split, with a city share of $134,000.
The construction process involved removing the existing asphalt overlay, removing and salvaging existing brick and stone curb, and construction of a new brick roadway. The new roadway consists of a treated subgrade, concrete base, sand leveling layer, and one course of salvaged brick. The stone curb and hitching posts were restored to their original condition.
The project took seven months to complete, slightly longer than anticipated. A wetter than average year and the need to lower some utilities held the project up, however, the neighborhood was very receptive towards the project and excited about the historic restoration of the street. See attached photos of the completed project, as well as before and after photos.
New Horizon 2020 environmental issues chapter under development
The Lawrence–Douglas County Planning Office, in conjunction with the Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plans Committee (CPC), has begun a process to draft a new chapter in Horizon 2020 concerning environmental issues. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing regarding the draft outline and overview for the new Environmental Chapter at their November 19, 2008 meeting.
The CPC has developed a working outline, as well as a basic overview with strategies that will set the tone for the chapter as it evolves. The purpose of the public hearing at the November 19th Planning Commission meeting is to collect specific comments from the Commissioners and the public regarding the chapter outline and overview. The CPC would like to encourage specific comments regarding anything that might be missing from the outline.
The project website (http://www.lawrenceks.org/pds/H2020-Env) has been updated with the latest timeline, meeting notes, outline and draft overview. In addition, materials for review can also be found on the Planning website as part of the Planning Commission’s agenda packet (http://www.lawrenceks.org/pds/pc_agendas_minutes).
Lawrence green burials featured in Johnson County publication
An article on the natural burial section of the City of Lawrence’s Oak Hill Cemetery appears in the November issue of The Best Times (www.thebesttimes.org), a monthly newspaper published by the Johnson County Department of Human Services & Aging. The paper is mailed without charge to Johnson County residents 60 years and older.
Sesquicentennial Point Phase II Committee meets
The Sesquicentennial Point Phase II Committee met on November 6 and is looking at next steps for development of the park. There currently are no city funds identified for second phase work. It is anticipated that the group will be presenting an update on plans to the City Commission some time after the first of the year.
Fleet Manager’s article on snow equipment preparation published
Fleet Manager Steve Stewart was published in the November issue of APWA Reporter, the American Public Works Association monthly magazine. Stewart’s article on snow equipment preparation covered the City’s pre-season evaluations by the central maintenance garage and the Public Works Department’s November snow practice.
Planners attend Bi-State Planning Conference
Planners Todd Girdler, Bart Rudolph, Michelle Leininger, and Dan Warner attended the 2008 Kansas & Missouri Bi-State Planning Conference in Kansas City, Missouri on October 22 – 24th. The conference included sessions on many different topics affecting both urban and rural development in Missouri and Kansas. Bart and Todd attended sessions dealing with transportation planning related topics including public participation and corridor management. Dan and Michelle attended sessions dealing with land use planning issues including the development of lifelong communities and land preservation in rural communities. All of the planners also attended sessions that addressed land use law and planning ethics that are needed for them to maintain their AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) professional credentials.
MARC study analyzes origins of commuter traffic into Kansas City area
The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) recently completed a transportation survey that estimated the number of commutes driving into the Kansas City metro region. The survey found that there were about 130,000 vehicle trips per day entering the region, involving about 200,000 passengers. Nine Counties, including Douglas County, account for almost 70% of this traffic. Douglas County was the largest source of in-bound traffic, with almost 18,000 cars a day coming from the County.
Part of the reason for this large volume of cars is due to the size of the population in Douglas County relative to other counties in the study. Controlling for population reveals that Douglas County has the third lowest number of vehicles entering the Kansas City region of any of the top nine counties surveyed (see attached table). Thus, while a large volume of traffic flows from Douglas County to the Kansas City core area, this may be due to the size of the population here and not because Douglas County is more dependent on Kansas City than other counties in the region.