CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
4th Quarter Economic Barometer Report released
The City of Lawrence has taken over the responsibility of producing the Economic Barometer Report, and last week worked with the Chamber of Commerce to publish the 4th Quarter report. The report has a number of changes to it, including a summary of key indicators and a new section that will focus on a different aspect of the Lawrence and Douglas County economies each quarter. This quarter’s focus is on Tourism and Downtown. Staff is interested in hearing feedback on whether readers like the changes and if there is any additional information people might like to see on a quarterly basis.
Crosswalks markings installed at 11th and Connecticut
On 01/27/09 the City Commission approved installation of crosswalk pavement markings at 11th and Connecticut. This had been requested by the neighborhood through the Traffic Safety Commission. The intersection was added to the project list and a couple weeks ago the markings were installed. See attached photos.
New Fire Medical vehicles near completion
The Fire Medical Department has been monitoring progress on the assembly of a number of vehicles being manufactured for the city, including a technical rescue vehicle and two quints. Delivery of the quints is expected within the week and then vehicle maintenance staff and Fire Medical staff will be participating in manufacturer’s training and departmental training over the next several weeks. Delivery of the technical rescue vehicle is anticipated near the end of May.
At a final inspection of the quints Chief Bradford discovered that the City of Manhattan, Kansas, also had a vehicle under assembly. Unfortunately, it appears that the Manhattan delegation also discovered one of our vehicles.
Bicycle safety concerns under consideration
On January 3, 2009 the Lawrence Bicycle Club (LBC) sent a letter to the Mayor, City Manager and others requesting a meeting to discuss a list of initiatives they proposed to enhance road safety. At the January 27, 2009 meeting, the City Commission referred their request to the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). On February 17, 2009, the BAC met with representatives of the Lawrence Bicycle Club and discussed how to move forward on their proposed initiatives. Their recommendations are contained in the attached memo. Staff will continue working with LBC and BAC to appropriately address the concerns raised.