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/City Clerk Ray Urbanek, Police Captain
DATE:	May 28, 2009
RE:	Tour of Lawrence Street Sprint - July 3, 2009

Please place this item on a future City Commission agenda for consideration.

Background

The Convention and Visitors Bureau has been organizing the Tour of Lawrence – a bicycle racing event to be held in downtown Lawrence and on/around the KU campus on Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5. The City Commission previously approved the use of right-of-way and other related items for the downtown criterium on Saturday, July 4, and the campus race on Sunday, July 5.

Current request

The CVB now requests City Commission approval of the use of city right-of-way for a “street sprint” event from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (with one street closing at 5:30 p.m.) on Friday, July 3. The event would consist of a series of short sprints on 7^th Street from just east of Kentucky Street to just east of Massachusetts Street. Racers would cross the finish line at Massachusetts then return to the starting line area by turning north onto the alley between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, turning west onto the drive located north of 634 Massachusetts, turning south onto Massachusetts Street, and turning west on 7^th Street (see attached map for details).

Bob Sanner of the CVB has been working with Downtown Lawrence, Inc. to plan and notify businesses of the proposed street closures. DLI sent an email to their membership and put information regarding the proposal in their newsletter and did not receive any feedback with concerns about the proposal. Due to the lateness of the street closures many businesses will already be closed and thus not affected, and most parking will not be prohibited, only controlled.

Mr. Sanner has also been working with the Police Department on the traffic management logistics of this proposal and the Police Department is prepared to support this proposal.

Traffic management for the event would require a number of street closures:

• 7^th Street would be completely closed to traffic and parking from just east of Kentucky to just east of the alley between Massachusetts Street and New Hampshire Street beginning at 7:00 p.m.; towing would need to be enforced in this area;
• 7^th Street would be blocked to westbound incoming traffic at New Hampshire Street, but there would be no need to tow cars out of the portion of 7^th Street between New Hampshire Street and the alley between New Hampshire and Massachusetts; these vehicles could leave with the help of course marshals who would move barricades;
• At 5:30 p.m. the 600 block of Massachusetts would be closed from just south of the M&M Office Supply driveway, which southbound traffic would utilize to turn around and head back north; vehicles parked south of that point would be allowed to stay in the parking stalls; course marshals would be stationed south of the M&M Office Supply driveway to move barricades and let vehicles exit; course marshals would only allow vehicles to enter the closed portion of the block as parking becomes available; a turnaround area with no parking will be maintained near the south end of the 600 block to assist vehicles turning around to head back south to exit the block;
• The 700 block of Massachusetts would be barricaded at 7^th and 8^th Streets at 7:00 p.m., but vehicles would be allowed to stay in the parking stalls; course marshals would be stationed at 8^th Street to move barricades and let vehicles exit; course marshals will only allow vehicles to enter the block as parking becomes available; a turnaround area with no parking will be maintained near the north end of the 700 block to assist vehicles turning around to head back south to exit the block;
• The 600 block of Vermont would be closed at 7:00 p.m. just south of the Post Office’s service driveway which connects Vermont and Kentucky; southbound (one way) traffic would be diverted down that drive and out onto Kentucky; vehicles already parked on the closed portion of the block would be allowed to remain in the parking stalls;
• The 700 block of Vermont would be closed at 7:00 p.m. from just north of the library parking lot entrance, but vehicles would be allowed to stay in the parking stalls; course marshals would be stationed at that point to move barricades and let vehicles exit; course marshals will only allow vehicles to enter the closed portion of the block as parking becomes available; a turnaround area with no parking will be maintained near the north end of the 700 block to assist vehicles turning around to head back south to exit the block;
• City Parking Lot 12, located at the southeast corner of 7^th and Vermont, will be closed at 7:00 p.m. and used as a warm up area for the race competitors;
• Kentucky Street and New Hampshire Street, which bookend the race course, will not be closed.

ACTION:      Approve a temporary use of right-of-way permit for specified portions of 7^th Street, the 600 and 700 blocks of Vermont Street, the 600 and 700 blocks of Massachusetts Street and the alley east of the 600 block of Massachusetts Street for the Street Sprint, July 3, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.