CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending November 6, 2009

Traffic Engineering projects completed

The Traffic Engineering Division of Public Works recently completed improvements at various locations:

• 9^th and Iowa improvements include new poles, mast arms, control box and general cleanup of the intersection (see attached photos).
• 23^rd and Ousdahl was the final video detection installation on the 23^rd street Klink project (see attached photo). This gives us video detection at every intersection on 23^rd Street from Ousdahl to Barker.
• School beacons were installed on George Williams Way for Langston Hughes Elementary School (see attached photo).

PDS continues to make progress toward City Commission goals

The following reports from Planning and Development Services outline the city’s progress on a number of goals identified in the City Commission’s 2009 goal statement, including activities to enhance neighborhood quality through code enforcement, facilitate multi-modal development, and identification and prioritization of historic cultural resources. The City Commission’s goal statement may be viewed online at http://www.lawrenceks.org/city_commission/goals.  

Update on blighted properties

The attached report contains status updates and photos of two blighted properties the City Commission has taken action on. The home at 1232 Louisiana has been demolished, and a new home is under construction at 426 Perry.

Lawrence recycles 35.48 tons of electronics at city-sponsored event

On Saturday, October 31, 2009, the city’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Division hosted an Electronic Recycling Event. The event was held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Free State High School parking lot. A total of 747 participants dropped off 70,962 pounds (equivalent to 35.48 tons) of electronic equipment for recycling. Electronic recycling was provided by Extreme Recycling, a permitted e-waste recycling and reclamation facility in the State of Kansas. Please see the attached report and participant survey results for more details.

October building permits report

The Development Services Division issued 187 permits with total construction value of $11,627,368 in October 2009 compared to 197 permits valued at $18,854,119 in October of 2008. Fees amounted to $54,707.50 compared to $85,006.74 last year. Eighteen permits were issued for new single-family dwellings, compared to nine single-family and one duplex in October last year. No permits were issued for multi-family dwellings in October, compared to 11 permits (226 dwelling units) in October last year. See attached memo, summary, and full report for more details.

City website receives distinction as Digital Cities winner for 2009

The City of Lawrence’s website (www.lawrenceks.org) was chosen again by the Center for Digital Government as a top ranking website for communities with a population between 75,000 to 124,999.  This is the third year the city’s website has placed in the top ten.  Eric Gruber, eGov Coordinator, Information Systems and each department has played a role in creating more opportunities for providing online and digital services to citizens. The city has implemented several web-based strategies over the past year that provide opportunities for citizens to interact with government through online technology.  Digital Cities reviews websites and qualifies award winners through several categories.  Some of the categories include use of social media, availability to complete transactions online, citizen access to online agendas and the ability to watch City Commission meetings online. The attached press release provides additional information on the Digital Cities award.