CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending January 8, 2010

 

2009 building permits report

The following table summarizes building permit activity for 2009 compared to 2008.

 

 

2009

2008

Total # of permits

1998

2179

One- & two-family permits (# of units)

126(142)

114(126)

Multi-family permits (# of units)

15(172)

27(557)

Total # of residential permits (# of units)

141(314)

141(683)

Total permit valuation

$75,376,444

$146,504,258

Total fees collected

$565,262

$797,232

Budgeted fees

$750,000

$800,000

 

The attached memo, full report and summary report include more information on December and total yearly building permits activity.

 

617 W 4th Street rehabilitation update

Staff is continuing to work with the owner and contractor in a facilitator role to ensure the project continues to move towards completion. To date the contractor has been paid $25,376.52 for labor and materials leaving a balance of $29,623.48. As of December 30th the following work had been completed:

 

·         The living room floor has been leveled and the weak floors of the two 2nd floor bedrooms above the living room have been significantly strengthened by installing 4 microlams beams (engineered lumber) perpendicular to the floor joists. 

·         The electrical rough in wiring is in the early phase of being installed throughout the first floor.  

·         The 1st floor bathroom floor has been reconstructed and the plumbing rough in is in progress.

·         The 2nd floor bathroom has been framed which includes a new floor and linen closet.  

·         Front Porch is near completion.  The only remaining work includes installing a decorative guard rail and spindles.

·         The roof rafters located in the northeast bedroom were not properly supported therefore additional framing has been completed to secure the rafters to a load bearing wall.

·         The footings and the framing for the side yard porch have been completed.  Flooring will be completed when the weather permits.

·         Windows have been ordered and will be coming in the next few weeks.  Once windows are installed the siding and trim board will be installed.

·         The floor of the east entry has been rebuilt with new lumber as the floor was severely deteriorated.

·         All interior walls that were opened to perform work have had insulation added. 

·         The exterior has been sheathed except for a small section of the 2nd floor on the south side.

 

Code Enforcement Manager Brian Jimenez continues to communicate with the contractor and property owner on a regular basis. He also attended a Pinckney Neighborhood Association meeting on December 19 and answered questions about this project.

 

Football shuttle post-season report

The City of Lawrence established a free shuttle service from downtown to KU’s Memorial Stadium on football game days in 2008. The shuttle service was repeated in 2009 with the addition of a $1 roundtrip fare. The attached memo provides a report on the operations of the 2009 shuttle. Staff will likely seek authorization this spring to release an RFP for 2010 shuttle operations.

 

3rd Quarter Barometer Report released

The third quarter Barometer Report was released on January 4th. There were some bright spots for the local economy- the unemployment rate remained below the national average, single family home permits were up, and inflation appears to be tame. The decline in taxable sales also appears to be slowing both here and in the rest of Kansas. However, Lawrence is also seeing an unusually large loss in the number of residents with jobs. This is not translating into a heightened unemployment rate because people appear to simply be leaving the labor market. The Focus On section finds that on a wide range of issues- including labor force, local jobs, and wages- Lawrence has been below average this decade even when compared to similar communities nationwide.

 

Transit Facility Update

KU has indicated that it intends to proceed with negotiations and contract award with one of the transit facility vendors as soon as possible. Meanwhile, KU officials and city officials are still working out details of a proposed lease arrangement between the city and KU for the city’s use of the transit facility, which would be brought back before the City Commission for consideration. Once negotiations are complete between KU and the vendor, and a contract signed with the vendor, it is our understanding that KU will then release its purchasing report detailing the justification for the preferred site and recapping the proposal process (see attached letter). City staff anticipates this issue coming back before the City Commission once this purchasing report is received and general details are finalized with the University. Staff understands that the City Commission has not yet made a formal commitment regarding a future lease with KU for the transit facility.

 

Transit service recommendations and public meetings

A series of recommendations has been submitted by the consultants pertaining to our current efforts toward coordinating transit service between the city and KU. The recommendations include changes to various routes and timing. As part of our public participation process we have set up a series of public meetings in late January to gain comments and direction from the general public. Please see the attached memo for a schedule of the meetings and more details on the recommendations.

 

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Update

As the City Commission is aware, the city was awarded $858,600 in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds through the Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year. The grant award includes the following funding:  up to $100,000 for a Sustainability Coordinator to be jointly funded with Douglas County; $550,000 for HVAC and lighting upgrades at the Lawrence Public Library and $208,600 for replacement of lights along Massachusetts Street to LED. Recruitment of the Sustainability Coordinator position is being coordinated by Douglas County. An initial recruitment did not result in hiring a person to fill the position. A new recruitment process has been initiated. It is still anticipated that the position will be filled in the first quarter of 2010. Staff has developed a RFP for library HVAC improvements. Authorization to issue the RFP is included in the consent agenda this week, with proposals proposed to be due in mid-February. Following review of proposals, it is anticipated that a firm could be selected for work on this project by the end of March. Staff continues to meet reporting requirements associated with the federal stimulus funding, with the next round of reporting due January 10, 2010.

 

Bowersock Dam update

Construction of the temporary bridge and corresponding approaches are complete. The geotechnical report has been completed and the corresponding geology mapped for the entire width of the Kansas River immediately upstream of Bowersock Dam. The sheet piles have been rolled by the steel fabricator and are awaiting the application of the bitumastic coating. The coating process is temperature sensitive and therefore has delayed the expected delivery until the last week in January.

 

2nd and Locust intersection improvements update

Phase 1 of the 2nd and Locust intersection improvement project would complete the east side and when completed would allow one lane of traffic both north and southbound.  Phase 2 would complete the west side. Phase 1 was to be completed late November/December. The contractor, R. D. Johnson, has worked overtime, weekends, and holidays and made substantial progress.  There have been delays, however, due to unknown circumstances and uncooperative weather.  The most significant delay was an unknown structure/pavement and drainage system under 2nd Street.  KDOT engineers and City staff redesigned that section of pavement and drainage system from Locust Street north to the railroad bridge.

 

The schedule has been revised because of the extreme weather:

     Phase 1:  Completion end of March/April 2010. 

                   Traffic open to one lane northbound and southbound.

     Phase 2:  Completion end of June 2010.  Road open to unrestricted traffic.

                   Final completion August 2010.

 

Please see the attached memo for more information.