Memorandum
City of Lawrence
City Manager’s Office
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TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager
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FROM: |
Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager/City Clerk
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CC: |
Tarik Khatib, Interim Chief of Police Mark Bradford, Fire Medical Chief Charles Soules, Public Works Director Ernie Shaw, Interim Parks and Recreation Director
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DATE: |
February 17, 2011
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RE: |
KU Relays 2011
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The Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has been working with Kansas Athletics on plans for the 2011 KU Relays, and would like to request city approval for holding some events downtown on Wednesday and Thursday, April 20-21, 2011. In summary, the proposed uses of downtown streets would be as follows:
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011 |
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Event: |
Shot Put |
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Location: |
100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St |
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Time of Event: |
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
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Time of Street Closure: |
6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
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Supporting Documents: |
Site Layout, Description of Event submitted by the CVB |
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Thursday, April 21, 2011 |
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Event: |
Long Jump |
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Location: |
100 block of W 8th St |
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Time of Event: |
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
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Time of Street Closure: |
11:00 a.m. (Thursday) – 6:00 a.m. (Friday) |
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Supporting Documents: |
Site Layout, Description of Event submitted by the CVB |
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Event: |
Mile Run |
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Location: |
700 block of New Hampshire south to 11th St, 11th St west to Vermont St, Vermont St north to finish on 700 block of Vermont |
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Time of Event: |
5:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. |
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Time of Street Closure: |
4:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. for 700 blocks of New Hampshire St and Vermont St. Traffic will be controlled by Police on other blocks as runners pass. |
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Supporting Documents: |
Map, Description of Event submitted by the CVB |
The events would require city support and approval. Organizers request that the city pay for the support through reimbursement to the city’s general fund from the guest tax fund.
Preparation and breakdown of event sites
For the shot put event, a throw area would be created by constructing a frame and filling it with material (likely a mixture of sand and crushed rock) that can be reused in construction applications by the city or other entities after the event. The city’s Street Maintenance Division has been involved in the planning of this site and would participate in the construction and cleanup of the site to ensure that the street surfaces are not damaged. This site would be cleaned up the night of the event in order to get the street and intersection open as quickly as possible. The Fire Medical Department notes that the intersection which would be blocked by this event provides immediate access to various mixed occupancy residential and commercial properties and will restrict access to a densely occupied area.
The landing pit for the long jump area would be filled with bunker sand brought in from Eagle Bend golf course. This sand will not be cleaned up until early (4:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m.) the morning after the event in order to minimize conflicts with other downtown traffic.
The Street Maintenance Division would provide barricades for closing the streets for all three events. The event organizers are also requesting that Parks and Recreation provide six trash barrels which would be moved from event to event by the organizers.
Parking, traffic, and bus route impacts
The shot put and long jump events would require that parking on the 100 block of E 8th Street and the 100 block of W 8th Street, respectively, be prohibited during the street closure times outlined above. For the mile run, street parking along the entire route would need to be prohibited from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on April 21.
Instead of using the city’s parking meter bags, the event organizers would post signs on the meters like they have done for events such as the Tour of Lawrence bike race. The signs would go up 24 hours before the closure, but they seem to help prevent giving people the premature impression that parking is prohibited as soon as the signs go up.
The starting area of the mile run will be near the north end of the 700 block of New Hampshire, therefore traffic will be able to enter the south end of the block and access both the city parking lot and the parking lots adjacent to Borders and the Hobbs Taylor Lofts until a few minutes before the start of the race. The finish line will be near the south end of the 700 block of Vermont, therefore traffic will still be able to enter the north end of the block and access the city parking lot adjacent to the library.
Although on-street parking will be prohibited along the mile run route, the streets (with the exception of the 700 blocks of New Hampshire and Vermont) will remain open to normal traffic flows until just a few minutes before the race. At that time, course marshals (and police officers where appropriate) will only allow traffic to enter the race route in the same direction as the runners movement so traffic will not be moving toward the runners. When necessary, traffic will not be allowed to enter the race route. Since the entire race will be run in 4.5 – 10 minutes, the disruption to traffic will be of limited scope and duration.
The street closures will require some transit bus reroutes. Event organizers are working with Transit to plan the street closures and reroutes to be the least disruptive as possible.
Support from adjacent properties
Event organizers are currently personally notifying properties adjacent to the street closures of their plans and soliciting their support. The city also sent notification to Downtown Lawrence, Inc. for distribution to their membership list.
Alcohol
Event organizers request that the City Commission adopt an ordinance allowing the temporary possession and consumption of alcohol on the two blocks of 8th Street during the events on those blocks. Staff has drafted for the City Commission’s consideration, Ordinance No. 8614, authorizing the possession and consumption of alcoholic liquor on the 100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/20/11, and on the 100 block of W 8th St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/21/11.
ACTION: Approve a Temporary Use of Public Right-of-Way Permit for the closure of the 100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St from 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. on 04/20/11; the closure of the 100 block of W 8th St from 11:00 a.m. on 04/21/11 until 6:00 a.m. on 04/22/10; the closure of portions of the 700 blocks of New Hampshire St and Vermont St from 4:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. on 04/21/11; the temporary use of portions of New Hampshire St, 11th St, and Vermont St as race routes from approximately 5:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. on 04/21/11; and associated parking prohibitions.
Adopt on first reading, Ordinance No. 8614, authorizing the possession and consumption of alcoholic liquor on the 100 block of E 8th St and the intersection of 8th St and New Hampshire St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/20/11, and on the 100 block of W 8th St from 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on 04/21/11.