Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

 

TO:

David L. Corliss, City Manager

 

FROM:

Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager/City Clerk

 

CC:

Tarik Khatib, Chief of Police

Chuck Soules, Director of Public Works

Robert Nugent, Transit Administrator

Ernie Shaw, Interim Director of Parks and Recreation

 

DATE:

April 19, 2011

 

RE:

Arts Center Street P’Arty and Art Tougeau Parade

 

 

The Lawrence Arts Center has applied for a Temporary Use of Public Right-of-Way Permit for the closure of a portion of the 900 block of New Hampshire from noon, Friday, May 27 until 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 28. The event would combine the Art Center’s Street P’Arty with the Art Tougeau Parade staging events, with live music, games, vendors, demonstrations and other art related activities. The event would close the 900 block of New Hampshire from 9th Street to just north of the southernmost entrance to the parking garage (see attached map).

 

Access to the parking garage would be maintained via the southernmost entrance on New Hampshire. Due to the closure of the 9th Street entrance for the construction at 9th and New Hampshire, the only entrance/exit to the garage would be via the southernmost entrance. Traffic exiting the garage from the upper levels would have to make an extra loop through the lower level of the garage in order to get to the exit, and there may be additional stacking of vehicles as they all attempt to leave through the same exit. The street would be blocked with movable barricades but the applicant would maintain adequate width down the center of the street for fire apparatus access to the garage in case of emergency.

 

The event would require a number of bus reroutes because the main hub of the transit system has moved to the east side of New Hampshire just north of the Arts Center during the construction project at 9th and New Hampshire. Bob Nugent, Transit Administrator, has said that these reroutes can be accommodated for the event. The event also requests barricades and meter bags to close the street, and additional trash barrels.  

 

Organizers of the event have also requested permission to sell alcohol which would be possessed and consumed on the right-of-way outside of the Arts Center. To accommodate this request, a public hearing for a distance limitation waiver (because the event would be within 400’ of a church) and adoption of an ordinance to allow possession and consumption on the right-of-way are necessary. A public hearing for this and other events requesting alcohol has been scheduled for May 10.

 

The Lawrence Art Guild (organizer of the Art Tougeau Parade) has also applied for a permit for the closure of 10th Street from Massachusetts Street to New Hampshire Street from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, for the parade afterparty and awards (see attached map). The applicant also submitted signatures from adjoining businesses not opposing the street closure. 

 

Staff has discussed this event with the construction manager at the 9th and New Hampshire project and there are no conflicts expected between the event and the construction activities.

 

ACTIONS:    Approve a Temporary Use of Public Right-of-Way Permit allowing the closure of a portion of the 900 block of New Hampshire Street for the Arts Center Street P’Arty from noon, Friday, May 27 until 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 28, 2011.

 

                   Approve a Temporary Use of Public Right-of-Way Permit for the Lawrence Art Guild allowing the closure of the 100 block of E 10th Street from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, 2011.