CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending July 1, 2011

Kasold Project Update

The reconstruction of Kasold, from Clinton Parkway to 31^st Street, is 55% complete. Northbound lanes are complete and the project will enter Phase 3 on Tuesday, July 5, which includes the removal and completion of the center turn lane. Southbound traffic will remain on the old pavement and northbound traffic will shift to the new pavement.  Phase 3 should take approximately one month to complete. The final phase involves removal and replacement of the southbound lanes. The project remains on schedule with a November 23, 2011 completion date.  Please see attached photos of the project.

“Tee Off with Dad” kicks off Father’s Day weekend

Parks and Recreation Department hosted Tee Off with Dad Thursday, June 16, for its 5th year at Eagle Bend Golf Course and Learning Center.  The event included dinner, an instructional clinic and playing 9-holes of the Junior Bend course at Eagle Bend. The event is a great team-building exercise, benefitting participants and bringing awareness to the game of golf, as well as allowing fathers and their children a time to bond and have a great shared experience. Please see the attached report for photos of the event.

Kansas the Eagle accompanies Governor to ceremony

Prairie Park Nature Center’s resident bald eagle, Kansa, was selected to attend the Kansas Governor’s ceremony proclaiming National American Bald Eagle Day held June 20 at Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kan. Prairie Park Nature Center staff, Jenn Rader and Jesse Morgan, accompanied and handled Kansa during the ceremony. They also made a few remarks about the nature center’s role in conservation education in Kansas. Please see the attached report for photos and more information about Kansa and the event.

Peregrine Falcon lands at Prairie Park Nature Center

The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department’s Prairie Park Nature Center has received a peregrine falcon for its Birds of Prey Collection. The falcon was recently received from the California Foundation for Birds of Prey in Roseville, Calif. The falcon is approximately 10 years old. It is a rehabilitated bird, having been shot in its wing at the age of 4 years old when it was in the wild. It has spent the past 6 years at the California Foundation for Birds of Prey where it has been used in programming. The center housed several peregrine falcons and had sought placement at other centers for a few of its birds. Because of display considerations and caging needs for the bird, the falcon will not be on display to the public, but it will be used extensively for programs. Please see the attached report for more information and photos.

Take Charge Challenge ‘Final Fridays’ event and giveaway

On Friday, June 24, the Take Charge Challenge Leadership Team held a very successful event (see attached photos) at ‘Final Fridays’ in downtown Lawrence.  The event was held at Global Café, 820 Massachusetts.  502 people were counted as part of the event and each of these people will be counted for the citizen participation category of the Challenge.  Additionally, event coordinators gave away an $800 raffle prize to Joanna Cielocha for a residential lighting consultation from ES Lighting and up to $500 worth of LED-lighting retrofits. The Take Charge Challenge display and event were filmed by PBS and will be part of a nationally aired documentary called “Earth: The Operator’s Manual” which will air in April 2012.  More information on the documentary can be found at http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com/.