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:	August 18, 2011
RE:	Arts Center Final Friday Street Party Event

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 to midnight on Friday, September 30, 2011. The event would include with live music, games, and vendors. The event would close the 900 block of New Hampshire from approximately the northern edge of the parking garage 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 9^th Street entrance for the construction at 9^th 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 in the westernmost lane for fire apparatus access to the garage in case of emergency. The same arrangement was utilized for an Arts Center event in this area in May 2011. The applicant will also have staff monitoring the garage to guide any oversize vehicles (such as animal control vans with light bars on the roof, or taller handicap accessible vans) out of the garage, because they are only able to exit through the northernmost entrance on New Hampshire.

The event would require a number of bus reroutes. 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 event has been scheduled for September 6.

Staff has discussed this event with the construction manager at the 9^th 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 an Arts Center street party from noon to midnight on Friday, September 30, 2011.