CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending December 17, 2016

 

 

October 2016 Monthly Permit Reports

The Building Safety Division issued 191 building permits in October, with total construction for the month valued at $8,280,439.  Total permit fees assessed for the month were $69,982.  Permits were issued for twenty-five (25) new residential projects, including eleven (11) single-family dwellings and fourteen (14) duplexes.     Staff Memo   Monthly Report   Year to Date Report

 

Transportation 2040 (T2040) Update Process

T2040 will expire on March 21, 2018. In order to prepare a plan to replace T2040, the MPO kicked off the 15-month planning process. A new plan is required by federal regulations to ensure the flow of USDOT funding for transportation projects in Lawrence and Douglas County. The MPO Policy Board approved a Steering Committee to oversee the work of the plan update.

 

Several transportation studies and plans have been completed since the previous T2040 plan was finished; this plan update will incorporate previous work and transportation legislation including Fast Act requirements, such as Performance Measures, and changing fiscal realities for transportation in Douglas County.

 

MPO staff will follow the MPO’s Public Participation Plan and offer a variety of opportunities through open houses, mobile meetings, and online surveys for the public to provide input on their vision and preferences for all modes (auto, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and freight) of transportation. More information can be found on the project website at www.lawrenceks.org/mpo/t2040-update

 

ICMA website features City and County collaboration on energy efficiency and sustainability

The City and County were featured as a best practice case study by ICMA for our collaboration on energy efficiency and sustainability.  See attached for more information.

 

Solid Waste Division Fall Event Summaries

30 Tons of electronics recycled at Fall Electronic Recycling Event:

Six hundred forty five (645) vehicles dropped off a total of 59,931 pounds (equivalent to 30 tons) of electronic equipment at the fall Electronic Recycling Event hosted by the City’s Solid Waste Division. The event was held on Saturday, October 15th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the KU Park & Ride east parking lot. Electronic recycling was provided by Midwest Recycling Center (MRC).   See attached for more information.

 

5.3 Tons of paper collected at Paper Shred Event: 

On America Recycles Day, Tuesday, November 15th, the City’s Solid Waste Division hosted a Paper Shred Event. Three hundred eighteen (318) vehicles dropped off a total of 10,527 pounds (equivalent to 5.3 tons) of paper for shredding and recycling. The Paper Shred Event was held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Arena Parking Lot located at 1930 Harper Street. Secure document shredding was provided by Stacks Secure Records.   See attached for more information.

 

Recycle for Sight Collection Drive:

Additionally, in honor of America Recycles Day, the City’s Solid Waste Division teamed up with the Lawrence Lion’s Club, Lawrence Arts Center, and Lawrence Public Schools to collect eyeglasses. The Recycle for Sight Collection Drive was held from November 8th through the 15th and brought in a total of 165 pairs of eyeglasses which will be donated to the Lawrence Lion’s Club. The Lawrence Arts Center designed one-of-a-kind collection boxes and a trophy, made from 100% recycled material, for the winning school. New York Elementary School was the winning school, collecting 68 pairs of eyeglasses. The trophy was presented to New York Elementary School students during a school assembly on November 16th.   See attached for more information.

 

Outstanding Solid Waste Professional Award

Kathy Richardson, the City’s Solid Waste Manager, received the Outstanding Solid Waste Professional Award at the 2016 Kansas Solid Waste Management Conference hosted by the Kansas Sunflower Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). This award recognizes a solid waste professional who has made outstanding contributions to the Kansas Sunflower Chapter of SWANA, solid waste management in Kansas, and/or public health and environmental protection.   See attached for more information.

 

Public Works Department to Publish Revised Plans Preparation & Design Criteria

The Public Works Department has recently completed an update to the guidelines for plan preparation and design criteria for street and storm sewer projects (see attached). This update formalizes design and submittal requirements that have previously been undocumented or inconsistently applied. The Public Works Department distributed the guidelines to the engineering and construction community for a comment period. Commentary was received and final revisions have been completed. The finalized documents have been posted to the Public Works Department website for general public access: https://lawrenceks.org/public_works/engineering/.

 

Phoenix Awards

The 21st Annual Phoenix Awards Ceremony was held on Sunday, November 6, 2016.  Six awardees were recognized by the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission.  See attached for more information.

 

Future Agenda Items

Attached, please find a summary of future agenda items.

 

Future Work Session Items

Attached, please find a summary of future work session items.