CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending May 10, 2013

 

April Building Permits Report

The Building Safety Division issued 179 building permits in April, with total construction for the month valued at $19,842,958. Total permit fees assessed for the month were $112,265.92. Permits were issued for 28 new residential projects, including 13 new single-family dwellings, 4 duplexes, and 11 multi-family dwellings. Please see the attached memo, permit report, and summary report for more information.   

 

North Lawrence water main leak

Utilities Department field crews responded to a water main leak on the North Lawrence water line on Wednesday, May 8. The water line is located under the southbound Kansas River Bridge and is an 18 inch steel main, installed in 1977. The leak was spraying from a pinhole that had developed approximately 6 feet from a previous leak. The crew installed a repair clamp to stop the leak. Utilities staff will meet to review the possible replacement of the section of pipe to prevent future leaks in this area. Please see the attached photo of the repair.

 

2012 Retail Market Study

Planning staff has developed a Retail Market Study for the City of Lawrence in accordance with Horizon 2020 and the Land Development Code. This report analyzes the commercial market in the city for 2012. Previous market studies from 2006 and 2010 can be found on the city’s website.

 

43.5 tons of electronic equipment and paper documents recycled at city-sponsored event

On Saturday, May 4, 2013, the city’s Solid Waste Division hosted an Electronic Recycling and Document Shred Event. The event was held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Free State High School parking lot. A total of 912 participants dropped off 87,032 pounds (43.5 tons) of material for recycling, which included 59,632 pounds (29.8 tons) of electronic equipment and 27,400 pounds (13.7 tons) of confidential paper documents. Electronic recycling at this event was provided by Secure e-Cycle and secure document shredding was provided by ProShred Security. See the attached event report and participant survey results for more details.

 

Utilities public education effort for irrigation system owners

As summer approaches, water demand for home irrigation systems increases as well.  Overall the City’s water treatment system is able to supply enough water to meet the day to day demand. However, Utilities water operators see demands that exceed the ability of the system to provide that quantity of water for short periods of time during the week. These are during the morning hours while homeowners are irrigating their lawns, due to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday water schedule that most automatic irrigation systems are set to. The use of water towers and storage tanks allows the Department to meet the demands at these times. However the City may be required to add more storage in the future due to these short term peaks in usage as the population grows and the peaks increase.

 

The Utilities Department has met with local landscapers and irrigation companies to discuss methods to spread this demand out by implementing an irrigation schedule that would even out the demand over the week and decrease the high demands that are experienced on Monday and Wednesday. The irrigation schedule would set irrigation systems at even house number on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule and systems at odd house numbers on a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday schedule. This would not decrease the amount of water used but decrease the peak at those particular times. The landscapers and irrigation companies agreed to help inform their customers of this voluntary schedule, as well as suggested the Department develop an information handout to distribute to the public. Those handouts have been distributed to the landscapers and irrigation companies via electronic and paper handouts, as well paper handouts to the gardening centers. Utilities Department staff will continue to look for opportunities to educate the public on this effort.

 

Multimodal studies project

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) kicked off the Multimodal Studies Project this spring. The goal of this planning effort is to identify and prioritize transportation needs for commuters, pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders for the next 5-to-10 years and develop a range of short and long-term improvements to support a more multimodal region. The planning process is anticipated to conclude by the end of 2013. The public will be asked to comment on existing conditions and concerns connected to the transportation system, such as obstacles to carpooling, riding the bus, and riding a bicycle for trips to work, school and other utilitarian trips in the region. A public open house will be held on Wednesday, June 5 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Union Pacific Depot (402 N. 2nd Street), and comments may also be submitted online. For more information, visit the project web page at www.lawrenceks.org/mpo/study and see the attached memo.