Week ending February 17, 2018
January 2018 Utility Billing Report
Attached is the monthly Utility Billing Report for January 2018.
January 2018 Monthly Building Permit Report
The Building Safety Division issued 155 building permits in January, with total construction for the month valued at $8,063,873. Total permit fees assessed for the month were $54,682, and total review fees assessed were $4,927. Permits were issued for six (6) new residential projects, including five (5) single-family dwellings and one (1) duplex. Staff Report Monthly Permit Report Year-To-Date Summary
Community Development 2017 Weatherization Program
The Community Development Division has completed the 2017 Weatherization program. Please see attached report.
Lawrence Affordable Housing Efforts to be included in National Building Museum Exhibition on Affordable Housing in Washington, D.C.
The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. is collaborating with prize-winning researcher and author Matthew Desmond to present an exhibition related to his book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. The exhibition—opening April 14, 2018 through May 29, 2019—will provide an opportunity for visitors to understand Desmond’s work through photographs of families in the process of being evicted, as well as the landlords, moving companies, judges, and security teams involved. Sections of the show will contextualize eviction through infographics and examine historical precedents of rent resistance. The exhibition will highlight a range of policy solutions and innovative measures for bringing about change will be offered to prompt further dialogue. The National Building Museum reached out to the City of Lawrence because they wished to include a photograph by an affordable housing proponent taken in Lawrence for the exhibition- the photograph shows the “Vote Yes for Affordable Housing” sign in someone’s yard. Sara Talliafaro with Justice Matters was able to get them into contact with the owner of the photograph to provide the permission.
Santa Fe Station Restoration Project Commencing Construction
The restoration project for the Santa Fe Station will begin construction in late February 2018 through late October 2018. The project is being administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation and First Construction of Lawrence will be the general contractor. The project will consist of exterior and interior repairs, improvements to ensure accessibility in compliance with the American’s with Disabilities Act, new roofing, solar panel installation, and HVAC improvements. Questions regarding the project can be directed to David Cronin, City Engineer, at 785-832-3130/dcronin@lawrenceks.org.
Emergency Management Training Follow-up
As a follow-up to last week’s Emergency Management presentation, each elected official is required to complete three NIMS on-line courses - NIMS 100, 200, and 700 – which should be completed over the next 60 days. At the conclusion of the courses, the elected officials will be asked to complete a short quiz over the material. The elected officials will then be able to print out a course completion certificate that should be returned to the City Manager’s Office.
https://training.fema.gov/nims/
Lawrence Douglas County Health Department Annual Report
The Lawrence Douglas County Health Department has provided the City with its 2017 Progress Report and Expense Report.
Department of Utilities to Publish Annual Update to Standards and Details
The Department of Utilities has recently completed its annual review of its construction material specifications, design criteria, and standard details for watermains and sanitary sewers. Notable changes include the following:
Several other minor modifications have been made to various sections in order to correct identified omissions and errors noted in the previous publication as well as to update materials identified to reflect current manufacturers. The minor modifications do not alter the existing material requirements nor do they pose an impact to material or development costs.
A complete summary of modifications is attached and updated documents will be posted to the Department of Utilities website;
http://www.lawrenceks.org/utilities/technical_resources,
The above documents are available for general public access. Consulting engineers and contractors will be notified of the update via direct mailing announcements.
Inter-City Visit and Leadership Conference from Chapel Hill, North Carolina to be held in Lawrence in September 2018
We have learned that the Chapel Hill-Carrboro North Carolina Chamber of Commerce has selected Lawrence as the location for its biennial Inter-City Visit and Leadership Conference in late September 2018. They plan to assemble a delegation of 75-100 business, community, government, and university leaders to learn from our community. The Chamber’s website about the event indicates that during the event, their leaders learn from the experiences of another community, better understand their community’s assets, and build relationships among participants that helps them address local challenges and opportunities.
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.