[E-updates] On-going improvements key to maintaining an attractive park syste m

[Lisa Patterson]

NEWS RELEASE City of Lawrence, Kansas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 2003

CONTACT Mark A. Hecker, parks and maintenance superintendent
City of Lawrence Park and Recreation
(785) 832-3454

On-going improvements key to maintaining an attractive park system

(LAWRENCE, KS) - In a system requiring on-going maintenance, three
distinctive Parks and Recreation construction projects were completed in
June.  Each year, a list of on-going maintenance activities and planned
projects is developed by Parks and Recreation staff following the criteria
to continuously enhance and improve facilities and perform required
maintenance on facilities.  With more than one hundred projects on the list
that will span the coming months and next several years, plans focus on
maintenance and improvements.

>From improvements in Brook Creek Park to work at the Union Pacific Depot and
Downtown drinking fountains, the improvements help provide visitors with
attractive and stable facilities.

A new bridge has been installed in Brook Creek Park, 1300 Brook Street, to
provide pedestrian access over the creek.  A Community Development Block
Grant received by Brook Creek Neighborhood Association funded the bridge.
The neighborhood association took the lead in securing funding for park
improvements while the Parks and Recreation Department has provided
construction supervision and the oversight that keeps improvements
consistent with department standards.  

The combination of the input from Parks and Recreation staff blended with
the guidance of the neighbors in Brook Creek Park has resulted in a park
that is meeting the needs of the neighborhood while adding value to
Lawrence's park system.  Future improvements scheduled to begin in the fall
of 2003 and funded with additional CDBG funds, include new playground
equipment, creek improvements, new shelter, lighting and sidewalks.

The use of CDBG funding by neighborhoods to improve their park assets has
carried over to Clinton Park, 500 W. 5th Street.  The Pinckey Neighborhood
Association has secured CDBG funding for a master plan of the Clinton Park
and work will begin later this summer to map out future uses and
improvements for the park.

Refurbished Basketball Court
In a step to keep up with evolving recreation trends, a newly refurbished
basketball court has been added to Edgewood Park, 1245 E. 15th Street.  The
basketball court is a story of evolution.  Once unused and in need of
maintenance, tennis courts were converted into a roller hockey court,
serving the growing use of inline skates.  In the last two years, popularity
of the courts has waned and use has declined.  Seeing the use slip, Parks
and Recreation identified the opportunity to create a basketball court in
Brook Creek Park.  By resurfacing the courts, adding new goals and removing
the old fence, park visitors can now play basketball on a fully lighted
court.

On-going maintenance: Union Pacific Depot and Downtown Drinking Fountains
An example of on-going maintenance performed by the Parks and Recreation
Department is restoration work on the Union Pacific Depot, 402 N. 2nd
Street.  A contractor experienced in restoration work has nearly completed
work to replace grout in between the stones.  A victim of weather as well as
constant movement caused by nearby trains, the Depot requires attention to
remain in good shape.

Following a long-term replacement plan, drinking fountains in Downtown are
being replaced.  The plan is to replace three or four fountains per year
until all of the fountains in the Downtown area have been modernized.  Three
to four years will be necessary to complete this plan and is dependent on
available funding. 

-END-


_____________________________
Lisa K. Patterson
Communications Coordinator
City of Lawrence
PO Box 708
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 832-3406
fax (785) 832-3405
lpatterson@ci.lawrence.ks.us
http://www.lawrenceks.org