[E-updates] The Flame newsletter

[Lisa Patterson]

The Flame

SE P T E M B E R 2003 
In This Issue:	
. A Word From Our Mayor
. Summer Construction
.Bike Pat r o l
. Share the Road
.On-line Utility Pay

City information is available on-line at lawrenceks.org and on cable Channel
25. The FLAME is published by the City Manager's Office, 832-3400.
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A Word From Our Mayor

I promised near the end of the last essay I wrote for "The Flame" that I
would write this time about some of the specific items I'd like to see us
accomplish in my year as mayor. The time is flying by, and events have
overtaken intentions in some important areas. So I'll start with thoughts
about what has occurred since April, then try to look ahead a bit.

We knew that 2004 was going to be a difficult budget year, and we were more
than right. It has been very painful to watch the State's growing (and
growing) financial crisis develop, knowing that the effects were inevitably
going to trickle down -- although "trickle" is far too mild a word -- to our
city. For the 2004 budget year, the impact of state cuts to the city budget
is around $1.4 million.

The impact has been felt even more by our school district, which is both
dependent on and limited by state funding and regulations to a much greater
degree than the city is. That fact led us to consider trying to shift some
school costs to the city. It was a well-intentioned effort, but not one that
was not feasible for several reasons. Some were technical: the school
district's fiscal year and the city's are 6 months apart, and the various
regulatory and accounting requirements for the two bodies are quite
different. The idea also raised a great many policy questions that have the
potential to create new problems rather than solve the ones we know. And
most critically, the magnitude of the city's own budget problems made it
essential that we take care of city employees and services first.

It is in this area that I feel most satisfied with the actions the current
Commission has taken. We managed to put together a budget that protects
employee salaries and benefits while limiting the mill levy increase to
substantially less than the combined effect of reduced state support and
increased health care costs. It is a budget that succeeds in being "lean
without being mean," to borrow a phrase from a recent City Commission goal
setting session.

A more recent highlight has been the work toward a "living wage" policy that
would apply to employees of companies that receive tax abatements. The
heartening part of this issue has been the collaborative spirit that has
been demonstrated among those with differing viewpoints on it. Both Living
Wage Alliance advocates and Chamber of Commerce leaders have put forth
creative, thoughtful proposals. Just as important, they have been willing to
consider the proposals made by "the other side" and have responded fairly
and flexibly, without rancor or exaggerated rhetoric. I have high hopes that
this process can serve as a model for future discussions of important policy
issues. Although the final language has not been adopted at this writing, I
feel sure that we will end up with a document that is supportive of both
businesses and their workers, one that works for the whole community.

On the other hand, there's Sixth and Wakarusa. But enough of that....

Under our current economic conditions, major new programs involving spending
new dollars are not in the cards. But slow economic times provide an
opportunity to plan and prepare for the better times to come. The Commission
and staff are working on several projects that should bring benefits over
the long term.

Between now and the early months of next year, the long-awaited draft of new
zoning and subdivision regulations will be tested, presented to the public,
and refined. Once adopted, they will represent the first comprehensive
revision since 1966. Over the decades, the codes have been amended and
revised enough times that they have become a patchwork. 

The new codes will not only be a more consistent and comprehensive whole,
but they will also reflect contemporary ideas about how to build a city like
Lawrence. For example, the current code indicates that the patterns that
make up our historic neighborhoods are wrong, that all new houses ought to
be built like suburban homes, wherever they are located. The new code will
provide more flexibility in housing types, and will recognize the value of
protecting historic patterns.

Similarly, our building codes are undergoing a significant transformation.
The Uniform Building Code, which Lawrence has used for decades, is no longer
being updated. Instead, the three major model building codes that competed
with one another in the past have been combined into a single International
Building Code. But the National Fire Protection Association has produced a
building code of its own, for the first time. Deciding which new code to
adopt will be a major decision for our Neighborhood Resources Department and
City Commission. To this end, Neighborhood Resources has established a Code
Review Committee and a series of presentations and meetings to evaluate the
code options. Public input is also being sought as part of the Committee's
effort.

A task force is getting under way to study the mechanisms we use to plan and
provide for public improvements in newly developing areas of the city. The
language -- "adequate public facilities," "concurrency," "plat excise tax,"
etc. -- is pretty bureaucratic, if not downright sleep-inducing. But the
results should help the city guide growth so that our services keep up with
needs while keeping the costs of those services reasonable. And it should
help us assure that the costs associated with new development are being
fairly distributed among those who benefit from it.

We also have a task force studying the needs of our homeless population, and
the alternative programs and services available to meet them. They are
studying what is being done in other cities, what services are available
(and lacking) here in Lawrence, and how our city can craft a comprehensive
approach. It's a daunting task, and my thanks go to Vice-Mayor Mike Rundle
for his leadership of this important group.

Other efforts are under way or under discussion that will shape the city's
future direction. A task force on public smoking will report to the
Commission on the balance between public health and personal choice.
Affordable housing issues continue to come forward, and several different
efforts have been proposed to study them. The city's need to expand
availability of industrial land will continue to generate interest and
proposals.

I believe it was in last year's goal setting session that somebody came up
with the term "planfullness" to describe the overarching direction of the
Commission's goals. I think it's as good a word as any to describe the
direction of the Commission today. We're going to approach the remainder of
this mayor's term with planfullness, in the expectation of future rewards.

David M. Dunfield, Mayor

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Summer construction season brings improvements 
Projects benefit park users, downtown and the airport

Dry weather and warm temperatures are typical signs of our summer.  Those
are the same elements that allow construction projects to flourish and
create improvements for the Lawrence community.  Highlights from the 2003
summer projects include;
Runway extension project at the Lawrence Municipal Airport
Designed to improve the airport's ability to provide service to larger jets
and increased general aviation traffic to Lawrence, 300 feet have been added
to the north and 400 feet to the south ends of the main runway at the
airport. The project has been funded 90 percent by the Federal Aviation
Administration. Related to the runway extension project, a wetlands
mitigation project has recently been completed north of the Kansas River
Water Treatment Plant. This 6-plus acre project was required because the
runway extension project impacted existing wetlands at the airport.
Stormwater improvements, grading changes and introduction of grasses and
plants conducive to wetlands that will attract units. Currently, more than
50 percent of the units are leased.

Storm water management completes capital improvement project
Work was completed on 21st Street west of Naismith Drive where an
underground concrete box system was installed to relieve flooding in the
neighborhood. A similar approach is underway on a project running down 21st
Street from Kentucky to Barker Avenue.

Parks and Recreation projects aim to continuously enhance and improve
facilities and perform required maintenance on facilities.
In June, a new bridge was 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 provided construction
supervision and the oversight that keeps improvements consistent with
department standards.

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

Keeping 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.

An example of ongoing 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 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 were
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. 

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Lawrence Police Officers on Bike Patrol in downtown
Community policing effort maximizes citizen interaction

Used when adequate manpower exists to staff all normal districts, bike
patrol is one of Lawrence Police Department's community policing efforts
that provides citizens an opportunity to interact with police officers.
Bicycle patrol is one of the department's most popular and engaging
activities particularly in the parks and with kids.
Photo caption: Lawrence Police Officers Charles Stewart, left, and Jay
Bialek, right, were on bike patrol in Downtown Lawrence this summer.

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Website offers Utility billing customers new feature online information is
available 24/7

Customer access to water, sewer, storm water and sanitation account
information online arrived in June utility bills via a unique personal
identification number.

Customers are able to review the date, amount and types of past payments;
review daily usage and total usage by numbers and graphs; review past
billing dates, due dates, balances and charges, all the same information
that is contained on each individual bill during the life of an account. A
payment processor is also available to make payments.

"Viewing your account information online will greatly assist utility
customers when doing business with the City. Online access supplements the
current ability for customers to initiate, transfer or terminate service by
email. A future goal is to eliminate mailing the utility bill to those
customers capable of reviewing it over the internet. Your comments and
suggestions for future improvements will be appreciated," explains Joe
Yager, financial management analyst with the City of Lawrence Finance
Department.

To access the feature, visit http://www.lawrenceutilitybilling.org and
select Utility Billing On-Line. Then enter the account number as shown on
your utility bill and the PIN. If you don't have your PIN from your June
bill, email UtilityBilling@ci.lawrence.ks.us or call 832-7878.

View a pdf file of The Flame newsletter at
www.lawrenceks.org/pdf/flamesept.pdf
_____________________________
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