CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending June 1, 2012

Weed abatement on the Kansas River levee

A question was recently raised regarding weed spraying on the levee. Weed abatement is a requirement of the Corps of Engineers cooperative maintenance agreement. Spraying throughout the growing season (early spring through late September) is done by the city as well as the railroad and farmers in the vicinity of the levee. Scheduling spraying is partially workload dependant and partially weather dependant and decisions are generally made early in the morning, coinciding with the optimal time to spray on the levee (lowest winds are between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.). 

Levee maintenance crews currently follow similar processes to those followed by parks and recreation staff when applying chemicals. These processes are outlined in the Integrated Pest Management plan. Yellow traffic signs noting “Weed Spraying” are placed along the trail as spraying is done and signs are posted noting the chemical being sprayed and the date sprayed. These signs are posted at the access points along the levee the day of spraying (see photo below). Additionally, blue coloring is added to the chemical so that crews know where they have sprayed. This can also serve as notice to bikers, runners or walkers, that a chemical has been applied.

In review of the process, staff will enhance the notification process by printing the notification on colored card stock (yellow) so that it is more prominent, posting the sign the day prior to potential spraying and leaving that sign up the entire week of spraying. These signs will be posted at each mile marker as well as at the access points.  Additionally the “Weed Spraying” signs will be placed in the middle of the trail to be more prominent than the current placement on the side of the trail.

City forms go mobile

A new feature has been added to the City of Lawrence website, lawrenceks.org, to provide a better experience for mobile users using some forms to request city services. Mobile users can visit http://lawrenceks.org/mobile to experience the new feature. The mobile section is designed to work well on a variety of mobile devices. The site is launching with two features to start. The Request page includes links to mobile-friendly forms for reporting potholes, graffiti, code enforcement problems, and more. The Contact page gives quick access to many department’s email and phone numbers, including those of the City Commission. The city is preparing additional mobile features to be rolled out later this year.

Public Works Week activities

The week of May 20th thru May 26th the Public Works Department celebrated National Public Works Week. The week included a proclamation from the Mayor, an employee luncheon, and Public Works trivia contest. Please see the attached memo and trivia page for more information on Public Works activities.