CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending October 5, 2012

K-10 Completion informational meeting planned

The city is hosting a KDOT presentation and informational meeting on October 19th to discuss the construction phasing and schedule of the K-10/South Lawrence Trafficway (SLT) project.  This brownbag lunch session will focus on potential impacts and timing related to SLT construction near the 31st & Haskell area and the East Hills Business Park district and is primarily aimed at businesses in those areas.  The meeting will be held on Friday, October 19th from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in the City Commission Room, 1st floor of Lawrence City Hall.

September sales tax distribution

The City of Lawrence recently received its September sales tax distribution, the result of retail sales from mid-July to mid-August. The distribution of $2,419,033.58 is nearly $45,000 less than the prior year distribution for the same month. The 2012 budget for the total sales and use tax distribution is $30,555,461. The total sales/use taxes for 2012 are now projected to be $31,675,000. Please see the attached memo for more information.

Parks and Recreation activities introduce community to new sports

The Parks and Recreation Department recently held events to introduce kids and adults to sports they may not have experienced personally. National Gymnastics Day was attended by over 200 people and featured two hours of gymnastic instruction and activities. A rowing clinic held in partnership with Kansas Athletics served as an introduction to rowing for people with minimal knowledge of the sport. The participants got to take a tour of the boathouse and received a brief lesson of how to row on the Erg machine before proceeding onto the river with the KU Rowing coaches and student-athletes. Please see the attached report for more information and photos from both events.   

Fall Compost Sale results

The city held a Compost Sale on two Saturdays in September. The first Saturday was for citizens who wanted to load their own compost and the second Saturday was for citizens who wanted the city to load compost into their truck bed or trailer. A total of 540 vehicles participated during the two Saturdays. The city sold approximately 1,553 cubic yards of compost (equivalent to 854 tons) and generated $4,870 from the sale. Lawrence community compost is made from the weekly collection of residential yard trimmings, which includes grass, leaves, and small woody debris. Please see the attached report for more details.