CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending November 9, 2012

 

Installation of New Playground Equipment – John Taylor Park

This past June, the City of Lawrence received a $20,000 Let’s Play City Construction Grant from the national non-profit KaBOOM! and the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. With this funding and a match from the City, a new playground system (see attached photos) has been installed at John Taylor Park, 200 N. 7th Street. Community volunteers helped install the playground equipment on October 24, and are returning on November 9 to lay mulch and ready the playground for its official opening. The playground’s dedication is planned for Friday, November 9, at 11:30AM in time for children to enjoy it during the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

Code Enforcement update: 929 Holiday Dr

A public hearing regarding the property at 929 Holiday Dr was previously scheduled for the November 13, 2012, City Commission meeting. Since the setting of the public hearing date, enough work has been completed at the property to warrant cancellation of the public hearing, and continuation of code enforcement efforts at city staff level. Please see the memo for more information.

 

October sales tax distribution

The City of Lawrence recently received its October sales tax distribution. The distribution is the result of retail sales from mid-August to mid-September. The distribution of $2,910,261.42 is nearly $140,000 more 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.

 

2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts

In September 2012, the Metropolitan Planning Organization staff concluded the 2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts as part of the annual submission to the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project (NBPDP). This is the fourth year participating in the project. The count would not have been possible without the help of 25 volunteers from our community. Please see the attached memo for more information.