CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Week ending August 23, 2013
KDOT sets bid date for completion of K-10 and 31st Street
The Kansas Department of Transportation has started formal advertising and set a bid date of September 18, 2013 for the completion of K-10 (South Lawrence Trafficway) and the related project of building 31st Street between Haskell and O’Connell (the City is financially participating in the 31st Street project). A number of City departments have been involved in K-10 related items, including utility relocation and infrastructure coordination. Several city staff members will attend the mandatory pre-bid meeting on September 3.
Planning and Development Services Hosts Educational Series
The City of Lawrence has embarked on an informational series to educate development and design professionals about the more common issues associated with development and redevelopment in Lawrence. The first session, held on April 26, discussed fire code issues for different types of uses, focusing on the downtown area. The second session is on Friday, August 23 at noon, and Senior Plans Examiner Adrian Jones will lead a discussion titled “Tips for Tenant Finishes”, covering common land use, building code, and permit processing requirements as they relate to completing tenant finishes for existing and new uses in existing commercial strip buildings.
CDBG Neighborhood Reporting
Community Development Division (CDD) Staff has created, with input from the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC), new reporting requirements for neighborhood associations funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Neighborhoods will now submit quarterly reports to the CDD on a template form which mirrors the CDBG-funded neighborhood requirements set forth in the Citizen Participation Plan. The report will ask information such as neighborhood meeting dates, method of neighborhood notification of the meeting, neighborhood activities, and if the neighborhood has any change in its officers. Neighborhood Associations will also have an optional section where additional information can be reported such as best practices or challenges. Staff sees this as a way to ensure neighborhoods are following the Citizen Participation Plan guidelines, as well as giving the CDAC a comparable report format to review while deliberating funding applications on a yearly basis. Implementation of the new reporting format will begin with the 2013 Program Year which started August 1.