Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Work Department

TO:	Charles  Soules, Public Works Director
FROM:	Mark Thiel, Assistant Public Works Director
CC:	Tarik Khatib, Chief of Police Ernie Shaw, Interim Director of Parks and Recreation
DATE:	March 21, 2014
RE:	Earth Day Walk – Downtown

Please place this item on the April 8, 2014 City Commission meeting agenda.

Cassandra Ford has applied for a temporary use of public right-of-way permit for The Earth Day Walk on Saturday April 19, 2014. The walk would begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Massachusetts Street adjacent to South Park, with walkers staging on the street beginning at about 11:00 a.m. Participants would walk north in the northbound lane of Massachusetts Street to 7^th Street and then head west to Watson Park.

Staff is seeking City Commission approval of this event permit because the event will involve a rolling closure of the northbound lane of Massachusetts Street downtown from about 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Parking on Massachusetts Street would not be prohibited, although vehicles parked on the east side of Massachusetts Street would not be able to leave for a few minutes as walkers pass by. (See attached traffic management plan – prepared by the Lawrence Police Department). In addition, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Fire/Medical, Lawrence Transit, DLI and the Chamber have all reviewed this permit with no issues.

The police department has coordinated traffic control on this route for several previous events and has developed a plan that requires little to no police resources for traffic control.

ACTION:       Approve a temporary use of public right-of-way, event permit for use of Massachusetts Street, including the rolling closure of the northbound lane of Massachusetts Street downtown from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, April 19, 2014 for the Earth Day Parade.