To:          Lawrence City Commission

                Douglas County Commission

                Mr. David Corliss, Lawrence City Manager

                Mr. Craig Weinaug, County Administrator

From:    Hugh Carter, Vice President External Affairs, The Chamber of Lawrence

                On Behalf of the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, Inc.

Date:     March 17, 2015

Re:         Loan Request for Renovations to Accommodate the Lawrence Workforce Center

BACKGROUND

In December 2014, Heartland Works issued an RFP to relocate its Lawrence Workforce Center. The Lawrence Workforce Center serves as a single point of entry to a network of employment, training, and educational programs and providers in Douglas, Franklin, Jefferson, Atchison, Brown, Doniphan and Nemaha counties. The Center helps employers find skilled workers and helps career seekers access the tools needed to manage their careers through high-quality information and services.

Recognizing the synergies that would be created by locating the Lawrence Workforce Center on the same campus with the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center (Peaslee Center) and USD 497’s College and Career Center, the Peaslee Center submitted a proposal to Heartland Works for a five-year lease of 5,587 square feet of office space located at the west entrance to the Peaslee Center.

In January 2015, the board of Heartland Works selected the Peaslee Center as the new location for the Lawrence Workforce Center and authorized its CEO, David Brennan, to negotiate final details and sign the lease.

Renovation costs are expected to be approximately $275,000. A copy of the cost estimate from BA Green Construction is attached.

FUNDING REQUEST

The Peaslee Center respectfully requests a loan of up to $300,000 from the City and County to fund renovations to the Lawrence Workforce Center space. The term of the loan proposed is 10 years with an interest rate equal to the average return of idle City and County funds, plus 1%. 

Thank you very much for your consideration of this request and for all of your efforts to help us fill the technical training gap in our community.