CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

Week ending May 15, 2015

37.7 Tons of Electronics Recycled at Spring Event

806 vehicles dropped off a total of 75,386 pounds (equivalent to 37.7 tons) of electronic equipment at this year’s spring Electronic Recycling Event hosted by the City of Lawrence Solid Waste Division. The event was held on Saturday, May 2^nd from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the KU Park & Ride east parking lot. Electronic recycling was provided by Midwest Recycling Center (MRC). See attached report for more information.

April 2015 Monthly Permit Reports

The Building Safety Division issued 177 building permits in April, with total construction for the month valued at $8,026,146. Total permit fees assessed for the month were $67,439. Permits were issued for 11 new residential projects, all of which were for single-family dwellings. Report Monthly Summary Year to Date Summary

New Bus Service to Technical Training Facilities at 31^st and Haskell

A new bus route will begin service on May 18, serving several technical training facilities under development at 31st and Haskell Streets. Route 15 will offer hourly service between downtown, 31st and Haskell, and East Hills Business Park.

Technical training facilities at 31st and Haskell will include:

Lawrence Workforce Center, which is now open.
Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, which will open in August.
Lawrence Unified School District’s new College and Career Center, which also plans to open for training in August.

This new route improves the connection between downtown and East Hills Business Park, while providing direct service to the developing area at 31st and Haskell. With the addition of Route 15, the level of service to portions of East Lawrence and East Hills Business Park has doubled.

Training opportunities and job creation are vital to a strong community in Lawrence and Douglas County. By providing reliable transportation for job seekers and participants in training courses, Lawrence Transit is ensuring that people who want to improve their skills have access to the resources they need.

For those looking to take advantage of educational opportunities, affordable transportation fosters self-sustainability, promotes independence, and allows limited resources to be spent on other household essentials.

Bob Billings Parkway Watermain Replacement – UT1312

Department of Utilities, general contractor Westland Construction, and engineering design firm Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) have completed replacement of the watermain on Bob Billings Parkway from George Williams Way to Bobwhite Drive as shown on the attached map. The project included the replacement of approximately 2,100 lineal feet of 12” ductile iron waterline originally installed in 1997 with 12” PVC pipe. The existing 12” ductile iron waterline experienced numerous failures due to the highly corrosive soils present in this area coupled with the fact that the watermain was installed without protective measures against corrosion. In fact, there were three failures with the existing waterline during construction of the new waterline. The new PVC waterline was installed utilizing open cut excavation and horizontal directional drilling in order to minimize the impact of construction activities on affected residents and property owners.

Westland Construction was given notice to proceed on November 19, 2014 with a total of 150 calendar days allotted to attain final completion. Change Order #1 added 15 days to the contract time. The new waterline is in service and the project was substantially complete within the contractual timeframe. Final completion was May 3, 2015.

The project was awarded to Westland Construction in the amount of $396,889.00. Change orders totaling $105,196.00 were executed for 1) relocation of 233 feet of 12” waterline at the intersection of Bob Billings Parkway and George Williams Way. The waterline relocation at the intersection was not in the original scope and was added to accommodate improvements at the intersection associated with the Public Works project scheduled to start in May 2015; 2) additional pavement between Goldleaf Place and Bobwhite Drive which was a result of field conditions found during construction that were not known during design; and 3) to account for final field quantity adjustments. The total construction cost was $502,085.00. Change order cost adjustments related to items that were part of the original project scope are 10.8% of the original contract amount. Change order cost adjustments related to the waterline relocation at Bob Billings Parkway and George Williams Way to accommodate improvements at the intersection associated with the Public Works project are 15.7% of the original contract amount. Design and construction phase engineering services were contracted with PEC as part of the ongoing Watermain Rehabilitation and Replacement Program in the amount of $63,742.00 for a total estimated project completion cost of $565,827.00.

Lawrence Avenue Watermain Replacement – UT1314

Department of Utilities, general contractor Schuetz Construction, and engineering design firm Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) have completed replacement of the watermain on Lawrence Avenue from 27^th Street to 31^st Street as shown on the attached map. The project included the replacement of approximately 2,960 lineal feet of 12” cast iron waterline originally installed in 1978 with 12” PVC pipe. The existing 12” cast iron waterline has experienced numerous failures, including two during construction of the new waterline. The new PVC waterline was installed utilizing horizontal directional drilling in order to minimize the impact of construction activities on affected residents and property owners.

Schuetz Construction was given notice to proceed on August 15, 2014 with a total of 240 calendar days allotted to attain final completion. The new waterline is in service and the project was substantially complete within the contractual timeframe. Final completion was April 12, 2015.

The project was awarded to Schuetz Construction in the amount of $581,785.00. Change orders totaling $58,124.50 were executed for 1) a new 12” TEAM InsertValve, which eliminated the need to shut off water service for a minimum of 8 hours to 34 homes; 2) to connect the existing 6” fire line to First Free Methodist Church of Lawrence directly to the new 12” waterline; and 3) to account for final field quantity adjustments for a total construction cost of $639,909.50. Change order cost adjustments related to items that were part of the original project scope are 3.9% of the original contract amount. Change order cost adjustments related to connecting the existing fire line directly to the new 12” waterline are 6.0% of the original contract amount. Design and construction phase engineering services were contracted with PEC as part of the ongoing Watermain Rehabilitation and Replacement Program in the amount of $77,615.00 for a total estimated project completion cost of $717,524.50.

City Social Media Summary – April 2015

The City Communications Office coordinates 8 city Facebook pages, 3 Twitter accounts and 1 Instagram account. As part of our efforts to set benchmarks for improvements in communications and social media usage, a monthly report is available for review which highlights the metrics we use to develop campaigns and best practices, top posts from the previous month, and a monthly summary of activity with observations about how we can apply changes to affect our current results.

2015 Helmet Fair

The wheeled sports safety program had another successful year at the annual Helmet Fair. Staff worked cooperatively with KU and hosted the fair alongside with the Spring football game on April 25, 2015. The helmet fair portion ran from 1100-100 PM and took place in lot 58. 308 helmets were fitted and given away during this time.