Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

 

TO:     City Commissioners

 

CC:     Diane Stoddard, Interim City Manager

 

FROM: Porter Arneill, Director of Arts and Culture

 

DATE:  June 17, 2015

 

RE:  East Ninth Street Corridor Project – East Ninth Work Plan Draft

 

 

 

Background

The Lawrence Arts Center received a prestigious ArtPlace grant award in 2014 for the infusion of art into a streetscape project along east 9th Street, from Delaware to Massachusetts, which will make the corridor more walkable and bicycle-friendly.

Project Description

Project Area: The seven block area of east 9th Street―from Massachusetts Street to Delaware Street. This area is an important connection between historic Downtown Lawrence, the historic east Lawrence neighborhood, and the Industrial Historic District (commonly called the Warehouse Arts District). The area is also located in the city's Cultural District, an area with a high concentration of artistic, cultural, historic and natural amenities.

Design Firm: el dorado inc., a Kansas City-based urban design firm, was selected by the city to lead a design team consisting of lead artist Sans façon, engineering firm Bartlett & West, and landscape architecture firm Coen + Partners. Other members of the design team include Dennis Domer, East Lawrence historian, Luke Dubois, multi-media art technician, and Kelly Kindscher, indigenous landscape specialist. The design team will work with the City of Lawrence, the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association (ELNA), Downtown Lawrence, Inc. (DLI), the Lawrence Arts Center, the Citizen Advisory Committee established to assist with the guidance of the project, residents, business owners and other community stakeholders to create a design for the 9th Street Corridor.

Timeline – (Pages 9-16 in the East Ninth Work Plan Draft)

 

To Date:

•       June 2014 – Lawrence Arts Center received ArtPlace Grant

•       September 2014 - 9th St. Corridor Streetscape RFQ published

•       October  2014 - 9th St. Corridor Streetscape RFQ submittals

•       November  2014  – el dorado inc. and team selected

•       February 2015 – CAC membership framework established by City Commission

•       el dorado inc. contracted

•       Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) established by City Commission

•       CAC Meetings March (#1), April (#2), May (#3) and June (#4) – Work Plan Draft adopted by CAC June 3, 2015

•       Winter/Spring - Two neighborhood “walkabouts” and three public art workshops conducted

 

Future:

•       June 24, 2015 – Citizen Advisory Meeting #5

•       July 29, 2015 – Citizen Advisory Meeting #6

•       August 26, 2015 – Citizen Advisory Meeting #7

•       September 1, 2015 – Complete Street Document Due

•       September 15 – Complete Street Document Approval

•       September 16, 2015 - Begin Design Development

•       September 19, 2015 – Try It Out Public Art Presentation

•       October 28, 2015 – Citizen Advisory Meeting #8

•       November 25, 2015 – Citizen Advisory Meeting #9

•       December 1, 2015 – Design Development Due

•       December 15, 2015 - Design Development Approval

•       January 7, 2016 - Public Presentation, Design Development, Kick-Off for Technical Drawings Phase

 

Budget

Art Place Project Budget January 2015

$300,000              Arts Center for Art Components of the Project

$50,000                Arts Center toward design

$200,000              2015 Capital Improvements Program- City of Lawrence-toward design

$2.75 M                2016 Capital Improvements Program- City of Lawrence-toward construction

Total:  $3.3 M       For design, art components, and construction

 

Staff Recommendation

City staff recommends that the City Commission accept the East Ninth Draft Work Plan.  This will enable the project to proceed to conceptual design and further review by the Citizen Advisory Committee and the City Commission. 

 

Action

Accept work plan draft, as appropriate.

9th Street Corridor Citizen Advisory Committee

The Citizen Advisory Committee is a broad-based representative group of stakeholders who serve as a sounding board for the project with the design team and city staff.

 

City Representative:

·         Mike Amyx, City Commission, Citizen Advisory Committee Chair 

East Lawrence Neighborhood (ELNA) Representatives:

·         Phil Collison

·         Dave Loewenstein

·         John Sebelius

City-at-large Representatives:

·         Burdett Loomis

·         Reverend Verdell Taylor

·         Margene Swarts

Downtown Lawrence, Inc. Representative:

·         Emily Peterson

Warehouse Arts District Area Representative:

·         Tom Larkin

Lawrence Arts Center Representatives:

·         Tom Carmody

·         Ben Ahlvers

Business Representatives:

·         Marcia Hill

·         Will Ogle

Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission Representative:

·         Katherine Simmons

LiveWell Lawrence Healthy Built Environment Workgroup Representative:

·         Tim Herndon

Design Team Contact:

·         Josh Shelton

City Staff Contacts:

·         Diane Stoddard, Interim City Manager

·         David Cronin, City Engineer

·         Chuck Soules, Director of Public Works

·         Porter Arneill, Director of Arts and Culture