Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Parks & Recreation Department

TO:	Diane Stoddard, Interim City Manager
CC:	Casey Toomay, Assistant City Manager Ernie Shaw, Interim Director, Parks & Recreation Toni Wheeler, City Attorney
FROM:	Mark Hecker, Assistant Director, Parks and Recreation
DATE:	July 14, 2015
RE:	Baldwin Creek Trail Alignment – Pedestrian Easements

Over the past two months, Parks and Recreation staff have worked with CFS Engineers to delineate possible routes for the new Baldwin Creek Trail. Through this process, our team has met with adjoining property owners to discuss proposed alignment options.

The primary topic of conversation has been the location of the existing pedestrian easement. This easement was acquired in 2008 as part of a sanitary sewer project. This route crosses Baldwin Creek five times and crosses through the middle of some large grass fields that the adjoining property owners are interested in maintaining.  To-date, all concerned feel that the proposed trail might be better situated on property slightly outside of the existing easements. This would help to minimize the number of creek crossings and would move the trail to the tree lines that naturally divide the properties.  The attached map shows a solid line for the existing pedestrian easement and a dashed line for the preferred alignment. Initial conversations with property owners indicate a willingness, and desire, to relocate the existing pedestrian easement to the preferred location (dashed line).  

To facilitate this action, Parks and Recreation staff would work with CFS Engineering and the City Legal staff to draft the necessary documents to relocate the easement.    

The existing sanitary sewer and utility easement will be maintained.  Staff is requesting authorization to initiate the vacation process for the pedestrian and greenspace easement along its current alignment on two tracts (Rebecca J. Finney property and Compton Farms, LLC) and to acquire a new pedestrian and greenspace easement along the proposed alignment on these two properties.

Action Requested

Authorize staff to initiate the vacation process of the existing pedestrian and greenspace easement on two tracts and work with the property owners to establish new easements that better facilitate the installation of the Baldwin Creek Trail.