News Releases
News from the City of Lawrence for Friday, Oct. 17, 2008
(Sent: 2008-10-17 06:59:55)NEWS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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News from the City of Lawrence for Friday, Oct. 17, 2008
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Contact: Casey Toomay, Interim Public Transit Administrator, 832-3409
Danny Kaiser, Assistant Director, KU Parking & Transit, 864-7275
(Lawrence, KS) – At its Tuesday meeting, the Lawrence City Commission will receive an update from the team working on the plan to provide seamless public transportation service to the Lawrence community.
Made up of University of Kansas and city staff, the team has been working to assemble a plan for a public transportation system that serves the needs of both university students and Lawrence residents.
The update sets theoverall objective for development of an implementation plan for seamless service with a target date of July 1, 2009 for operations, taking into account meeting University and City needs and providing for the equitable allocation and efficient use of resources.
Also in the update is a list of discussion items covering topics such as governance, operations, planning and implementation.
In addition to the team’s update, the Commission will consider signing a letter of intent to formalize the city’s commitment to establishment of a coordinated, consolidated, or merged transit system. The letter of intent outlines the intention of both the city and KU to examine the potential for enhanced coordination, ranging from possible route sharing and other collaboration to a possible merger.
Key points of the letter include:
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The city and KU will further explore feasibility of coordinating transit systems with a goal of seamless service effective July 1, 2009;
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The letter is conditioned on both parties continuing to provide funding resources in the amount necessary to fund the existing level of service and fleet requirements, and Lawrence voters approving the sales tax proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot;
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Recognition that KU’s primary goal is the benefit of its students; and
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Acknowledgment that any agreement should address a number of operating factors and should provide for the ability to separate services if that outcome is necessary to provide appropriate service for either side’s constituents.
In the Nov. 4 election, Lawrence residents will vote on two sales tax proposals to fund the operation of the transit system beyond 2008. On the ballot are a 0.2 percent special sales tax for public transit operations and capital investment and a second sales tax of 0.05 percent, which is a special sales tax for public transit system enhancements.
Without the 0.2 percent sales tax revenue, the city will not have budgeted funds to operate the transit system in 2009. The failure of the sales tax would not allow the city to coordinate its transit system with KU's transit system.
The complete KU-City Transit Planning Team report is online at http://www.lawrenceks.org/web_based_agendas/2008/10-21-08/10-21-08h/ku_city_letter_intent_staff_memo.html
The full text of the letter of intent to be considered by the Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday, Oct. 21 is online at http://www.lawrenceks.org/web_based_agendas/2008/10-21-08/10-21-08h/letter_intent_ku_city.html .
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Contact: Amy Miller Brown, Long-Range Planner, (785) 832-3166
(LAWRENCE, Ks) - The Lawrence – Douglas County Planning Office, in conjunction with the Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plans Committee (CPC), has begun a process to draft a new chapter in Horizon 2020 concerning environmental issues. The chapter will address environmental issues from a land use perspective including water resources and habitat management. A website has been set up (http://www.lawrenceks.org/pds/H2020-Env) that contains the project timeline, meeting notes from each CPC meeting, and a draft outline. As the process progresses, other documents, including draft language, will be available on the website.
Planning staff is asking for public comments now, in the early stages of the project, concerning overarching goals to be addressed in the draft environmental chapter of Horizon 2020. The Planning Commission will hold a general discussion on the overall strategies and themes to be included in the chapter at its November 19, meeting at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 6 East 6th Street. Comments and questions can be directed to Amy Brown at (785) 832-3166, amybrown@ci.lawrence.ks.us, or P.O. Box 708, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Individuals may sign up to receive updates on the project, such as draft language updates and meeting dates announcements, at http://www.lawrenceks.org/subscriptions under the public meetings category.
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Contact: Lisa Patterson, communications manager, (785) 832-3406
(LAWRENCE, Ks) - Infrastructure improvement projects for the week of Oct. 20 are listed below.
Project: Ohio Street reconstruction
Traffic impacts:
Ohio Street, 600 block, closed to through traffic Seventh and Ohio streets intersection, closed to through traffic
Project: North 8th Street waterline
Traffic impacts:
North 8th Street waterline, Maple to Locust, local traffic
Project: Curb, Gutter and Overlay Program Phase 3
Traffic impacts:
Eldridge Lane, Overland Drive to the north, lane reductions
Eldridge Lane, 6th Street to Trail Road, lane reductions
Trail Road, Monterey Way to Folks Road, lane reductions
Arizona, 6th Street to 8th Street, lane reductions
Eighth Street, Kasold to Lawrence Avenue, lane reductions
University Drive, Crestline Drive east of Stratford Road, completed
Rockledge, 6th Street to McDonald Drive, lane reductions
Project: waterline replacement
Traffic impacts:
North Seventh, Grant to Lincoln, local traffic
Project: sidewalk ramps
Massachusetts, at 13th Street, completed
Bus Reroutes
Route 8 reroute
As construction continues at 12th and Indiana Streets, a reroute is necessary to avoid the area. When heading southbound, the bus travels behind the Kansas Union, but when heading northbound, it travels in front of the Kansas Union. Route 8 Southbound: Heading west on 9th street, the bus will turn south on Mississippi to Jayhawk Boulevard, turn west on Jayhawk Boulevard and back on route. Route 8 Northbound: Heading east on Jayhawk Boulevard to Oread, the bus will turn east on 12th Street to Louisiana, turn north on Louisiana to 11th Street, turn west on 11th to Indiana, turn north on Indiana and back on route.
For further assistance with trip planning, please call 312-7054.
Right of way uses
The following is an approved right of way use permit that may have traffic impacts.
Issued for: Oread Hotel Construction
Possible traffic impacts:
12th Street, west of Louisiana to Indiana, closed to westbound traffic Indiana, 12th Street to mid 1200 block, closed to traffic Oread Avenue, 13th Street to 12th street, closed to through traffic, local traffic permitted closures may last until spring 2009
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