The Flame - February 2008

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help recognize an excellent educator?
Lawrence students, parents and teachers can nominate an educator for the 2008 Mayor’s Excellence in Education Award. Applications are available online at lawrenceks.org or in the City Manager’s Office on the 4th Floor of City Hall.
Where do I learn about winter activities sponsored by the City?
Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide range of in-door activities and classes. Learn about available schedules and costs at: lprd.org or call (785) 832-3450

City's Holiday Drives Help Those in Need

The City of Lawrence partnered with nonprofit agencies to collect food and toys during last year’s holiday season for area families in need. The programs were a success!
CANNED FOOD DRIVE
On December 20th, Lawrence Public Transit provided a free pass to any rider making a donation of a non-perishable food item. Over 300 items were collected and provided to Just Food, a joint organization that serves three local food pantries.
An additional 280 food items for the Ballard Community Center and $367 for the Lawrence Community Center were collected at the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center which offered a $1 admission with a food donation.
“There is a great need after the holidays, when our supplies have been depleted,” said Anna with Just Food. “This should go a long way toward helping those in our community who need it.”
HOLIDAY TOYS FOR AREA CHILDREN
Over 250 new and used toys were collected for children - infants to age 17 - at Lawrence Parks and Recreation facilities.
Lawrence Parks and Recreation worked with The Shelter, Inc., which helps children find foster care homes, adoption services and emergency residential care. Toys were distributed during December.

2007 Street Maintenance Program Delivers Improvements

New techniques have allowed Public Works to improve street conditions and longevity in a cost-effective manner for Lawrence taxpayers.
- Chuck Soules, Director of Public Works

Work has finished on the City’s 2007 pavement maintenance program. Traditional mill and overlay resurfacing and new techniques like microsurfacing allowed Lawrence Public Works to maintain 40 percent more lane miles than last year, and helped contribute to budget savings.
Without regular upkeep, pavement conditions decline. Street wear and tear is caused by heat, rain, freezing temperatures and automotive traffic.
Completely replacing existing streets is costly. Regular maintenance helps restore structural capacity, improve skid resistance, improve drainage and improve the overall ride quality of a street.
A street’s pavement condition index rating can be expected to decline by 3.2% a year for residential streets, 5.6% for arterial streets, and 6.3% for collector streets.
Concerns regarding Lawrence streets, most notably the need for street improvement was highlighted in the 2007 Citizens’ Survey.
The City has worked to extend the life of streets by pursuing lower-cost preventative measures. In 2007, the program resurfaced 41.6 lane miles - 16 miles more than the previous year - and replaced or repaired 6.6 miles of curbs and gutters.
The City uses several types of pavement maintenance techniques including:

• Cracksealing: sealant is applied directly to cracks in the pavement.
• Mill and Overlay: the top 2 inches of asphalt is removed and replaced with new asphalt, and
• Microsurfacing: a layer of polymer-modified asphalt and aggregate mixture is applied directly to pavement to protect pavement and provide a skid-resistant wearing surface.

• 4th Street construction between Maine and Michigan in association with the Lawrence Memorial Hospital expansion.
• Repairing concrete pavement, and
• Surfacing and repairs to the Lawrence Municipal Airport taxiway in cooperation with the University of Kansas.

2007 Pavement Maintenance Plan