A downtown homeless shelter will be allowed to stay open and expand but Lawrence city commissioners Tuesday said they would closely monitor its operations after hearing complaints from area businesses and residents.

City commissioners at their weekly meeting approved a one-year use permit for the Lawrence Open Shelter, 944 Ky., and agreed to let it expand into adjacent office space that would allow the shelter to increase the number of people it serves nightly from 20 to 30 people.

Shelter organizers, though, had requested a five-year use permit. Commissioners balked after hearing concerns that the shelter, which opened in December 2003, had created new problems because it allows homeless people who are drunk to stay without enrolling in a rehabilitation program.

Businesses and neighbors said since the shelter opened there had been an increase in the number of homeless residents panhandling or creating disturbances downtown.

Loring Henderson, shelter director, said he believed the shelter was working hard to be a good neighbor, noting that it had become active in the Oread Neighborhood Assn. He said he believed many of the concerns businesses and neighbors had were related more to the overall problem of homelessness than to the shelter. “And as far as being afraid to go downtown at night, it seems from stories in the newspaper there are as many problems with college students as there are with homeless people,” he said.

Left turns banned off 23rd Street

A proposal to prohibit left turns during afternoon rush hour traffic off of 23rd Street onto six different side streets was unanimously approved by city commissioners.

The new regulations will prohibit left hand turns from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 23rd Street onto the following side streets: Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island streets and Learnard Avenue.

The new regulations will take effect as soon as city crews are able to install signs alerting motorists of the rules. City commissioners asked for a report from staff on how the idea is working within four months. Commissioners also directed the city’s Traffic Safety Commission to look at the feasibility of establishing a left-hand turn lane at 23rd and Vermont streets.

Bonuses approved for city employees

Lawrence city commissioners Tuesday approved $333,903 in longevity bonuses for city employees.

At their weekly meeting, commissioners unanimously agreed to award bonuses to 482 city employees who have more than five years of service with the city.

The bonus amounts to $48 per year for each year the employee has consecutively worked for the city. The special payment will be made to employees on Dec. 23.

Sculpture commissioned for sesquicentennial

Commissioners approved a $50,000 contract with Lawrence artist Stephen Johnson to create a sculpture for the southwest corner of Sixth and Massachusetts streets.

The sculpture is part of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration. Johnson, who also has created artwork for the Lied Center and Lawrence Memorial Hospital, was selected from 62 proposals the Lawrence Arts Commission received earlier this year.

The 10-foot-tall sculpture will take the word “flame” and rearrange its letters in a manner to resemble a flame. A public unveiling of the sculpture is planned for April 30.