Lawrence city commissioners told city staff members Tuesday that their suggestions on how to deal with some local homeless residents were too harsh.

Staff members had suggested that clients at the Lawrence Community Shelter be restricted to a back patio area to cut down on complaints about loitering.

“It cannot be enforced,” Commissioner Mike Amyx told staff members. “There’s no way.”

Instead, the commission asked the shelter to work with neighbors – including members of neighborhood associations – to reach an agreement on how and when residents could spend time outside the shelter at 944 Ky.

Under the commission’s proposal, the shelter will have 60 days to return to the commission with a plan that both the shelter’s directors and neighbors can agree on.

Ideally, the two sides would reach a “good neighbor agreement,” where each side agrees to meet a certain set of criteria – for example, that people can only sit on the lawn outside the building during certain hours.

The suggestion came from members of the Community Commission on Homelessness, who drafted a proposal at the city’s request in response to the community complaints.

“This has been an emotional issue, and you’re trying to make a decision on a procedure,” said Sara Taliaferro, a member of the homeless commission. “I believe what we’re offering is option three.”

But some shelter advocates and volunteers thought that was easier said than done.

“There seems to be a lot of miscommunication between the shelter and the surrounding community,” Lawrence Community Shelter Chairman Don Huggins told the commission.

Huggins said that in his time volunteering at the shelter, he had never heard an actual complaint from the community and that some of the stories people had told the commission about the shelter might not be entirely true.

But neighbors and commissioners said complaints had been made about loitering outside of the shelter for years, with little result.

“They failed to do so,” neighbor Brandy Sutton said about the shelter curbing loitering. “I think they have had five-plus years to address that.”

Mayor Boog Highberger said that even though he considered many Lawrence shelter residents friends, the complaints had been coming in for too long.

“Something has to be done here,” he said.

Now, the shelter and neighbors have two months to find some middle ground between keeping people in a confined space in the back of the shelter and appeasing the ongoing concerns of those living and working in the area.

If not, Commissioner Sue Hack said, the city may fall back on the stricter recommendations. “I don’t think the commission has a whole lot of choice if you can’t come up with another plan,” she said.

Wastewater concerns limit construction plans

A zoning proposal for a plot of land in northwest Lawrence again raised concerns about the amount of wastewater the city’s sewer system can handle.

The city approved the first phase of construction on a plot of land near West Sixth Street and Queens Road that will have duplexes and single-family homes. But the full development would have required more than twice the allotted sewer pump capacity of the nearest pump station.

So the commission decided to approve the first phase of the development, putting the rest on hold until Black & Veatch completes its sewer study of the area in May.

Architects to seek proposals for library

At their meeting Tuesday, city commissioners gave the architecture firm of Gould Evans approval to gather ideas for a new downtown library.

The firm will seek public and private proposals for the construction and operation of a new library, including suggestions for size, function and parking.

The city expects to get at least three or four proposals with funding options ranging from private cash to a tax increment financing district, but will include public funding in some way.

The proposals are due back in May. Then, the city will weigh options and eventually solicit bids for the project.

Any possible combination of funding options likely will require a public vote.

Bert Nash gets contract for homeless outreach

The commission approved a new agreement with Bert Nash Mental Health Center to provide homeless outreach services for the city.

The contract totaled $160,000, and will provide full- and part-time staff to work with the city to help stretch homeless resources throughout Lawrence.

The outreach agents will work at agencies throughout the city, and will have weekly case conferences with agencies to decrease the duplication of services.