Although they continue to protest U.S. Census reports that Lawrence’s growth is slowing or even grinding to a halt, city officials are showing some caution when it comes to planning public facilities to serve a growing community.

On Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider the “timing and scope” of various sanitary sewer projects, including the new Wakarusa Water Reclamation Facility that is slated for construction south of the Wakarusa River. In a memo to commissioners, City Manager David Corliss injects a note of caution, specifically on the Wakarusa plant:

“Because of a recent slow down in growth, the sizing of certain facilities may need to be altered along with the timing of when these facilities will be in place,” he wrote. Although the city is “well positioned” to proceed with final design and construction of the Wakarusa plant, he continued, “construction of the facility beginning in 2008 may not be in the best interests of the city if neither the growth nor the rate base is present to support the facility.”

Corliss hastens to add, “The WWRF should be built – the question is one of timing :”

If Census data is correct, that time could be further off than officials had thought. Corliss notes that the city’s current wastewater treatment facility is sufficient for a population of 100,000. With a 1 percent growth rate, Lawrence’s population won’t exceed 100,000 until about 2017.

In other words, even though we will need the Wakarusa plant eventually, it appears there is no reason to rush – although officials should consider that the cost of the project is likely to rise if it is delayed.

Lawrence wants to be ready for future growth, but it’s also reasonable not to get too far ahead of ourselves. Local taxpayers already are feeling the pinch of additional revenue needs for street improvements and other city services. There’s no reason to add the burden of financing the new sewage treatment plant prematurely.

In the meantime, Corliss said, city staff can refine planning for sewer improvements and proceed with some other, small projects.

Although some local residents or developers may be disappointed that population projections for our area don’t justify a faster timetable for the Wakarusa plant, taking some time to reconsider the schedule and scale of that project seems like a prudent approach.