A planned waterline replacement project along Massachusetts Street could begin before Kansas University commencement this spring.

The prospect of getting an early start on the project – work to replace aging water pipes beneath downtown’s main street, from Ninth to just past 11th Street – was among the updates presented Tuesday during the city’s Downtown Summit, conducted at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Among other topics and disclosures unveiled by David Corliss, city manager:

¢ If Lawrence city commissioners agree tonight to consolidate the city’s Department of Neighborhood Resources and the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Office, the combined office will remain downtown – just not at City Hall, which does not have room for expansion.

¢ Applications are being accepted by City Hall for grants to cover 75 percent of the cost of installing fire-suppression sprinklers in qualifying downtown buildings, using a $250,000 fund provided by the city.

¢ City staffers are looking into possibilities for installing bathrooms in a city parking lot in the 800 block of New Hampshire Street. The lot is home to Lawrence Farmers Market on Saturday mornings from late April to mid-November.