A permit for a cellular telephone tower in West Lawrence and the renewal of the operating permit for the Lawrence Community Shelter downtown are among the items the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission will deal with this week.

The Planning Commission will hear a request for a 150-foot tower to be constructed on city property near the Clinton Water Treatment Plant at 2101 Wakarusa Drive. The site – just east of Lake Alvamar – was approved for a tower in 2004, but the tower was not constructed before the permit expired.

Planning commissioners will hear the tower request at their 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday at City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets.

At the following meeting, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, planning commissioners will consider granting a one-year extension of the operating permit for the Lawrence Community Shelter, 214 W. 10th St.

Planning staff members are recommending approval of the one-year extension but say the shelter needs to accomplish several tasks over the next year. Those include hiring six new staff members, including a paid security guard to monitor the building; the completion of an annual report detailing all police activity at the shelter; and a report showing progress on efforts to find a new location for the shelter.