Bottom line

City commissioners will consider approving a $24,000 contract with a Maryland-based consulting firm to study how the city can boost economic development efforts by improving the city’s broadband services and related technology.

Background

The company, CTC Technology & Energy, has worked on similar studies for Urbana and Champaign, Ill., and the University of Illinois. It also is working on a study for the state of Kansas. In a letter to the city, CTC said many of its projects “focus on public sector strategies to enhance economic development and increase broadband competition by lowering barriers to entry for private sector providers.” The report is expected to take about six weeks to complete.

Consent agenda

•Receive minutes from various boards and commissions:

• Approve all claims.  

• Bid and purchase items:

a.) Set bid opening date of 03/12/13 for the 2013 district mowing contracts.  

b.) Approve sale of surplus equipment on Gov Deals.  

c.) Award bid for the Pennsylvania Street, 8th to 9th Streets, Brick Street Reconstruction, and 9th Street, Pennsylvania to Delaware Streets, Concrete Reconstruction, Project No. PW1220, Bid No. B1303, to R. D. Johnson Excavating Company, Inc., for a total amount of $608,964.18, provided the contractor can meet the terms established in the contract documents.  

d.) Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with KanRen for a one-year contract for $22,800.00 for 100MB bi-directional Internet services for the City of Lawrence.  

• Adopt Resolution No. 7017, establishing a cultural district task force.  

• Approve a temporary use of public right-of-way permit for the closure of Massachusetts Street from 11th Street to 13th Street from 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, 2013, for the Rev it Up Hot Rod Hullaballoo, as well as the use of parking along North Park Street and New Hampshire Street adjacent to South Park.  

1. Authorize the City Manager to execute a First Amendment to Agreement with Sprint Communications Company, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, allowing Sprint to maintain existing fiber optic cables and facilities located underground in the City's right of way through December 31, 2023, for a one-time payment of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000), all in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and First Amendment to Agreement.  

• Authorize staff to finalize a scope of services with CTC Technology & Energy, to complete a report about community technology infrastructure conditions, needs, and possible future actions for consideration, in an amount not to exceed $24,000.  

• Approve submitting a letter of interest on behalf of the City of Lawrence, the Lawrence Arts Center and Callahan Creek to the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission’s Creative Economy Project Support program due March 6, 2013 requesting grant assistance in the amount of $75,000 to support the development of a cultural plan for Lawrence and the development and production of marketing materials to support the Cultural District and the recommendations supported in the cultural plan.  

• Receive city manager’s report.

Regular agenda

• Consider a request from the Lawrence Farmers Market to use parking stalls in city parking lot #8 (west side of 800 block of New Hampshire) and/or adjacent public right-of-way for the Tuesday markets.  

• Consider authorizing the Mayor to execute an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for the 9th Street, Tennessee Street to Kentucky Street improvements and consider adopting on first reading, Ordinance No. 8815, removing street parking on the south side of 9th Street, between Tennessee and Kentucky Streets.  

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