Bottomline

Lawrence city commissioners will consider authorizing staff to start negotiations with Kansas City-based el dorado inc. to serve as the lead design team for the proposed Ninth Street Corridor project.

Background

The Ninth Street project proposes to rebuild Ninth Street east of Massachusetts Street and convert it into a unique arts corridor. El dorado would serve as the group that reaches out to community stakeholders and then creates an overall concept and design for the project. City officials still need to negotiate a fee for the work.

Consent agenda

• Approve City Commission meeting minutes from 11/11/14.

• Approve all claims. The list of approved claims will be posted to the agenda the day after the City Commission meeting.

• Approve licenses as recommended by the City Clerk’s Office.    

• Bid and purchase items:

a) Award the bid for the lease for five backhoes (three for Street Division and two to the Utilities Department) to Murphy Tractor Co., for a total of $175,896.  

• Adopt on second and final reading the following ordinances:

a) Ordinance No. 9052, designating 1100 Massachusetts St., the Douglas County Courthouse, as a Landmark on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places.

b) Ordinance No. 9053, authorizing the issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds for the HERE @ Kansas, LLC project (11th and Indiana).

• Approve the following items related to planned city trail projects: 

a) Authorize the City Manager to sign funding agreements and begin the bidding process as outlined by the Sunflower Foundation Community Trails Grant for construction of the Burcham Park River Trail.  

b) Authorize the City Manager to sign an agreement with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism Recreational Trails Program to provide grant funding for the .7-mile trail along the Baldwin Creek pedestrian easement.  

c) Accept Kansas Department of Transportation grant award for the Haskell Rail Trail between 23rd and 29th streets. The total cost of the project is $189,575.35, with the city responsible for 20 percent, or $39,900.  

• Approve Fire/Medical Department Policy on Service to Lawrence and Grant Township During Restricted Access.  

• Receive city manager’s report.

Regular agenda

• Consider adopting on first reading, Ordinance No. 9041, amending STO 85(b) to include a prohibition against stopping, standing, or parking in marked bicycle lanes.

• Consider a request to rezone, Z-14-00300, approximately 0.8 acres from RSO (Single-Dwelling Residential-Office) District to CN2 (Neighborhood Commercial Center) District, located at 4101 W. 6th Street.

• Consider authorizing staff to begin negotiations on a scope and fee with the design team of el dorado inc., for the 9th Street Corridor Project.  

• Consider the following items related to Rock Chalk Park:      

a) Authorizing payment to RCP, LLC, in the amount of $10,427,604 for infrastructure costs, withholding $25,000 until punch list items are completed.   

b) Authorizing payment to RCP, LLC, for costs exceeding the total city infrastructure cost, in the amount of $1,000,000 from The Assist Foundation’s donation.

c) Authorize the Mayor to execute a trail easement agreement with RCP, LLC for the 19.2 acres of property northwest of City-owned property at Rock Chalk Park.    

• Consider approving change orders for B.A. Green, in the amount of $690,983, and change order for Gould Evans Architects, in the amount of $67,653.84, and consider authorizing final payments to B.A. Green and Gould Evans Architects, upon successful completion of the punch-list items.  

• Consider authorizing placement of the unspent contingency funds from the $18 million bond issuance of $52,041 in the City’s capital improvement reserve fund, allocated for future library maintenance needs.     

• Consider authorizing staff to solicit Qualifications/Proposals for the engineering design and construction plans for the Kasold Drive (Bob Billings Parkway to 6th Street) reconstruction project and consider accepting Federal-Aid Highway Safety Improvement Program Funds for the intersection of Kasold Drive and Harvard Drive.