Robinson said his company has produced similar events in about 10 other cities this year. It involves what is commonly known as a Slip-N-Slide but one that is 1,000 feet long and requires significantly more water.

The event is scheduled for Aug. 8 and 9.

He said he initially proposed doing it on George Williams Way, south of Sixth Street, a residential area that would be closer to where more children live. He also said the equipment requires a certain amount of downhill slope to take participants all the way down the slide.

But residents of that area, many of whom said they received official notice of the proposal only a few days ago, said that the original idea presented a host of potential logistical problems such as traffic congestion, parking problems, and the likelihood that visitors would try to walk between houses, through private yards, as they come and go from the event.

James Frank, who lives in the neighborhood, said many homes in that area have restrictive covenants that prohibit them from installing fences.

“I can see people cutting through yards to get to the event,” he said. “There is a public safety issue.”

Several residents had come to the meeting to express support or opposition to the proposal. But the opposition quickly faded once it became apparent that all five commissioners favored moving the event to the north, between Sixth Street and Rock Chalk Park Drive.

Residents on both sides of the issue also agreed that there was insufficient notice about the proposal. And even Robinson said that other cities where his company has produced events have more stringent notice requirements.

Mayor Jeremy Farmer apologized to those residents saying, “This was kind of sprung on you,” and said the City Commission would review the city’s notice requirements in the near future.

Sign ordinance

Also Tuesday, commissioners voted down a request from city staff to draft amendments to the city’s sign ordinance that would have allowed permanent signs around the Lawrence Sports Pavilion for corporate sponsors of that facility.

Officials said they are pursuing corporate sponsors, and the proposal would have allowed them to place signs both inside the facility and on its exterior. They were also considering suggestions to allow banners to be affixed to light poles in the parking area.

But the ideas being suggested did not comply with the city’s existing sign code, and officials were asking permission to draft amendments to the code as it applies to general public facilities.

That proposal failed on a 2-3 vote. Commissioners Stuart Boley, Matthew Herbert and Leslie Soden voted against it. Farmer and Commissioner Mike Amyx voted yes.

The three opponents, however, were divided in their reasons. Soden said she opposed the idea of signs on the building, while Herbert said he opposed giving city government more latitude on signage than it gives private businesses. He also questioned why the city has a sign ordinance in the first place.

In other business, the commission:

• Received a report from City Auditor Michael Eglinski on key financial indicators for city government and economic indicators for the city at large.

• And received a presentation on the results of a survey of Lawrence residents gauging their satisfaction with city services.

City Government