WRITER: Bremen Keasey

As Lawrence leaders explore adding fees for rec centers, city staff hopes to build trust with the public through 'pop-up' engagement events

Amid the squeak of sneakers from basketball games at Sports Pavilion Lawrence on Thursday night, Lawrence city staff were hearing from dozens of speakers who had turned out to share their opinions about the city's proposed entry fees for recreation centers. The conversation was a “pop-up” event hosted by Cori Wallace, the city’s communications director, and Millie Pageau, a community engagement ...

Lawrence city commissioners to provide feedback on five-year Capital Improvement Plan

Lawrence city commissioners will get a first glance Tuesday night at the city's proposed five-year Capital Improvement Plan, a key first step in developing the city’s budget for next year. Commissioners will be asked to provide feedback about the CIP, which acts as a blueprint for sustaining and improving community infrastructure. It includes specific projects that exceed $100,000 and either create a new ...

Lawrence-based National Heritage Area group to relocate from Carnegie Building to Watkins Museum; it cites uncertainty about federal funds

The ability of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area to open up its interpretive displays at the Carnegie Building in downtown Lawrence in 2011 helped change the organization. “When they opened to the public, we were no longer just an industry-facing group, but a public-facing one,” Johnny Szlauderbach, the director of communications and projects for the FFNHA, said. Those displays at the Carnegie ...

Public health leaders tell Lawrence City Commission the county's new Health Improvement Plan will help achieve city's other strategic goals

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health's five-year plan isn't just about hospitals and clinics, the department's leaders told the Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday — it's about some of the city's top policy priorities, like adding affordable housing and reducing chronic homelessness. On Tuesday, the City Commission heard an update on LDCPH's Community Health Improvement Plan, which was released last October ...

Lawrence City Commission to consider adopting action plan for around $1.5 million in HUD grants

The Lawrence City Commission will consider adopting an action plan required for spending around $1.5 million in federal grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city is expected to receive an allocation of $1,224,058.61 in Federal grants from the HUD’s Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships Program, with the funds being allocated for initiatives ...

As energy gets more expensive in Lawrence, a KU researcher wants new ways to make tenants more aware of the costs

Come summertime in Lawrence, it's no surprise to hear the hum of air conditioning units turning on to beat the heat. But what might be a surprise to some residents is the electric bill they're paying for it — and one KU researcher thinks there's a way the city could help make people more aware. As the Journal-World has reported, energy costs have been on the rise recently in Lawrence and the surrounding area. ...