photo by: Nick Krug

Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., is pictured on May 3, 2016.

City of Lawrence leaders will soon get their first look at the more than $445 million in projects included in the city’s proposed capital project list for the next five years, including close to $100 million in projects proposed for next year.

As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will receive the 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Plan recommended by city management and provide direction to staff about potential changes. The CIP includes all the proposed projects and purchases that exceed $100,000, as well as the city’s vehicle and equipment replacement plan and maintenance plan.

The plan totals $99.5 million for 2022 and $445.3 million for the full five-year period. An updated version of the five-year plan will eventually be considered as part of the city’s budget process this summer, and the funding allocated to projects in 2022 later approved as part of next year’s budget.

The recommended plan for 2022 includes several multimillion-dollar projects, including $7.9 million for improvements at the Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant, $5.25 million for environmental cleanup at the former Farmland nitrogen fertilizer plant, $6 million for work on a portion of Wakarusa Drive and $6 million for a city bus station. Unfunded projects include $500,000 for an indoor firing range for police, $1 million toward a future fire station, and $800,000 toward an expansion of the Holcom Park Recreation Center. The full draft CIP is available in the commission’s agenda materials.

City staff used prioritization guidelines approved by the commission to rank potential projects to decide which projects should be included and for what year. The recommended CIP will be changed based on the feedback provided by the commission as part of its meeting Tuesday, and an updated version of the draft will come back to the commission as part of its consideration and ultimate approval of the 2022 budget. The CIP will also be presented to the Planning Commission to ensure that it aligns with the community’s comprehensive plan.

The City Commission will convene virtually at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday with limited staff in place at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. Residents can participate in the meeting in person or virtually. A link to register for the Zoom meeting and directions to submit written public comment are included in the agenda that is available on the city’s website, lawrenceks.org.