photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Phase 1 of Lawrence's new Municipal Services and Operations Campus is pictured on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.

Though Lawrence’s new public works and utilities campus is normally closed to the public, residents can get an inside look at an open house next week.

The city in a news release on Tuesday announced that the Municipal Services and Operations campus, 1840 O’Connell Road, will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, for a ribbon cutting and open house. City leaders, including Mayor Brad Finkeldei, will be there to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the project.

“Community members will be invited to explore the facility, meet City staff and learn more about the work that happens every day to maintain Lawrence streets, water and wastewater systems, stormwater infrastructure, traffic operations, street maintenance, environmental regulations, and other essential City services,” the release said.

As the Journal-World reported, about 180 employees have already moved into Phase 1 of the $130 million campus project. Phase 2, which will house solid waste operations and the city’s central vehicle maintenance garage, is under construction now and is expected to be finished by fall 2027.

The campus is replacing a hodgepodge of aging buildings spread out across multiple sites across the city, and is also moving many parts of the MSO department’s operations so that they’re not located in a floodway. It’s also located on the former Farmland Industries fertilizer plant, and city staff has said it is designed to serve as a cap for limiting infiltration of rainfall into contaminated soil there.