City staff members are recommending the city spend millions over the next five years on street maintenance, accessibility and completing more segments of the Lawrence Loop.
They recommend against funding a permanent pavilion for the farmers market, a second outdoor aquatic center and many other projects.
Lawrence city commissioners will get a look at the next five-year capital improvement plan during their meeting Tuesday.
City staff members annually compile recommendations and estimated costs for projects valued at $100,000 or more over the next five years. This year’s proposed CIP covers 2027 – 2031.
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“The projected five-year cost to the CIP is nearly $408 million, with roughly $88 million anticipated to occur in 2027,” according to the agenda.
Commissioners are being asked for input on the plan Tuesday, but not for final decisions. That will come later in the budget process.
The following projects are among those that staff recommend for funding, listed with their estimated costs:
• About $2.5 million in sales tax revenue for the ADA right-of-way transition program in 2027, which aims to improve accessibility throughout the city; the plan recommends $14.9 million total over the next five years.
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• About $6.6 million for the street maintenance program in 2027, or $29.2 million over the next five years.
• A City Hall reconfiguration estimated at $12.5 million.
• The Lawrence Loop trail from Seventh Street to Constant Park, $1.6 million from state grants in 2027; however, city staff members do not recommend spending $500,000 from the city’s capital sales tax for the project.
• A Lawrence Loop extension, possibly $884,000 in 2028. “This project is intended to serve as a placeholder as other Loop alignments are evaluated,” according to the proposed plan. “The City has currently applied to a grant where, if awarded, these funds would be used as a match.”
• Watermain replacements and relocations: $4 million in 2027; $30.7 million over the next five years.
• Wakarusa biosolids management, for $12 million.
The following projects are among those that staff are not currently recommending for funding, listed with their estimated costs:
• A City Hall annex, $15 million. There’s not much information in this week’s meeting agenda about what this would entail or whether it would be new construction; however, the list of items Lawrence city commissioners will consider in the near future includes “Consider purchasing property at 609 New Hampshire and 630 Massachusetts streets for a City Hall Annex,” slated for the June 2 agenda.
• A permanent pavilion for the Lawrence Farmers Market, $5.9 million.
• A Real Time Operations Center that the Lawrence Police Department has sought to build, $1.6 million. Employees would “identify relevant camera locations, review live feeds, and relay critical information directly to responding officers” during calls for service. Real-time crime centers have raised concerns for digital rights advocates because they collect vast amounts of surveillance data with little public oversight.
• A seventh fire station, $16.5 million. The city and county are currently planning construction of Fire Station 6, slated for the northwestern corner of Sixth Street and Stoneridge Drive.
• A second outdoor aquatic center, $25.5 million.
• The agenda materials include information about 10 resident requests for CIP projects, none recommended for funding.
Meeting info
See the complete CIP agenda item at this link.
Lawrence city commissioners will meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 19 at Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
The commission accepts written public comment emailed to [email protected] until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually.
City commission meetings are no longer livestreamed on YouTube. In order to watch the meeting online remotely, attendees must join via Zoom at this link, which also allows participants to provide public comment virtually. Meeting recordings are uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel the next day.
See the commission’s complete meeting agenda at this link.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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