The City of Lawrence is currently in the design phase for a new Municipal Services & Operations (MSO) Campus, which will create new working headquarters for many City of Lawrence employees in the MSO Department. The campus will create a consolidated headquarters for staff and facilities. It will also optimize the use of facilities, functions and staff roles, as well as address storage and facility needs.
The City has identified the Farmland Remediation site on the east side of Lawrence as the location for the MSO Campus. The project is currently being designed and construction is expected to begin in 2024.
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- Consolidate municipal operations onto a single Campus.
Create a Master Plan for an efficient Campus environment, encouraging spaces shared by multiple Divisions. - Remediate the Farmland site through phased construction.
Develop a phasing strategy that allows for the site to be methodically remediated over time. - Improve working conditions and safety.
Conditions in some existing facilities do not meet current standards with regard to operation, ventilation, safety and flood mitigation. It is imperative that the staff that provide critical services are allowed to work in an efficient, safe facility. - Be a great neighbor.
The Farmland site is adjacent to a residential neighborhood. Carefully study impacts and design to control traffic, sound, visual and light impacts on this community through careful design. - Embrace Sustainable Design.
Understand the implications of baseline and “code minimum” thinking and consider design strategies that prioritize resource efficiency, carbon reduction, and ecosystem rehabilitation. - Design for the present…and the future.
Consider current needs in context of predicted future industry trends, and design to create facilities that are flexible enough to adapt. Use Life Cycle Analysis tools to balance initial construction costs with longer term operational costs. LCA also includes understanding the costs and benefits of protecting vehicles from the elements. - Promote the health and well being of staff.
Design a facility with an awareness that the occupants are essential workers. Focus on glare free daylighting, acoustic controls, access to fitness facilities, ventilation and fresh air, soil vapor intrusion and other environmental components that contribute to workers feeling healthy and productive. - Be resilient.
Design to maintain continuous operation in the midst of and aftermath of disasters. Design to adapt, should future emergencies dictate temporary uses for the project. Design to meet typical social distancing requirements of future pandemics. Additionally — address resiliency of some existing facilities. Although some are obsolete and located in flood-prone areas, some have the potential to be repurposed to address community needs.
- Conceptual & Preliminary Design – Completed in 2022
- Planning submittal documents – Approved in March 2023
- MSO Building and Central Maintenance Garage Schematic Design – Completed in June 2023
- MSO Building Design Development – 2023 to 2024
- MSO Building Construction – 2024 to 2026
A follow-up community engagement meeting was held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Flory Meeting Hall on December 15th, 2022, to further address neighborhood concerns and present the latest version of the plans for the Fields Operations Campus
A community engagement meeting was held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Flory Meeting Hall on May 24, 2022, to provide information about updates to the City Field Operations Campus project that address neighborhood concerns heard during previous community engagement meetings.
- 5/24/2022 Community Engagement Meeting Presentation (PDF)
- 5/24/2022 Community Engagement Meeting Boards (PDF)
A virtual public information meeting was held on August 31, 2020, to present and discuss the plans for the project. This facility would be directly adjacent to the east edge of the Brook Creek neighborhood between 15th Street and 19th Street.
A public open house was held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Open Pavilion on June 23, 2021, for neighbors of the Proposed Field Operations Campus, with in-person and virtual options.
A follow-up community engagement meeting was held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Flory Meeting Hall on August 30, 2021, to discuss key takeaways from the previous meeting and hear more community input.
The field operations divisions within the Municipal Services & Operations department currently operate in nearly a dozen separate facilities. The divisions have done their best to operate from these facilities over the years, but the poor condition of the existing facilities makes it difficult to be responsive to the operational needs of the City. Many of the buildings are undersized or have design idiosyncrasies that result in poor operational flow. Most are in need of significant maintenance and infrastructural upgrades.
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Aside from deferred maintenance issues, many of the buildings exist in the 500-year floodplain, some of them in the 100-year floodplain, and some of them are located directly in the floodway. According to Lawrence City Code Chapter 20 Article 12 (PDF), new construction or improvements are prohibited in the floodway. Many of the facilities located at the corner of 11th St. & Haskell Ave. do not comply with this requirement.
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Additional issues with existing facilities include:
- Employee safety
- Decentralized locations in residential neighborhoods
- Lack of security
- Environmental concerns
Workgroups from the Municipal Services & Operations department will be housed at the new Field Operations Campus.
- Central Maintenance Garage (MSO)
- Streets (MSO)
- Traffic (MSO)
- Stormwater (MSO)
- Water (MSO)
- Wastewater (MSO)
- Inspections (MSO)
- Solid Waste (MSO)
- Admin (MSO)
- Construction Management, Engineering, and Development (MSO)
The Field Operations Campus Master Plan link is reflective of a previous layout. The site layout has been replaced by the version in the Schematic Design Summary located in the “Additional Documents” section.
To realize our Vision for Lawrence, we endeavor to achieve five important strategic outcomes as part of the City of Lawrence Strategic Plan. The outcomes represent what our City is “in business to do” and what we plan to accomplish for our community. While much of what the City has always done is foundational to these areas, we’re now building plans that are targeted at achieving these outcomes with excellence.
Connected City: The City of Lawrence has well-maintained, functional, and efficient infrastructure, facilities, and other assets. Connectivity supports accessible, sustainable methods for safely moving people and information throughout the community and the region. Investment in these assets reflects the City’s commitment to contribute to the well-being of all people.
The Field Operations Campus is aimed to provide multiple City divisions with a well-maintained, functional, and efficient campus, by consolidating nearly a dozen outdated, antiquated and failing facilities into one new centralized location that will be built to not only meet current needs, but future needs as well.
The Field Operations Campus Introduction Document link is reflective of a previous layout. The site layout has been replaced by the version in the Schematic Design Summary.
Contact
Andy Ensz, P.E.
Engineering Program Manager
aensz@lawrenceks.org
785-832-7812