Stratford Water Tower Project

Community Engagement

Public Information Session – 2/13/23

A public information session for the Stratford Tower project was held on Monday, February 13th, 2023, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm at the Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant Conference Room, located at 1400 East 8th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.

The session provided information regarding the construction of this project, which begins in February 2023. The construction contract was awarded to Landmark Structures on December 20th, 2022. Representatives from the City, Black & Veatch and Landmark will be present to answer questions regarding this project.

If you require ADA accessible parking, please call 785-423-3385 upon arrival to the meeting for gate access. A map can be found here showing available parking

Public Engagement Meeting – 7/13/20

A virtual public information meeting was held to present and discuss the plans for the project. This waterline replacement project will impact the Hillcrest and West Hills Neighborhood Associations around the area of Water Tower Park.

• Public Engagement Presentation (PDF)

Project Documents

• SP 22-00028 Administrative Determination – September 19, 2022 (PDF)
• Updated Site Plan – C-10-100 – August 15, 2022 (PDF)
• Updated Site Plan C-10-501 – August 15, 2022 (PDF)
• Exterior Photometric Plan – July 12, 2022 (PDF)
  • Light fixture information – July 12, 2022 (PDF)
• Engagement Letter – March 8, 2022 (PDF)
• Site Plan – June 6, 2022 (PDF)
• Site Plan – March 8, 2022 (PDF)
• Stratford Engagement Letter – March 8, 2022 (PDF)
• Stratford Site Plan Notice – March 10, 2022 (PDF)
• Site Plan – July 14, 2021 (PDF)
• July 13, 2021 City Commission Agenda Item (PDF)
• Ordinance 9821 (PDF)
• Revised Site Plan (PDF)
• Project Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Preliminary Site Plan (PDF)
• Preliminary Tank Rendering (PDF)
• Master Street Tree Plan (PDF)
• Preliminary Alternatives Report (PDF)
• Tank Alternatives Memorandum (PDF)
• Geotechnical Engineering Report (PDF)
• Stoneridge Tank Plans (PDF)

More Information

The height of overflow on the current tower is 132 feet above grade. The Stratford Tower has a large influence on the pressure within the vicinity of the tower. Currently, there is equipment from three cellular providers, as well as the Douglas County Emergency Management Services mounted on the tower. The tower was initially coated with lead-based paint and has subsequently been encapsulated with another coating system.

The Stratford Preliminary Alternatives Evaluation Report, completed in December 2014, evaluated the feasibility of constructing a new water tower as well as rehabilitation of the existing water tower. The evaluation found that major structural repairs and tower coating repairs were necessary in order to keep the water tower in service for an additional 20 years. An economic evaluation comparing the alternatives was performed. The evaluation determined that the life-cycle cost for the construction of a new water tower was similar to the life-cycle cost to rehabilitate the existing water tower. It was decided that it was in the best interest of the City to move forward with the replacement of the tower.

A Tower Alternatives Memorandum was prepared which evaluated different tower styles, tower sizes, and lifecycle costs. This study recommended a 0.75 million-gallon (MG) composite style tower. The recommendations for this study established the basis for this project. A subsequent Hydraulic Modeling Memorandum was prepared which evaluated the tower capacity taking population growth into account and modeled the surrounding distribution piping and connections to the existing system to confirm that 0.75 MG was adequate storage.