In this issue:
- New playground opens in East Lawrence
- FAQs
- City focuses on sustainable practices
- Tree-cycling offered again this year
- Fire Medical saves over 41,000 kWh of electricity
New playground opens in East Lawrence
Ready. Set. Play! In November, the city added a new playground to Lawrence’s parks system. The new playground, at 15th Street near the Burroughs Creek Trail, was made possible by a generous gift from Westar Energy and donations from Black & Veatch, Electric Corporation of America, Kissick Construction, Wolf Construction, Midwest Concrete Materials, Atlas Surveyors and Hammel Scale. The companies have been working in and around the Lawrence area and wanted to contribute to a project that benefited the Lawrence community.
The project began this summer and was completed by parks and recreation staff and volunteers from each of the companies. Before completing the playground, the volunteers had also painted a building at the site and completed some landscaping work. Now, the park is complete and ready for some serious play time.
The new playground is a modern playground unlike any other playground in Lawrence and features with climbing structures and slides.
When the park was dedicated in early November, City Commissioner Hugh Carter commented on the parks’ benefits.
"We’re very grateful to our business partners for this wonderful addition to our community," said Carter. "They did more than just pay for this playground, they built it with their own hands. In the years to come, it will be wonderful to see the kids enjoying the Burroughs Creek playground and people meeting each other there – making connections with other families."
The park fills a need that was identified as part of the Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park master planning process. The old equipment at Parnell Park, located just south of the playground equipment, will be removed and relocated to another Lawrence park. The Parnell Park playground experienced frequent flooding and the new playground is situated higher on the bank. The play area has been filled with wood chips and is ready for families to get outside on a nice day and get in some much-needed play time!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where can I find out information on the city’s expenses?
A: The city provides detailed information online at www.lawrenceks.org/budget on expenses including employee salaries, vendor payments and sales tax collections.
Q: How do I know how much I pay in city property taxes?
A: The city offers both a residential and commerical real estate calculator at www.lawrenceks.org/budget. The calculator provides information on exact amounts paid to the city, county, school district and state based on the appraised value of the property.
City focuses on sustainable practices
Update to Climate Protection Plan presented with good results
Between 2008 and 2010, the city’s GHG emissions have dropped by 2,660 tons of CO2. Here are some of the successes that made that possible:
Energy efficiency & conservation:
- Conducted energy audits in facilities which improved the city’s ability to monitor energy use. Equipment was replaced with more efficient models when feasible.
- Replaced downtown streetlights with high-efficiency LED lights.
- The new Public Library design includes significant energy efficiency improvements.
Transportation:
- Constructed sidewalks and bike paths that help residents get around town without cars.
- The T welcomed three new hybrid buses to its fleet in summer 2011. These use 30-60% less fuel than their diesel counterparts.
- Introduced an anti-idling policy for city vehicle fleet.
- Installed GPS units to optimize routes which will save fuel and increase efficiency.
Planning:
- Adopted up-to-date energy conservation codes for building permits.
- The long-range plan, Horizon 2020, now has an environmental chapter which charts a course towards environmental sustainability.
Outreach and Education:
- The new bikeway map helps cyclist navigate town.
- Partnered with 25,000 residents in the ‘Take Charge Challenge.’
- Waste Reduction and Recycling Division hosted Earth Day events, an Energy Conservation Fair and numerous electronics recycling and compost pickups.
What does 2,660 tons of CO2 really mean? It’s the same as:
- Taking 462 cars off the road for a year;
- Avoiding the emissions from burning 264,000 gallons of gasoline;
- The carbon sequestered by 60,000 trees; or
- The carbon emitted when powering 264 average homes for a year.
Tree-cycling offered again this year
‘Tis almost the season to recycle your old Christmas tree. After Christmas, please place your live-cut tree at the curb or alley for collection on Friday, January 6th or Friday, January 13th. The trees will be used for wildlife habitat. Please remove all artificial items including tinsel, lights, and tree stand, and have your tree set out at the curb by 6:00 a.m.
For more information, please call the Waste Reduction and Recycling Division at 832-3030 or visit LawrenceRecycles.org.
Fire Medical saves over 41,000 kWh of electricity
For four months in 2011, the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical firefighters and staff were locked in a station-to-station competition to save energy. Dubbed the "Energy Smackdown," this lighthearted energy-saving contest yielded serious savings and a close competition.
Throughout the ‘smackdown,’ the stations reduced their energy use by an average of 10% across all stations – saving 41,720 kWh of energy and over $1,500.
41,720 kWh saved is equal to:
- Enough electricity to run 43 homes for a month;
- 28.8 metric tons of avoided CO2 emissions;
- The CO2 emissions from burning 3,225 gallons of gasoline; or
- The equivalent carbon sequestered by planting 738 trees in one year.
Station #2 was declared the winner by reducing their energy use by 20% over the four months. The winning station was determined based on a percentage improvement over 2010. Station 3 ended in second place, Station #5 in third place, Station #1 in fourth place and Station #4 in fifth place.
How did they do it? Firefighters and staff focused on simple changes like turning off lights when they leave the room, turning TVs off when they’re not in use, and setting summer thermostats up two degrees from their previous settings (they went up from 72 to 74 degrees). For more information on city sustainability efforts, visit www.lawrenceks.org/sustainability.