The Lawrence City Board of Public Works and Safety on Sept. 25 approved a series of routine contracts and awarded a $1,184,846.25 contract for construction of a roundabout at Oakland Road and 70 Fifth Street.

The actions, taken by voice vote during the board’s regular meeting, included approval of minutes from the Sept. 11 meeting, participation in an opioid settlement, contracts for police promotional testing, janitorial services for the police station, and a short-term recruitment contract for a controller position. No members of the public spoke during the citizen comment period; the meeting then adjourned.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of regular meeting minutes (Sept. 11, 2025): Approved by voice vote. The chair moved to approve the minutes; the motion carried with ayes recorded. Individual vote names or a detailed tally were not recorded in the transcript.

- Opioid settlement participation: Approved by voice vote. A motion to approve the city’s participation was made and seconded; the motion carried with ayes.

- Contract with Testing for Public Safety LLC (police promotional testing): Approved by voice vote. Chief Bigsby said the contract covers third‑party testing used for police promotional assessments, which Lawrence City must conduct every two years.

- Janitorial services for the police department (replacement contractor after Sunshine Janitorial Services retirement): Approved by voice vote. Chief Bigsby said the prior contractor’s owners retired and the selected bidder was the most responsible of those who met background requirements; the new contractor will clean the police station three days per week.

- TRG Talent Solutions LLC — short-term recruitment contract (controller): Approved by voice vote. Isel Mars, managing partner of TRG Talent Solutions, told the board the one‑time contract runs through the end of the year and was intended to expand candidate recruitment for a controller position. "We are an executive search and talent development firm. We do recruiting and staffing and also do leadership development training," Mars said.

- Award: Oakland Road and 70 Fifth Street roundabout (construction contract): Approved by voice vote. Renee Rafla, director of public works, said the city opened bids Sept. 17; the engineer’s estimate was $1,680,006. Rafla said six bids were received and all were below the engineer’s estimate. The board authorized a contract with the lowest responsive bidder, Howard Companies, at $1,184,846.25. "All six bids came in below the engineer’s estimate and we're asking for permission to enter into a contract with the lowest most responsive bidder, which was Howard Companies at $1,184,846.25," Rafla said.

Meeting notes and context

Chief Bigsby described the testing contract as covering the department’s promotional assessments and said the city’s accrediting body requires a third‑party contractor for the process every two years. On janitorial services, Bigsby said Sunshine Janitorial Services’ owners retired and the selection process required background checks; the chosen bidder will provide cleaning three days per week at the police station.

The TRG Talent Solutions contract is a one‑time engagement through the end of the year to broaden recruitment for a controller position the city is seeking to fill. Rafla said the roundabout project received six bids on Sept. 17; Howard Companies — which is already working on other city projects under a community crossing matching grant — submitted the lowest responsive bid and will be awarded the contract.

No public commenters addressed the board during the citizen comment period. The board adjourned following the approvals.

Ending

Board members recorded their approvals by voice vote on each item; the meeting concluded after routine administration remarks and without public comments.