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City outlines asset-management program, highlights sewer-cleaning savings and $85–$105M street backlog
Summary
City staff told the commission Oct. 7 that data-driven changes to sanitary-sewer cleaning and model-driven conveyance planning reduced near-term operating demands and avoided higher-cost capital alternatives, but staff also cited a citywide street-maintenance backlog estimated at $85–$105 million to reach a PCI target of 70.
City staff and consultants presented a multi-part asset-management and capital-improvement overview at the Lawrence City Commission work session Oct. 7, detailing recent operational wins and longer-term funding needs.
Sanitary-sewer cleaning and targeted CCTV inspection: Nick Hoyt, engineering program manager, described a data-driven change to sewer preventative maintenance. After years of repeatedly cleaning a set of high‑maintenance sewers (including some on a monthly schedule), the city contracted Trek Design Group to CCTV inspect lines after initial cleaning to establish the correct maintenance intervals. Hoyt said that of roughly 112 previously identified high-maintenance segments, about one-third required monthly cleaning while many could be moved to 12–18 month cycles — a change Hoyt estimated could save about $400,000 annually in staff and equipment time on the highest-need lines. Hoyt said that the program lets MSO redeploy crews to inspections, larger interceptors, manhole adjustments and other deferred maintenance.
Southwest Conveyance Corridor optimization: Hoyt described a calibrated hydraulic model and a multi-objective optimization (many thousands of modeled alternatives) used to examine conveyance and storage alternatives for southwest Lawrence. The model balanced overflow reduction against cost and identified a "knee" in the cost‑benefit curve where projects yield the greatest reduction in overflows for the least cost. That analysis allowed staff to avoid a costly force-main option on 30th Street (saving an estimated multi‑million-dollar expense) and to prioritize targeted storage and conveyance projects timed with KDOT work and development.
Pavement condition index (PCI) and funding: Dave Cronin (MSO) reviewed the city's street PCI program. The city's 2023 assessment showed an overall PCI of about 63.1; staff said the policy target is a PCI of 70, where preventative maintenance is most cost effective. Cronin presented model runs showing an estimated backlog in the $85 million to $105 million range to reach a 70 citywide PCI and noted that a scenario using roughly $19.2 million annually (with modest escalation) would substantially improve the index over a 10‑year outlook. Cronin highlighted the city's use of lidar-driven condition surveys (cycles in 2019/2020 and 2023), construction sequencing with utilities, and different treatments (preventative maintenance, major rehab, reconstruction) to optimize cost per lane mile.
Finance and CIP context: Finance director Rochelle Matthews explained how asset-management outputs and master plans tie into the capital improvement plan (CIP) scoring matrix and the city's debt‑service fund (property-tax‑funded mill levy). Baker Tilly municipal advisors described rating‑agency views and investor demand; they noted the city's GO rating and utility credit are viewed favorably by Moody's and that competitive bid metrics show broad underwriter interest.
Why it matters: The presentations show staff using data-driven asset management to prioritize lower-cost options and extend asset life. The sewer-cleaning example illustrated near-term operating savings that allow redeployment of crews; the conveyance modeling showed how engineering optimization can reduce capital cost exposure. At the same time, staff emphasized a sizable street backlog and the need to align funding choices with long-term CIP priorities.
— Reporting from project presentations at the Oct. 7 Lawrence City Commission meeting
