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Lawrence board approves consultant contract to pursue $1M Community Crossing matching grant
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Summary
The Lawrence Board of Public Works and Safety on March 26 approved a professional-services contract with Shrewsbury and Associates (not to exceed $39,800) to prepare plans and oversee bidding for a Community Crossing Matching Grant that could bring about $1,000,000 in matching state funds for street repairs.
The Lawrence Board of Public Works and Safety voted March 26 to hire Shrewsbury and Associates under a professional-services agreement not to exceed $39,800 to prepare plans, run the bidding process and help select a contractor for the city’s Community Crossing Matching Grant application.
Renee Ruth Follow, introduced at the meeting as the city’s public works director, said the consultant is required to complete the work and meet an accelerated schedule so the city can apply and open bids before the grant deadline. "The bid advertisement ran today, and then it'll run again next Friday," Follow said, adding that staff plan to accept and open bids at the next Water Works meeting and bring a recommendation to the April 26 city meeting.
The consultant contract was approved by voice vote after the board reviewed the documents. The chair called for a motion, which was seconded, and members responded "aye." The board also approved routine minutes from March 12 and moved the claims/warrants so the city can pay bills.
Follow told the board the state transportation agency initially did not select the city for the program but later offered additional funding opportunities. "We will get $1,000,000, hopefully from NDOT, to match the million that I already have budgeted for road improvements," Follow said, describing the Community Crossing Matching Grant as a dollar-for-dollar match that would significantly increase the scope of work the city can complete.
She listed concrete streets targeted for the project, including Kingsborough and English Oak, and said a neighborhood was also selected though she did not name it in the meeting. Follow said roughly half of the project could not proceed without the state match.
Next steps: the city will re-run the bid advertisement next Friday, open and accept bids at the upcoming Water Works meeting, and return to the April 26 meeting with a recommendation and, if approved, a signed contract with Shrewsbury and Associates.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of March 12, 2026 minutes — approved (voice vote) - Approval of claims/warrants — approved (voice vote) - Approval of Shrewsbury and Associates professional-services agreement (NTE $39,800) — approved (voice vote)
(All votes reported as voice "aye"; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.)
