The city will gain a better understanding of current and future traffic patterns around the high school after Monday’s City Commission meeting. 

The city received a quote from CFS Engineers for $20,900. Usually the city would want to receive multiple bids before committing to a company, but City Manager Kevyn Gero said the city is focusing on timeliness. The study would focus on 20th to 28th Street, and will look at traffic conditions until 2045. 

As planning for the Shadow Ridge North development continues, the city is looking for more information on potential road extension needs near the high school.

City staff and commissioners have previously discussed the possibility of extending 23rd Street and Fir Street to the north. The extension of 23rd would cut between the middle and high school campuses – a concern discussed by some.

The commission will plan to meet with the School Board to discuss the potential of this extension, and any concerns the district may have, Mayor Tim Reazin said.

Reazin also wanted to make sure the traffic study takes into account all the changes coming with Panasonic and other developments since the city’s comprehensive plan was made before that announcement.

“So as we’re doing it, I’m just hoping that we can factor in some of the increased residential growth even beyond this one development,” Reazin said.

Reazin said he was comfortable moving forward with the study as long as it took into account future zoning changes and increased residential areas.

Public Works Director Branden Boyd confirmed the study would include forecasting changes and tell the city whether certain roads or layouts were necessary.

The commission voted to approve the city to move forward with the study. Since it is an unbudgeted expense, it will come out of the city’s general fund.

In other business, Jamie Hofling, Douglas County sustainability impact analyst, presented the first public draft of the county’s climate action plan.

The Douglas County sustainability office recently separated from the Lawrence office, and now caters to all of Douglas County.

The plan focuses on mitigation and adaptation, community member focus groups, and policy and programs to reduce emissions causing climate change. Adaptation helps plan for possible expectations for changes as a result of climate change, she said.

Before starting the plan, the office hosted focus groups with first responders in Eudora and community members to ask people what their concerns were. The focus group at Eudora’s district office was one of the most well-attended, she said. People voiced concerns that echoed through other areas in the county, too.

“We heard a lot of great ideas from Eudora, a lot of emphasis around soil conservation, around concerns about education or passing down information about where your food comes from and how you grow food,” she said.

The county also completed a greenhouse gas emission study as part of the plan to see where gasses were coming from, she said. About 28% of emissions in the county come from residential energy, 27% come from transportation and mobile sources, and 26% come from commercial energy, she said.

The county’s goal is to reduce emissions by about 38% by 2030, she said.

The plan calls for reducing energy consumption while increasing access to renewable sources like rooftop solar, building resilience in the energy sector through innovative infrastructure and policy, and enabling low-carbon modes of transportation and transportation infrastructure.

Many residents discussed concerns about less biodiversity, so the plan also focuses on balancing ecosystems with developments. Usually, climate change plans are human-centric, but because of the community’s concerns it was important to add to the plan, she said.

Lastly, the plan outlined the need to address increased and compounded health risks due to climate change, preparedness for climate hazards and resiliency through food production to create a healthy and thriving community, she said.

The plan will eventually be adopted by the county, and when the city looks at updating its comprehensive plan, adding or referencing this plan may be an option, Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel said.

“So this will definitely be something that’s floating out there that we’ll be referencing in some degree one way or the other as those kinds of opportunities arise,” Daniel said.

Commissioner Alex Curnes pulled an item from the consent agenda to discuss an increase for the city’s 911 emergency services.

Previously, the city has paid $25,000 annually for the 911 dispatch services, but it has gone up in recent years. Curnes asked city staff about recent costs.

Gero said for 2024, it was $87,000 and for 2025 it will likely be around $120,000.

“So, you know, again, I’m well aware that at the end of this statement here I’m gonna make a motion for us to do this because we need 911 services. It is a very important part of the services that we offer to our community here, but the fact that the funding was increased so dramatically, and I do appreciate the three-year phasing period, but it just was something I wanted to have publicly noted,” Curnes said.

Fire Chief Mindy Andrasevits said the original cost of $25,000 was an arbitrary cost made years ago that was agreed to casually over lunch and a handshake, and does not reflect the services provided.

“The study is done and the price of what we’re getting is real now, instead of just an arbitrary amount,” Andrasevits said.

During staff updates, Andrasevits said the city is now able to inspect and provide permits for food trucks that come to Eudora.

The city is a part of the Heart of America local food vendor program, meaning if a truck hasn’t been in the greater Kansas City area, Lawrence or Topeka, the city can inspect and give a current sticker. The sticker will be good for any jurisdiction within the Heart of America program. The inspections are free, but vendors will have to pay if they want a city permit.

Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]

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