Not Trustworthy

If you have been following along here in Kansas City, we are in a time of budget austerity with cuts all over city government as our city struggles with decreased revenue and increased costs.  However, at the same time, the city council and the mayor have been championing both a large infrastructure improvement plan and a downtown train.  Both proposals are attracting criticism for the spending of money (and tax increase) and the train is being attacked as being impractical at best.
This recent article in the Wall Street Journal documents the issues around the support of the Power and Light District downtown, that this project has not been able to support itself and is a continuing drain on the budget of the city.  A lot of promises were made concerning the downtown redevelopment--I admit I bought some of them myself.  No body is buying these types of promises anymore--well, almost no body.  It is funny to read the posts by transit supporters in blogs and news articles and just find yourself not buying any of it.
We have lost trust in our political leaders.  We just don't believe them.  If they tell us the sky is blue, we are going outside to check it for ourselves.  They have proven themselves not to be trustworthy.  For whatever reason, whether out of dishonesty, greed, graft, or stupidity, their word has become untrustworthy.
Someday, there actually might be a good idea out of 12th and Oak, but most of us wouldn't trust it.  We've been burned too much.
The city fathers might find that regaining trust is easier if you go back to fulfilling the basic tasks of city government first reliably.  Get back to basics.  And for goodness sake, do not ask for more money!

East Patrol Real Estate: Something Doesn't Smell Right

So OK, it isn't south Kansas City, but our so-called Mainstream Media needs to follow up this fine work that one of Tony's readers did Thursday afternoon and evening. If this is true about the land that the future East Patrol Police Station will sit on, especially in light of the fact that it wasn't KCPD's first choice, it may reveals a distressing degree of corruption in our city. Has this sort of giving with the left hand and taking with the right hand become the way things work these days?
So, KC Star, The Pitch, KCTV, KSHB, FOX4, KMBC--how about it? Is this just real estate savvy and a bit of luck for an east side land owner--or was this location for the patrol station selected with the knowledge that that land owner would benefit? Get to work, Fourth Estate!! Read the research work for yourself on the comments section of this post on Tony's Kansas City, or find the Reader's Digest version below:

If only they would build the new East Patrol where the KCPD wanted to build it. But that's what you get when you've got council members trying to grease the palms of a certain pastor that owns the majority of that land to be acquired. Yeah let's give the corrupt city council control of the PD. That ought to work out really well.

So,3:15, what is the minister's name? Give us a chance to check your assertion through the public records.

It's Morningstar Baptist Church, Reverend John Miles is the church at 27/Wabash. He owns a large amount of the land and property nearby. He is a KCPD Chaplain as well.

4:33, only one lot is owned by Morningstar Development Corporation.

It will take more digging or more info....

Oh, here we go 4:33. Search in the county's recorded documents under "Morningstar" shows several properties owned by Morningstar Church and transferred to Morningstar Development Corp.

Now, a cross reference to the Missouri Secretary of State's website shows that among the organizers of the not-for-profit Morningstar's Development Company are, TADA

John Modest Miles and Roy Anderson.

Coincidentally, they are also the ones who signed the Warranty Deeds transferring the property to MDC on behalf of Morningstar Baptist Church.

Now all that needs to be done is a cross reference of all the properties similarly transferred, pull up the IRS 990 filings, and write it up.

Let's see the 990 shows that from 2009 to 2010, the value of Morningstar's Development Company's land assets increased from $168,000 to $324,000.

Somebody went on a buying spree that year.

Had 10 minutes while the chicken cooked and used the time to review property transfer records.

Here's an ironic twist.

There are several parcels of property in the new East Patrol development area that the City will have to acquire from Morningstar's Development Company. MDC was either given the properties outright or bought them for a song ($100 for several parcels) from-you guessed it- THE CITY AND IT'S REDEVELOPMENT AGENCIES.

The land that Miles is selling to the City is land the City owned in the first place.

Miles persuaded the City to give him the land for a song.

THEN they condemned it to buy it back from him.

Smells kinda funny to me. Wonderful work by a blog reader doing research one afternoon. Like I said, just cries for follow up work from the established press...or is that the problem--that it is the established press? The established press that is afraid of certain power elements in the east side of this city?

Red Bridge Open

I apologize for my lack of posting. A family crisis has removed a lot of extra thinking time from my days as of late. I have had a few postings to Facebook, as well as interesting links and news from what is left on my scanner. Of note to those of us in south Kansas City, the new bridge across the Blue River on Red Bridge Road is now open. There appears to be still some work to do, but travel is easy in both directions now--no more dipping down into the river valley and narrow rickety bridge. There are critics with valid points out there but there is no arguing with the lack of potholes, railroad tracks and wondering just how it is that the bridge is holding up under that big truck. So enjoy a short ride with me as we cross over the Blue using the new bridge for the first time on Friday, November 18 around 2 p.m.

KCIR Deal Stinks Worse than Roadkill

Snipped from the video in the KCTV report linked below.

As you may have read the Kansas City International Raceway, a small drag strip in the 8200 block of Noland Road in far south eastern Kansas City, is going to be bought by the city and converted to a park. It is a deal that has an awful stink about it in so many ways. I was completely disgusted after reading this article in the Kansas City Star and posted this on Facebook.

This is a biased incomplete article that does not ask the hard questions. The KCIR sale is a boondoggle that will cost the city money it does not have, done to keep the swells happy and insure election for Circo. It will replace a business with an empty park that will not give tax income and, in fact, will likely become a crime and dumping problem for the area. They may wake up in 10 years and realize the race track was a pretty good neighbor!

One thing I didn't cover in my indignant rant is the fact that the sale was rushed through the legislative process "recognizing an emergency." So what is the emergency? To complete the sale before any public hearing can be conducted and to make sure that no one can see the exact way the sale was completed? Notice in the article how little of the usual paper work surrounding the sale of a property is being made available. If too much time were to pass before the council approved this lovely little boondoggle, the intrusive and disinfecting rays of sunshine might be brought to bear on the process. There are games being played with the negotiations, the power of eminent domain to take something without proper compensations, the refusal to allow racing until another site is secured, and so forth. The power of government--is it being used in the interest of all the citizens, or just in the interest of a few to the detriment of the many?

The entire thing just reeks of the politics of privilege. Houses of the rich and connected were built long after the raceway was there. It's a bit like building near the airport and complaining about airplanes taking off. It has been promised to the rich and connected that the drag strip would be "taken care of." Now, when the city is pinched for funds on every front, it is going to buy land and try to make it a park. Just what happens when it costs more than they anticipated to make the land a park. Does that now open up the way to a private developer coming in to "save the day"? Could that be the ultimate goal? City acquires land, then discovers it can't afford to do anything with it; looks for "White Knight" to rescue them?

If it actually does become park land, can the city afford to maintain and police it? I am not sure if it is in East Patrol or South Patrol but either way, how many many minutes will it take for an officer to respond to a crime there? There are some pretty nasty sex businesses not far from there; some of that will no doubt move to the erstwhile park. I would not be surprised to see dumping of construction junk and other garbage become a big problem too.

Of course, those "with a need for speed" will find other outlets for their need. Some might go to Topeka. Some may not go that far...

As I said before, the swells might wake up in 5-10 years and discover that the race track was a pretty good neighbor after all.

Links:

I like this post from Tony; it contains images of ordinance fact sheets that contain no concrete facts. (Where have we seen that before--I see that former MAST person raising their hand!)

Here is the Kansas City Star article that got me going today. Read the comments (if they are still there; the Star has an annoying habit of making comments go away. I actually copied the comments onto my computer.)

A statement from one of the KCIR principles describing the rock-and-hard-place the business investors and owners found themselves in.

A nice story from KCTV done in September 2011 on KCIR and its racing series for the common man. The video is cool.

Red Bridge Getting There

The iPhone is much harder to use one handed--like when driving--to shoot photos, but even from this shot we can see that the new Red Bridge bridge is rapidly getting close to completion. The road bed is just about done on the bridge; main work will be on the approaching roadway now. West of the bridge is starting to take shape--west bound traffic is now on new roadbed and fire station 28 has a new apron.

So we'll how the work goes from here--the hot weather did slow work for a few days but it being dry helped to keep things ongoing. The bridge is scheduled to open in the fall.

Guest Post: 'Power & Light' Accused of Racist Payment Policy

Here is Wayne Hodges of Mass Appeal News on the Power and Light payment kerfuffle. I really like hearing his point of view as a Black man who is bilingual--living both in the Black community and the community at large.

KANSAS CITY, Mo - To quote embattled singer Britney Spears: "Oops, Kansas City's 'Power and Light District' has done it again."

The commercial entertainment cluster known for booting DJ Jazzy Jeff off stage and establishing dress codes many believe are discriminatory has once again infuriated the masses by starting a new policy that requires customers to pay a $10 cover charge just to enter the common area located between the restaurants and bars.

And get this: They're not accepting cash. You must have either a credit or debit card. No exceptions.

“I think it's very discriminative because some people just don't have credit cards. They should be able to pay with cash and should be able to sit down and have a good meal without having to pay a cover charge to get in,” said Gerry Hinshaw, a regular customer.

“I don't like it at all. It should just be open for the public. They shouldn't charge. It's not right.”

The new rule takes effect only on Friday nights after midnight and Saturday nights after 11:00 p.m. Many blacks are already labeling the move racist. While others are simply miffed over the entrance fee.

“I think you are going to lose business,” said Korey Hollinshead, also a regular customer. “You know, I used to come down here all the time and, you know, you can just walk in the lobby area and it would be free. But now, with the cover charge, I don't agree with it.

“Everybody should have a card but everybody doesn't. So, say if your account is low, I am going to come with my card and I can't get in. I have cash in my pocket but you are not going to take it?”

Power and Light officials said the method of payment change was implemented strictly as a business move to generate more traffic so people will spend more money.

As for the refusal to accept cash?

Officials cited safety concerns in claiming it's very dangerous for customers to have large amounts of cash inside the common area.

Hmm....

Given the fact a sizeable segment of the African-American community lacks credit and/or debit cards, should the payment plan be construed as racism?

Maybe. But it's also a great business move.

Allow me to expound.

By accepting credit and debit cards during the peak hours of the weekend, the district will rid itself of massive thug activity while increasing the participation of law-abiding, working class patrons.

Yes, I said "thugs."

And this is clearly a ploy against them.

Let's not kid ourselves. Hoodlums are every nightclub's kryptonite. And the property owners have flat had enough.

The Cordish Management Company, responsible for the daily operations of the 'Power and Light District,' is on to something. And the method, in my humble opinion, should be adopted by every black nightlife establishment across the USA.

See, credit and debit cards are good for more than just payment. They're also quite helpful in tracking down the account holder's information and rendering violators financially responsible for any damages that may occur.

Most hotels are strictly credit card only for these reasons. Yet, I haven't heard one discrimination claim in protest. If you mess up a hotel room, the management team has the authority to charge your credit card for incidentals.

It's genius. And black business owners should consider doing the same.

Why?

Most African-Americans I talk to lament the lack of peaceful nightclubs within the urban community. They say when a decent, successful enterprise finally arises, a roughneck will conveniently show up, raise complete hell and shut the joint down.

Pardon my candidness, but thugs have put more blacks out of business than the IRS.

And the 'Power and Light District' is doing its very best to avoid becoming the next Westport.

Kansas City's Country Club Plaza is fighting the same war. If the infamous 'Flash Mob' raids weren't enough, merchants had to combat a slew of five-finger-discounts tied to urban youth eating meals and running out the front door before the bill was paid.

Legally, the district's payment plan would be an open and shut case. Credit and debit cards are fairly easy to acquire; regardless your financial status or skin pigmentation.

Besides, there are far too many loopholes in paying cash. By forcing a thug to hand over his picture ID and credit card, the business owner has effectively stripped him of his anonymity while taking his money at the same time.

If the thug feels offended and leaves, the owner loses nothing and gains a peace of mind.

Like I said, it's a great business move. Black property owners should consider jumping on board.

After all, thugs and accountability don't mix.

Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He also serves as a contributing writer to YourBlackWorld.com, he’s a Democrat reporter for the Examiner, and he’s a film critic with ILoveBlackMovies.com. Wayne welcomes your comments 24/7 at [email protected]

Bannister Mall Site Gets Tax Break

Well the amateur developers--oh, the City Council--have decided that Lane 4's plan for the area formerly the Bannister Mall is an acceptable plan and have voted to give a super TIF of around $200 million to the developer. The area will be developed in office space and retail at an estimated cost of $590 million.

Tony broke the news just about an hours ago--it's amazing how fast this city can go from just talking about something to voting it in.

It seems like the method of choice in this town to pass things of questionable merit is to first introduce the issue in a low key under publicized kind of way, then not talk about it for a while, then suddenly take it up again, and then vote on it before anyone really takes in the degree of flimflam going on. They followed the exact same pattern with the MAST/KCFD merger issue--I should have recognized it.

There are multiple problems with this plan in my view: Too big a tax break, wrong development type, both the reality and perception of a crime problem in the area, poor overall economy. Like one TKC commenter said, if the private sector isn't a believer without the government handout, er, help, maybe this is not such a good idea?

I would prefer that the City Council and Mayor spend more time and treasure looking after basic services instead of playing amateur developers. KCPD needs a new chief, KCFD EMS is a mess, water pipes break and streets crumble...oh, but that isn't as much fun as ground breakings and ribbon cuttings now is it?

Another Try at Redeveloping Bannister Mall Area

A new $590 million plan proposed for the area previously occupied by Bannister Mall has been proposed by Lane 4 Property Group got some play in the newspaper Thursday. The proposal called for retail, office and light industry to be developed in this area.

My very first reaction? Too much retail--more retail that is the same-same big box stuff will not survive in today's economy. There is a lot of empty space out there right now--one would need something unique and one of a kind to succeed with a new development.

I was curious to see what the readers of the Kansas City Star thought of the idea so I went to the comments section. Thankfully, comments were allowed. Some objected along the lines I just elaborated on above--too much big box retail, short life span, same old same old.

However, many majored on how nothing much could come of the area until crime was controlled. I have to admit, I was surprised. How bad did it get? I never felt that unsafe there following sensible rules. I may have missed the worst of it, because as the mall emptied, I found less and less reason to go to the mall. My going was more related to the mall just not having the things I wanted or needed in it any more, not fear or crime related. I think I stopped going there after dark, but I had never gone much after dark to the mall at all even at its retail height.

I would vote for light industry--perhaps calls centers and service centers also. The location is awesome for moving people in and out and is an easy commute from all parts of the metro. There is no need for this prime commercial property to stand empty. Mix in some midscale and upscale housing, both single and multfamily. Some park land too. Big box retail by itself isn't going to cut it.

And solve the crime problem--perceived and real. Somehow, the crime made a big impression on people--at least those who read the Kansas City Star. As long as many people think the area is not safe, it will not flourish, no matter what is proposed.

And I have no desire to finance a failure with tax breaks. No bad plans should get any help from the government--if it doesn't have a good chance to fly on its own, don't do it. As much as I hate to say it, just leave the land open until the right plan, opportunity and idea comes along.

Respect the Historical Context of the Plaza

The law firm of Polsinelli and Shughart is planning to build a new headquarters on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. They would take down a 1920s vintage original plaza building and an apartment building on the corner of 47th Street and Broadway, and build the new building. That sounds pretty cool on the face of it, economic engine and all that.

Until everyone got a gander at the architectural renderings. There was almost a universal WTF reaction to the eight story glass and metal structure. Both the law firm, and the owner/developer of the plaza, North Carolina's Highwoods Properties, have heard an earful from frustrated and upset citizens about the design and plan.

The Plaza is constructed with a Spanish architectural theme, reminiscent of Seville and the proposed building does not even make a modern bow in the direction of that theme. Furthermore, it is out of scale for the area that it sits in, down the hill, towards Brush Creek and 47th Street/Cleaver II Boulevard, where most of the buildings are 2-3 stories tall.

The Plaza, despite the age of many of its buildings, is not on the historical registry. The restrictions of the registry on the kind of alterations that retail sometimes demands is something that didn't work for the Plaza in the past. There are zoning and development restrictions on the height of buildings in certain places on the Plaza.

While Polsinelli can build any zoning compliant building they would like, they need to reconsider this design, which now they are saying was highly preliminary and released prematurely (sounds like excuse making to me, but never mind) and create a design that is more compatible with the look and feel of the Plaza as a whole. If they can't do that, then they should consider a site north of the Plaza, rescue the lost West End project, or consider down town or the Crossroads districts of Kansas City. I suppose if they are feeling especially spiteful after the outcry over this design they can decide to move to Johnson County, Kansas, but if they are really the civic citizens they are trying to make themselves out to be, they will be willing to compromise on either design or location and remain in Kansas City, MO. I, for one, would applaud them for that compromise.

Right now, both Polsinelli and Highwoods look arrogant and greedy, all about making a show and making the benjamins. The ball is in their court now.

LINKS:

The Kansas City Star Irate Plaza fans object to law office building plan. The illustration and photo are from The Star.

Petition: Save the Plaza Stop Polsinelli Shugart's Plan

Of course, there is a Facebook page, Save the Plaza

For more looks at the Plaza architecture, go to this photo tour on the official web site.

The Poo Problem and The Money Problem

With a bit more rain showing up on the radar, and the recent revelations of sewer discharges in all areas of the city, including the Southland, the issue of repairing Kansas City's aging sewers, upgrading mains and separating storm water drainage from sewage has been in the public eye. No doubt, this critical infrastructure issue will be part of the upcoming mayor's race as well.

In preparing this blog entry, I was surprised to find that there appears to be no plans to go to the voters with any bond issues or special taxes. The plan appears to be to pay for $2.5 billion of improvements over 25 years with yearly increases in the water/wastewater bills of citizens and businesses served by the Water Department. That explains the gyrations in my water bill over the past couple years! That just really surprised me--and concerns me. How high is this thing going to go? It's getting high now. In fact, this may be the factor behind the Water Department's shift from a quarterly bill to a monthly bill coming in July--so the numbers are not so appalling to the eye. My research was not extensive enough to reveal the tracking between the amount coming in and that going to be spent on repairs. I could see that if the city feels it is falling short of money and risking falling behind and getting in more trouble with the EPA (fines of over $500,000 are already levied on KCMO for sewage violations), it could go to the voters for an alternative revenue source.

However it's paid for, it's going to cost a bunch of money that's for sure. The thing is, this is money that has to be spent, sooner or later. Now, I've been down this road before. Burlington, VT situated on the eastern shores of beautiful Lake Champlain had the same problem with storm water causing untreated poo to go into local waterways. In 1984, a bond issue was brought before the people for a vote. It required a 2/3 majority to pass. It fell short--a majority voted yes, but short of the supramajority needed to pass the issue. A few years passed. In 1988, four short years later, the bacterial count in the lake was high, beaches were closed, and algae bloomed. Now, the same issue came before the voters, but cost twice as much. Thankfully, cheapskates did not prevail, and Burlington began work on its system sometime in the early '90s. The thing is it was more expensive, due to inflation, and more things to fix the second time around.

I'm not thrilled about having water/wastewater customers bear the brunt of the cost of this fix--we'll see how that works out--but this is one of those things where you just have to fix it, and the sooner you fix it, the less in the end it will cost, and the less damage will be done to the environment. It's one of those, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later" things, like the old Fram oil filter commercials. You can see one of those after the jump, if you need your memory refreshed or have never seen one.

Update: Auction of KC Homes Canceled

The auction of hundreds of Kansas City homes that was to take place this weekend was canceled by the lender, Wells Fargo Bank. According to a Wells Fargo spokesperson, quoted by Jen Strathman of KSHB:

Wells Fargo has canceled the auction of 250 houses in Kansas City. We are committed to working with Mayor Mark Funkhouser, the city,and community organizations--including Habitat for Humanity--to find a solution that encourages local ownership and builds sustainable neighborhoods for the residents of Kansas City.

A visit to the auctioneer Hudson&Marshall's web site finds this message under Kansas City: "This auction has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances."

In a press release yesterday the mayor responded:

Mayor Mark Funkhouser today said Wells Fargo & Co. has responded to community concerns about this weekend’s large auction of foreclosed Kansas City houses, and will postpone the sale.

“I’m glad they were listening,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “I’m thrilled Wells Fargo will take some extra time and work with the community. It’s the right thing to do.”

On Wednesday, Mayor Funkhouser and neighborhood and community development activists held a press conference asking Kansas Citians to take part in the auction. Too often, large real estate auctions are dominated by out-of-town investors and real estate speculators who do little to fix up the houses they buy, often leaving them vacant and in disrepair while they wait for the housing market to rebound, the Mayor said.

“The city looks forward to working with Wells Fargo to make sure these Kansas City homes go to Kansas Citians,” Mayor Funkhouser said.

Also in the mayor's press release he quoted Craig Colbert of Habitat for Humanity:

“Habitat for Humanity Kansas City is proud to have played some small part in helping the Mayor realize his goal of making sure that these foreclosed properties are kept in community hands,” Colbert said. “It is beyond our wildest expectations that Wells would postpone the auction based on our communication with our contacts at the bank about the Mayor’s Wednesday press conference.”

So...the auction is on hold for now. This is remarkable considering this auction was in the works for a long time. We'll have to wait and see what impact it has on the housing situation in the city. The biggest problem is for some of these homes they are in rough shape, and in rough neighborhoods. It's going to take some unique local people to take up this gauntlet and go to war with some of the forces at work here.

Seems to me there might be an opportunity for the churches of Kansas City...he who has ears to hear, let him hear...

Mayor Funkhouser Talks About Foreclosures

I found this auction sign in front of a house not far from where the mayor was.

A large national auction house is conducting the auctioning of over 200 Kansas City metro homes this coming weekend. Mayor Mark Funkhouser decided to have a press conference in order to
express his concern with regard to that auction. The mayor is concerned that buyers from out of state will participate in this national auction and will buy many of the houses, and let them "sit and rot and fall into disrepair". He stated that houses up for auction could go for as little as $5000--even as little as $2 k. The mayor was accompanied by community and city housing advocates and organizers, including Habitat for Humanity, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and others. The event was held at 11220 Palmer Avenue in the Ruskin Heights part of Kansas City. This address is in the 64134 zip code, which has the second highest foreclosure rate in the city.

The mayor answers questions after his speech.

The main thrust of the mayor's short speech was to encourage local investment and ownership. The mayor felt that even if the buyers were not going to occupy the house, but rent it and manage it locally, that was better then a flock of out of state buyers buying up large swaths of
neighborhoods and allowing the houses to lie fallow. He also challenged private non-profit money to come and help people purchase some of these homes. He answered a few questions, mainly about the mandated city registry of abandoned houses. He admitted that the list had fallen short on accuracy and work was being done to compare the list to other data bases like those of the Water Department.

This beige house with the small deck out front is on the auction house's list. It was just a short distance from the press-er at 7505 East 112 Street. Next door to the rehabbing house at 11220 Palmer, this grey house was empty with an overgrown front lawn.

This neighborhood is hurtin' for certain. I noticed a lot of houses with notes taped to their window, some well kept up, and many with overgrown lawns, a few seemingly still occupied. I totally understand the mayor's concern, wanting to keep as much local involvement in the neighborhood as possible. There are pitfalls, such as enabling people to be homeowners who do not have the wherewithal to maintain the home. Also, we cannot give away something for nothing--it will just become another entitlement that will not be cared for--another black hole of endless want/handout/begging. We also have to be careful that we don't end up with a cluster of subsidized houses, clumping people of disadvantage all together. It has been demonstrated over and over that a cluster of subsidized housing is a neighborhood clusterf**k. I like the idea of involving groups, whether private or public, that demand accountability of the home owner and make the home owner an investor in the property, the neighborhood, and the city.

**************

Some links of interest: The Auction House's website--Hudson&Marshall.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program on the web

KSHB's report: City leaders worry about home auction.

Channel 5's coverage: Mayor Encourages Locals to Buy Metro Houses

Fox 4: Home Auction: Mayor Funkhouser Issues Challenge to Metro Home Buyers

Kansas City Star: Report by Dave Helling

Red Bridge Road Improvements

Work is well underway on the new bridge over the Blue River on Red Bridge Road. the next phase of the improvements to the road is to add sidewalks and bike paths and widen Red Bridge Road from Blue River Road to Grandview Road to three lanes, giving drivers a left hand turn lane. An open house was held yesterday at the Grace Point Baptist Church. Plans were on display and engineers and others involved in the planning were available to talk to about the project.

The plan is to use as scenic material as possible to make the roadway look nice, since it is a neighborhood street and not a free way. What exactly will be used depends on the available funds.

Because of the rolling hills in the area (this is one part of the KC metro that is not flat!), drainage issues have required a lot of engineering thought. To the left: Cleveland Ave will gain two turn lanes when it intersects with Red Bridge. Storm drains will be improved. A home owner talked to the engineers about how the rain currently runs through her property--he took notes. The engineers seemed really interested to listen to the concerns raised by some of the residents, especially drainage issues.

At the intersection of Blue River Road and Red Bridge, we could have a rotary (traffic circle) instead of signal lights. Plus: traffic could flow better, and trucks could not use the circle, thus limiting truck traffic. Minus: Drivers around here are still trying to figure out the newish circles on Longview Road. My first instinct--ooh no circles, but making passage for trucks difficult has a lot of appeal...Opinions on traffic circles welcome! I really was kind of surprised they were even up for consideration.

An engineer answers residents' questions about the current work going on on the bridge project proper. The visual change wrought by the construction I think caused a lot of concerns for people. This project was also very complicated engineering. They've had to move a sewer line, create drainage to draw off contaminants before they enter the river, and restore wetland areas that had to be compromised by bridge construction.

Funding for this work to add sidewalks and widen the road has not yet been obtained. The plan is being constructed in three phases; as funding is obtained, a phase will start. The plans are hoped to be final this summer. It's kind of a disappointing site, as it does not have any of the pictures of the plans on it, but you can find more information on www.futureredbridge.com. The construction will be a pain in the neck, but this is an idea whose time has come. Even if IHOP foot and bike traffic is reduced when the ministry moves to Grandview, it will still enhance safety to get walkers and bikers off the roadway. The left hand turn lane will help with traffic flow. I am worried, as were many attendees at the Open House, about increased 435 bypass traffic and trucks with the improvements. Maybe they can put traffic circle driving lessons on the City Access Channel.

As per usual, click on the pictures to see them bigger. Click the back button to come back.

The Purple House

www.lovelylisting.com had this purple house in Wisconsin featured the other day. It has a story behind it, which can be found at this link here. It's a funny story and a bit sad, too.

It's probably sold at foreclosure now, and is likely to be torn down by any buyers but the story behind it is interesting and can make you think about liberty and property rights and all that. Seems as if the man who bought it had a little trouble with the city codes enforcers, who rode him for not having his house painted properly. So he painted it this lovely purple color, except for one wall, because he ran out of purple paint. That wall is red. He and his wife painted flowers on the house. Apparently there was no Home Owner's Association, because no one came running about the color. The city couldn't do anything; their directive was just to paint the house. The city told him his wooden privacy fence was too high. He took a chain saw and cut off the offending footage. The city b**ched about his lawn, his yard, and his cars. He probably did just enough to keep from being fined to the end of his paycheck, just enough to keep from being on first name basis with the judges in the city's Housing Court.

According to the man's son, whose interview is in the link, the man was a Vietnam vet who had some struggles with what we now call PSTD. Yet he was able to raise a family--his son seems very balanced--and have a good stable long term relationship. He and his girlfriend both passed within just a year or two of each other, and in that time period, mortgage payments were not being made and the house reverted to the VA. I just had a look at the area using google map and the google street thing. When looking from the street, all you can see is the trees and the purple privacy fence--you can barely make out the house. The satellite view reveals a not very tidy back yard, with large objects in the yard. I noted a particularly tidy house and lawn just to the south; I imaged this person going bonkers looking at the purple house with the messy yard.

It can be a difficult balance between the desires of the community to have everything "just so", and the right to self expression and the use of one's own private property. This house was so well known that it was used as a directional land mark by those living in the neighborhood. It was tolerated, barely, by the neighbors and city. (If there had been a HOA, it would have been a different deal--just read some of the comments on the lovely listing site.) The funny thing is that in a way, people like a little quirky in their life. I'm sure that some of the neighbors were amused and not at all put out, while some others were just fit to be tied.

I myself would not mind a purple house in my neighborhood. My across the street neighbor has dark purple trim on her white house; a few snickered and made negative remarks, but I love it, a nice change from the browns that often dominate. Just keep it neat and reasonably tidy, and I'm happy. Besides it will be a cold day in Hell before I rat someone out about a house problem. I think I'd be more likely to snitch on a murderer then to tattletale to the city about something related to the condition of a neighbor's house. It just seems so minor in the scheme of things. Meth houses and dope dens not tolerated; a car in the driveway under repair, a trailer parked next to the driveway, a bush overgrown, toys in the yard, trash put out early (but no trash left out in a pile, that's a different ballgame because of vermin), maybe an extra cat or dog--odds are, if someone's complaining, it ain't me.

Blogging Tony and Darla Part the Second

Tony and Darla have not taken any callers yet. I hope they do. Interesting--KMBZ doesn't have many real ads on their streaming audio--just PSAs and promos for station programing. Well, back to the show.

2009--not one of Darla's favorite years [Amen!]. Hoping 2010 will be better--a whole 'nother decade. Tony wrote the list. Best Trends of 2009: Tea Parties--much to Darla's surprise. Tony: There was an impact by the Tea Party movement. Today's poll: Tea Party movement regarded better than both republicans and democrats. Discussion of crappy voter turnout: less than 10% for COMBAT Tax vote. Mike Sanders isolating vote from any other votes to pass this [miserable] tax.

More trends: Kansas City School Board forums--to get/beg people to get involved. Tony went and saw a turnout of 100 people. People said they would indeed run. Eric Leonard West is considered a good change from the usual run of KCMSD board members--like Helen Ragsdale, whose daughter is a principal of one of KC's high schools [no conflict of interest there--snort.] Sup John Covington has not set the world on fire yet, but has done some--

[Whoops! Have to sign into the Wi-Fi again!]

More trends--joined in progress--P&L District not doing well business wise except for Constantino's Market.

Missouri Ethics Commission getting going in Jeff City.

Gloria Squitero--going back to City Hall. "Barefoot in City Hall" is just the best stuff to write about!!! The suspense is killing Tony!

Darla: Biggest and best trend for 2009--the Tea Parties

Tony: Biggest and best trend for 2009--the hope that Gloria Squitero will be coming back to City Hall, and giving Tony new blog fodder.

The Worse Trends, as listed by Tony: Restaurant closings outside of P&L District and surrounding downtown area, over 15 establishments--recession, smoking ban, etc. as well as P&L District sucking all the retail air out of the room. Now P&L struggling, plus district lacks character and variety.

Funkhouser recall failure--[for some reason] Darla is glad it failed.

All the newspaper layoffs and the continued struggle of the Kansas City "dead tree media"

MAST merger/takeover, Combat tax renewal, Cauthen suspension rammed through the City Council by political gamesmanship by the mayor and select council members.

Mayoral candidates announcing two years early. Fear of a continual reelection, people always running for the office--how in the world do you get any thing done? Plus how does the ordinary person keep up with the candidates over such a long course of an election?

Darla and Tony wish each other a Merry Christmas and a "see ya in 2010."

Tony's time with Darla is always way too short. I always enjoy it when they get together. Thanks for reading my little experiment in blogging during their talk together. You can find Tony's news, rumors and pictures of scantily clad ladies at www.tonyskansascity.com. You can find Darla's stuff here.

Blogging Tony and Darla Part One

It's their fault. It's their fault that I have two blogs. It's all their fault.

You see, Darla had Tony on as a guest on her radio program one evening, talking things Kansas City. Tony talked about his blog, and of course I just had to look and read. I was hooked then, and in the heat of summer, I decided to start a blog of my own. So off we go, listening to Tony and Darla and blogging along: First the current topics, then the best/worst of 2009 in KC news.

Citadel Plaza: Darla--dead project? Tony--TIF for Citadel Plaza pulled. Community Development Corporation in trouble for money and environmental violations. $75-$100 million more needed after the money that no one knows where it went (?$25 million) Drive by the Citadel Plaza site and see it looks like a lunar landing site. First plan was retail and grocery, but neighborhood around it may not support it. Per Tony, currently rats run the property and are shot by little old ladies regularly. [In case you are curious, the property is just north of 63rd street, behind Metro Patrol, cross street Euclid Drive. When I moved here in 1989, the area now devoid of much of anything had several derelict buildings on it. They were torn down, but badly, and now there are EPA concerning hazardous materials on the site. This might be a topic to explore myself. I wonder if this Community Development Corporation is the same bunch that spent more than $25,000 each to rehab two houses at 28th and Tracy. That was some boondoggle!]

Des Moines IA first for business environment--Kansas City getting its butt kicked by Omaha, NE. KC--21st. Big ticket items [i.e. P&L, Sprint Center] vs. slow steady infrastructure development. Other reasons for poor KC business environment: Mayor, two crappy teams, the murder rate, newspaper, union station and liberty memorial sitting empty. Also the earnings tax--supplies 40% of operating budget [That's frightening; it was just supposed to support trash pick up.] JP Morgan locating in Sprint campus on KS side, rather than downtown KC or SKC. Wal-Mart conventions leaving--Tony broke this in summer. Overall theme of this trend: business leaving/not coming to KCMO.

Wayne Cauthen. They could not get a crowd together for Cauthen. He was entitled to hearing for 14 days after suspension, but 14 days passed. Cauthen could not get community support from East Side or West Side. Cauthen's payoff--$300,000 or more. Case against Cauthen mounting: power grab over budget. City Council frustrated. Troy Schulte--strong rep, 10+ years at City Hall, has 12 bosses, CM very political job. Schulte is probably safe until next election cycle. City Council supporters Skaggs and Hermann term out, depends on mayor election, rest of council. Schulte gets about 24 months to work.

Third District KS Congressional Race: Darla received odd emails from potential US congress candidate. Tony to Darla: Have you made the big decision about running for congress? Darla: No have not made decision, it's a big decision--going to Florida to think on it and visit with family. Darla: If I win, where will you go on Thursdays, Tony? Tony: I'd just hang around the office, it's nice here. Darla: would you come to Johnson County if I got elected? Tony: I'd have to come in before dusk so I don't get racially profiled. Half hour ends with laughter.

Did you know?

Did you know that there is a plan to rename US 71 highway to interstate 49? Did you know that I-49 runs from New Orleans northward? Did you know the ultimate plan for I-49? Did you know that Red Bridge Road may turn into a major truck route? Did you know that the future of the Bannister Mall site may be as a large distribution center with lots of truck traffic? Has anyone seen any MSM on this?

Bloggy link: www.kansascityconfidential.blogspot.com

There are issues with regard to our beloved South Kansas City--making Red Bridge Road a big traffic carrier will very much impact the quality of life for the entire area west of US 71 (until they change the signs that's what it is!). There was some focus on the plans for the Red Bridge replacement, and everybody attended to it for a little while, but collective ADD set in and now, things may just happen, especially now that the mall site is wide open. It appears that the choices made years ago (e.g. as the blogger above notes, making Red Bridge Road a big exit and Longview Road a small exit) have had a cumulative effect of increasing the potential of screwing up our nice residential areas.

Here's what Red Bridge Road should be--a three lane road between Grandview Road and State Line--no more then a west bound lane, an east bound lane and a left hand turn lane in the middle. It should not be graded or flattened or straightened any more than necessary to do the work to make it three lanes. It should go over or under the RR tracks--it will be much safer in so many ways if the RR crossing is not at the road level. The bridge should just be a bridge, a garden variety bridge over a small river. If John Sharpe and Cathy Jolly permitted the road to be made any bigger than this, they should be removed from office by the voters at the next election.

Another blog link: www.redbridgeroad.blogspot.com

There's so much I don't know. I wasn't as attentive to this one-two-three years ago as I should have been. I missed the recent public meeting about the Bannister Mall site. I have that same charming City-Hall-is-trying-to-put-one-over-on-me feeling as I do when I contemplate the MAST take over process, except I am much less informed and am playing catch up. This may be a harder thing to put in reverse than the MAST takeover, since so much of the planning has already been done. In addition, there are interested parties in places as far away as NOLA watching the process. The sense that south KC is in the process of being totally screwed is hard to shake.

So we'll keep an eye on this mess, with help from other bloggers (I certainly don't expect MSM to help.)

Two Items from Today's KC Star

The first: This item about survival rates in hospitals for patients with cardiac arrest, noting that black folks don't have as high a survival rate. Your link: Survival rate for black cardiac arrest patients patients is far less than whites As a health care provider, I have periodically seen these types of articles. I personally have never seen a patient treated less due to race. I have seen other factors come in, but race--not really. This bears further study--are black people sicker when they come into the hospital? Do some of the drugs used in cardiac life support not work as well on blacks as they do on whites? Is there subtle prejudice? Need more study. Back in July of this year, an article came out on a study of how much variation there was in US hospitals of time of first defibrillation--here's a link to an article about that. A point that can and must improve throughout the system.



Stretch and the TIF commission: Is this man qualified to make decisions about development and tax increment financing in Kansas City?

Background: Council members question nomination of artist to TIF commission.
Okay, looks aren't everything...

In the Wizards' Hunt for the Best Deal, SKC Gets...

Well, ain't that a bummer. The soccer team Kansas City Wizards has been listening to sweet music from out by the Kansas Speed Way, and is very strongly considering taking their field and other assorted goodies to Kansas City, Kansas. The original plan was for a stadium, fields, hotel, and retail at the old Bannister Mall site, but apparently Kansas' Star Bonds, which feature money up front sweetened the deal even more than the TIFs and tax deferments from KCMO and was too much for the Wizards to resist. Mayor Funkhouser has been making noise about trying to keep them from going over, but even he states that there is only so much the city can give.

Cerner, which has a presence at Marion Park, was also going to have some employees at Bannister; they are saying they are still in at the Bannister site, but are also planning to have a site at KCK, and have several thousand employees there.

It's a really tough thing to lose this, especially for Hickman Mills school district, which is already being hammered by the decreased retail base. That land is all potential now, nothing actual, with the Mall taken down. We definitely need Cerner to keep its promises, to stay in Marion Park and to have more facilities at Bannister.

This just bites.

News links:

Wizards stadium project kicked over the state line to Wyadotte County Ks

Sports and Money: stadium nice but Cerner real catch

Leaders Reaction to Soccer Stadium project loss

Village West Eyed for Wizard's Stadium

And this just in--Wyadotte County Endorses Development

That's what I get for checking to see if my links work--news didn't get any better.