Sunday, July 31, 2011

Thank You National Park Service!

With all the turmoil in Washington DC with the budget talks, federal folks at the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service did get something right. Wednesday, the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, officially announced the boundary expansion of the Truman National Historic Landmark District. This should be a time of celebration and pride, but more importantly; this should be a call for us as a community to roll up our sleeves and get to work. This means all the newly designated properties are now eligible for several tax credit programs for rehabilitation and preservation. This means our beloved Courthouse which has been struggling for funding is now eligible for more grants. Logic and common sense leads most folks to conclude that what is important to the nation should also be important to local citizens. So let’s move forward to expand the local Truman Heritage District boundaries to align with the national boundaries. And last but not least, this means our Tourism Department, economic development community, Chamber of Commerce, Community Development Department, and our business community of bankers, realtors, restaurants, etc. have more ammunition to promote our historic community. Congratulations to the citizens of the United States for this effort led by past Superintendent Jim Sanders and the entire team from the NPS. Thanks also to local citizens to traveled to Washington DC to provide testimony in the public hearings. You will probably here on City 7 at Monday’s City Council meeting city officials take credit for this action. The fact is that direct decisions by the City Council to approve several demolitions on Truman Road actually caused the NPS to go back to the drawing board with the application and reduce the boundaries of the district (you won’t hear that on City 7). City Hall will deserve praise and credit only after the local Truman Heritage District boundaries are expanded to match the federal district. Preservation happens primarily at the local level. It sounds like the Historic Preservation Manager position at City Hall is not just important but will be critical to the future success of the new and improved Truman National Historic Landmark District. By the way, that position is currently vacant.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Happy Founder’s Day!

Hope everyone will be taking part in the celebrations. It is a day we remember those who came before us, who took a chance and settled here at the edge of the frontier, and who outfitted the wagon trails that settled the western half of the country. It will be a day that we want our yards to be spruced up and have the stars and stripes proudly displayed. Visitors will be walking on the sidewalks so be sure to wave and welcome them. We have a lot to be proud of living here in Independence. Even our name projects a spirit of patriotism and pride. It was Pulitzer Prize winning author and noted historian, David McCullough, who said in reference to this area, “I can’t think of another piece of landscape of similar size where so many things happened that have been of significance in to the story of America.” That means our Founder’s Day is not just important to those of us who live here, but it is even more important to all citizens of this great nation. So when is Founder’s Day? This day is actually easy to remember and you won’t even need to mark it on your calendar. You see, practically every day is Founder’s Day here in Old Town Independence. It is celebrated 361 days a year. In fact, everything we do to make our properties shine is a celebration of our tremendous history. From the Truman Home National Historic Site on Delaware Street, 20,000 visitors from all over the world walk our sidewalks and view our streetscapes. Very few communities have the opportunities to shine and celebrate what we have here in Old Town Independence. So let’s observe Founder’s Day!!! But why only 361 days a year and not 365? Well, there’s this event called Santa-Cali-Gon on Labor Day weekend where we actually make it difficult for visitors to get to many of our historic sites and where we actually reward those who have paved over our history with lucrative parking sales. Yes, that’s right, we actually have more incentives to bulldoze than we do to preserve here in Old Town. So, please, as you greet folks today and tomorrow and the next day and the next and ……………… , wish them a “Happy Founder’s Day.” If someone asks you about Founder’s Day, then tell them “except for 4 days in September, every day is Founder’s Day here in Independence!”

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Is it Time to Clean the “Chamber” Pot?

We were pleased that the independence Chamber of Commerce (ICC) decided to locate here in Old Town, especially on the north side the Square where acres of blighted asphalt remained in the fallout of Urban Renewal. Their new building was attractive and we figured the local business community and civic leaders would not tolerate the new ICC headquarters being adjacent to undeveloped and blighted empty spaces. But we were wrong. As it turned out, the open space was actually critical for ICC’s Labor Day festival, Santa-Cali-Gon, its primary source of revenue. We appreciate The Examiner’s recent reporting about concerns in the local business community and, yes, past reporting about situations down in the Little Blue Valley. It’s interesting to read in The Examiner that the ICC Board spokesperson defending the executive leadership of ICC was the same spokesperson for the City Manager and the City Council in a meeting in early March defending their stealth approach to millions of dollars in debt payments after short falls in the Bass Pro development. Now I’m no accountant and do not think organizations should be judged solely on their bookkeeping. If it were me, I would first judge the current ICC leadership (board members & executives) on performance by asking the following questions:



· Are ICC leaders offering appropriate leadership in the community and at City Hall when it comes to present economic conditions, especially at the Bass Pro development?


· Is ICC promoting not just business development in Independence but also promoting members to actually live within the city limits of Independence?


· Is ICC promoting attractive economical development tools offered by state and federal governments, i.e., Historic Preservation Tax Credits for historic properties and tourism-related business opportunities?


· Is ICC taking advantage of its location in the heart of local tourist sites and The Square to promote Heritage Tourism?



While traveling recently through a small community 500 miles from here (pop. less than 1,500) we picked up a wonderful 48-page full-color magazine promoting local businesses and tourist sites published by the local chamber of commerce. It was obvious that the local chamber was not just supporting its own organization but was promoting the local community and surrounding towns while focusing on its strengths: heritage tourism. There was a sense of community, cooperation, and pride with all the businesses and sites. We ended up staying 3 nights and spending a few bucks. And it was about 50 miles to the nearest Interstate Highway. Here in Independence, we have so much more to offer travelers. But I’ll ask one more question. Are we as a community prepared to take advantage of these opportunities?