Are You Privy to Local African-American History?

The census records for 1860 indicate that over 17 percent of the population in Jackson County were enslaved African-Americans.  But some in the local African-American community were actually free.  One of those former slaves who went on to become not only a free man but a successful businessman was Hiram Young.  Just imagine, if you were wanting to start up a small business and the first purchase on your business plan was your own freedom and that of your wife.  Hiram Young manufactured some of the best and most durable wagons for a long trip from Independence, across the Rocky Mountains, all the way to California and Oregon.  This was probably the most important aspect of this journey.  Local African-American history is rich and important to our local, national, and international stories.  Years ago, the Independence School District recognized their responsibilities to educate children of all races and established segregated black school while naming the school Young School after Hiram Young.  And when surrounding towns in Eastern Jackson County actually refused to educate the very few African-American youths in those communities, the Independence School District and Young School welcomed those students.  This we should be proud of.  Our local African-American heritage is integrated into our local story, a story that shaped and guided a great nation and beyond.  So what is the fate of the old Young School?  At one time, the Independence School District was in partnership with a local civic club to create a community center with an African-American Heritage Room.  But what is the status of that commitment to the African-American community?  This is something that certainly needs to be explored, but in the meantime the school district unloaded the building to Habitat for Humanity who is using the building as a warehouse for house parts and plumbing fixtures.  The photo above shows a row of white porcelain toilets that line the area just outside the old historic building where young African-American students used to line up to enter their school.  Now I’m all for recycling and salvage but not when it dishonors a commitment and a suppressed component of our rich history.  Unfortunately, this is not the only example of public school assets being flushed away while ignoring previous commitments.  It is important for all citizens of the City of Independence to have a voice in the management, maintenance and disposal of public resources.  When these assets have national importance and federal funding is involved (whether from HUD programs, tax credits, CDBG grant programs, etc.), it is actually federal law.  And one might also add, it’s also good government.  And we shouldn’t just look at the law to determine whether we choose to respect or disrespect our own rich heritage which, by the way, does include our fellow citizens of the African-American community.

"Cold November Rain"

Twenty years ago, the Rock-n-Roll hit “Cold November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses hit the US Billboard Hot Chart and peaked at Number 3.  In 1992, November came, it rained, and, yes, it was cold that Sunday morning when about eight neighbors stood on North Spring Street with protest signs to catch the attention of members of the First Baptist Church as they were heading to and leaving from church services.  The issue of the morning was to save the 2-story Victorian home of Bess Truman’s uncle, Judge Gates, at 322 North Spring.  More than just attempting to save a single home, the goal was to save an important Presidential neighborhood that had taken some huge hits in the previous decade by church expansion.  The 300-400 block North Spring, once part of the city’s Truman Heritage District, was possibly the only remaining block of uninterrupted Victorian structures in Independence (and many of those still had carriage houses until a few years before that).  At that time, the home was an important stop for tourists on the National Park Service neighborhood walking tour guided by Park Service Rangers.  In fact, in the early 1990’s, we had several times more tourists visiting Independence than we do today.  Those neighbors with the signs did get the church’s attention but enough to get them to expedite the demolition process, pull in a few strings, get their demolition permit the following day, then run a bulldozer through the home that afternoon, just hours before the City Council meeting.  The First Baptist Church choreographed the event to the minute and pulled off the upset like a Peyton Manning 2-minute offense.  Neighbors were told by city officials that there would be time to discuss and debate, but there wasn’t.  The outrage in the community and on the City Council was so prevalent that the council unanimously approved a demolition moratorium that covered the entire city (the moratorium still exists today in the form of our demolition ordinance).   With the demolition of 322 N. Spring, the First Baptist Church was allowed to construct another entrance into their large parking complex and add a few parking spaces.  The church now had eight entrances from four public streets and alleys.  The church also constructed a suburban-style brick and marble entrance monument that didn’t meet code and size standards in the zoning ordinances.  Neighbors filed a complaint and even convinced the City Board of Adjustments it was wrong and that it needed to comply.  But, as usual, it really didn’t matter; the sign was already built, set in marble and brick, and allowed to remain.  Keep in mind, 9 years before this event, the church demolished several historic homes on west side of Pleasant Street located in the National Historic Landmark District in order to have expanded parking facilities.  And remaining church-owned rental properties on Pleasant and Spring Streets continued to deteriorate awaiting their judgment day.  These local stories of community preservation are well-documented have even been discussed in national venues and conferences.  I’m bringing it up because it’s the twentieth anniversary of the Gates House demolition and because we still, even today, haven’t learned from these stories of our recent past.  Just a few months ago, another prominent institution submitted to the Heritage Commission for demolition a home at 112 N. Crysler (which wasn’t an isolated case).  The Commission rejected the demolition because it was considered “Demolition by Neglect.”  In November of 1992, in the aftermath of the loss of the Gates Home on Spring Street, there was a neighborhood meeting held at the Memorial Building.  Many neighborhood folks showed up including the NPS Superintendent, Ron Mack.  The most memorable person ended up being an elderly gentleman dressed up in a suit and tie claiming to represent the RLDS Church.  He made the most profound statement of the evening:  “We're not here to preserve history.  We’re here to make history!”  He was certainly correct.  History was unfolding then and even today.  It’s the story of one of the most historic communities in the nation that was content to witness much of the visual evidence of that history disappear through Urban Renewal, expansion of churches, and neglect, then wonder why heritage tourism numbers are down. When there is pride in your community, and more importantly, pride in the history of your community, then self-promotion comes naturally.  And successful self-promotion fills not only museums but retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and seats at the Events Center.  Every time I hear "Cold November Rain" on the radio, it reminds me of that Sunday morning 20 years ago.

Patriotism still a Puzzle

We happened to have the TV on "Wheel of Fortune" last night where the evening's theme was a salute to our country's military veterans combined with patriotism.  After all, it was the day after Veterans Day.  Active military soldiers in uniform with their spouses participated in the popular word game for cash and prizes.  In the drama of the "Final Spin" under the category of "On the Map," the puzzle in the picture above was presented.  The word "Missouri" was solved quickly but, for some reason, they all had difficulty in coming up with the name of a city in the state with 12 letters that aligned with the patriotic theme.  It seems we need to get Independence, Missouri ready for primetime!

Grant US Wisdom

During our summer travels, we have visited other presidential communities (see blog entry 8-11-10) to see first-hand how they preserve and promote their history.  We were overwhelmed when we arrived in Galena, Illinois, which is considered one of several hometowns of Ulysses S. Grant, our nation's 18th president.  This little community in northwest Illinios, population 4,329, is at least an hour and a half from the nearest interstate highway but has a tremendous historic district and commercial area.  It boasts of 40 bed & breakfast establishments, yet has just a fraction of the history and historic attractions that Independence has.  There are two tourist visitor's centers, one operated by the city and the other by the local chamber of commerce.  Yes, that's right; their chamber actively promotes heritage tourism in their restored historic railroad depot.  There is even a third center that also promotes tourism, sells souvenirs, and sells tickets to sites.  There are two competing trolley tours charging $15 per head.  House museum tickets go for $12 per head (compared to $5 here) and there were people standing in line at the front door.  We called ahead two weeks in advance to book a Saturday night at a B&B and were turned away from three B&B's because we were only booking one night and ended up staying in a hotel (which was full also).  The business district was lined with specialty shops, restaurants, and people spending money (with no one complaining about the economy).  And this community had neither a Presidential Library nor the presence of the National Park Service (NPS) to assist them with preserving and presenting their history. To top it off, there are five other cities in the nation (White Haven in Grantwood Village Missouri - National Historic Site operated by the NPS, Grant Cottage in Wilton New York - operated as a New York State Historic Site & Museum, Grant's Birthplace in Point Pleasant Ohio - operated as a museum by the Ohio Historical Society, Grant's Boyhood Home National Historic Landmark in Georgetown Ohio, and, of course, Grant's Tomb in Riverside Park in Manhatten New York) that all boast of President Grant sites.  And each of these six "Presidential" communities in four different states treat their single presidential site as a precious national treasure even though President Grant was routinely ranked in the lower quartile in importance considering all US presidents.  Meanwhile, back in Independence, the hometown of Harry Truman, who is listed as one of the top five US presidents, the community hosts practically all of his historic sites (except for the Grandview Farm) including a presidential library & museum, three boyhood homes, and the expanded National Historic Landmark District.  And if our presidential history was not enough, we are the most important community in the country for pioneer trails history, we have religious history, and history in the Civil War and Border War conflicts.  So why do we struggle in preserving our history and promoting our town for heritage tourism?  These blog entries over the last few years are intended to answer those questions and present how entities representing government, non-profit, church, chamber, and school have all worked independently to take focus away from our rich history and, in some cases, to disrespect and degrade not just our local heritage but that of this great nation.  It's no wonder that noted New York Times journalist, A.G. Sulzberger, wrote two years ago that one might conclude that Harry Truman is our community's "less favorite son."

Mortality Rate Goes Up on Spring Street

Just as we are learning of an exciting program from the City to take over 3 abandon, foreclosed, neglected, and derelict homes in the Truman National Historic Landmark District, it is becoming more and more clear (for those with their eyes open) how this part of the neighborhood has had a drop in investments and homes sell for the price of a cheap used car.  On Saturday, the 400 block of North Spring was victim to its second fatality (that we know of) within the last 6 months.  Four police cars, a crime scene van, ambulance, and an unmarked car full of detectives showed up in full force.  If you live on this block, you are more likely to be a victim of a crime, reside next to a sex offender, step on a drug needle, drop dead by the end of the year, and/or all the above.  And don't bother to ask public officials "What the hell is going on?"  Don't bother to tune in to the evening news or open the morning newspaper because you will find out that nothing really happened.  A building can disappear overnight, a duplex can expolode off its foundation, and two separate fatalities can occur, and nobody knows nothing about nothing, it's considered not news-worthy, and, for some strange reason, it's considered "normal."  One can easily see how an early plea to public officials concerning the presence of child rapist, Randy Lande, would be handled under those conditions.  And it's reminiscent of the death that occurred a while back just a few blocks away where a man died from the severe burns he received from a fire in his lap.  Nobody wanted to talk about that and there was nothing in the media to report, although there was short obituary in The Examiner that stated "he loved to garden."  I'm sure there was some "meth" to his madness even though his death was likely listed as accidental (if you can even find the public record).  As citizens are encouraged city-wide to participate in neighborhood watch and being aware of what is happening in the neighborhood blocks around you, here in this corner of the Truman National Historic Landmark District the policy appears to be "don't ask - don't tell."  It seems that the issue is not the need for more police (although we need more police) or that we need to dump federal money into sub-standard housing (although that is welcomed for the most part).  The reality is that there is little open and honest discussion about not just the presence of crime but the very few consequences for those choosing to commit crimes.  And there is very little collaboration between stakeholders.  Many of those who commit crimes do not serve time.  Some are sentenced to counseling.  Those who serve time always get out early.  Even with the most heinous and despicable crime committed against an innocent 8-year-old girl, the convicted criminal gets a reduced sentence because no one wants to sit through the horrific details that would be presented publicly during that trial, not to mention the public exposure of how the system failed to protect a child.  And if these types of problems are normal in the most important neighborhood in our city, then what can we expect in other neighborhoods?  We always look forward to new life coming to reinvigorate our historic residential neighborhood and contribute to our success, although carting out unsuccessful folks in body bags is not what we envisioned for creating these opportunities.

Paved with Good Intentions!

The road to the Temple and the Truman National Historic Landmark District is paved with brick and good intentions but it looks like h**l.  The present design was thoughtfully developed by the best professional landscape architects in Kansas City that public money could buy.  Yes, our Midtown / Truman Road Corridor (M/TRC) Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation hired those consultants and the City of Independence spent the money to give us these brick pavers.  Someone should have suggested to M/TRC way back then that having this type of landscape feature requires a little maintenance, not to mention some pride of ownership.  Ironically, this picture was taken on property owned and maintained by, you guessed it, M/TRC.  We've stated the obvious before but it deserves to be repeated again and again and again..........  The organization that is now getting public money to promote neighborhood revitalization has to lead the community and set high standards for neighborhood stewardship (their own standards), especially when making official judgments of other property owners on whether they've maintained their property good enough to keep their tax abatement.  The picture was taken the day after the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at the Harry S Truman Sports Complex when tens of thousands of visitors were in the KC area visiting tourist sites and spending money.  It is also adjacent to a triangular piece of ground that was supposed to be a beautiful landscaped park to be turned over the City.  Currently, Independence Parks & Rec does not have the budget to maintain additioinal parks due to, in part, added Parks & Rec responsibility at the Falls at Crackerneck Creek, not to mention overall city budget shortfalls for debt payments for the same development.  Under the guidance of the award-winning M/TRC Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, this block and the adjacent block bounded by Lexington, River, Maple, and Union Streets had to be clear cut of buildings to create a better view and path towards the Temple from Truman Road (not sure that goal was achieved).  It is interesting that out of all the structures (primarily historic) that were bulldozed on these two blocks, the one structure M/TRC chooses to remain is the architecturally-unappealing and marginally-maintained Convenience Store who's more recent goal was to introduce cash-and-carry hard liquor into the neighborhood.  Unfortunately, the operators of the store are not the only ones out of touch.  Good folks with good intentions are represented on the M/TRC board and staff, but it should be no surprise that they do not live near this area, and in some cases, do not even live in Independence.  The current leadership like to blame the economy and lack of money for the current state of affairs here and in many other areas of town.  From my observation, there are some very basic principles of civic pride and responsibility and, in the spirit of Harry Truman, just plain common sense that we seem to miss.  Maybe we should work on those while we sit back doing nothing hoping for the local economy to turn around.

Virtual Tour - Circa 2006 Pleasant Street

Technology is great!  We now have the power to virtually travel through any neighborhood in any city from our laptop computers or even our smart phones.  And from the bird's-eye-view mode, we can view an entire neighborhood block to study the historic and architectural setting of our important landmarks.  One of those powerful virtual tools is Bing Maps.  From Bing Maps, you can view the 300 block of North Pleasant Street in the Truman National Historic Landmark District and you get quite a shock.  You see a pile of burned rubble where the Victoria home used to sit at 306 North Pleasant Street.  The arson fire occurred there back in 2006, but the image of its aftermath has continued to be burned in our memory in cyberspace for over 5 years and potentially many more years to come.  This image actually gives you a very interesting perspective of the view shed surrounding the Truman Home National Historic Site and the Truman Neighborhood.  You can most definitely see the results of our poor planning and our obsession for convenient parking.  Each of the buildings in the Truman Neighborhood is not so valuable by themselves but, as a whole, represent a priceless collection and setting for the one of the most important landmarks in the country.  And with President Truman's leadership in the world regarding the rebuilding of post-war Europe, the establishment of the United Nations, the early recognition and support of the State of Israel, and his containment of Communism, one could argue that the Truman National Heritage sites & districts deserve to be listed as a "World Heritage Site" (another US presidential site already is).  Unfortunately, local folks tend to have difficulty thinking beyond our city limits or past the next debt payment from our retail investments.  And folks at the national level do not always look beyond our national borders.  Because we as a community forget about this important history, we, at best, take it for granted and, at worst, disrespect it, and even worst, hand out awards to folks who disrespect it.  As our nation tries to carefully and meticulously reconstruct the vintage buildings and neighborhood surrounding Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois, we carelessly bulldoze homes, wait for a neglected church structure to collapse under its own weight, and say "good riddance" to an abandon Victorian structure on Pleasant Street that disappeared overnight because of a criminal arson.  Even in the small rural community of Lamar, the State of Missouri has been acquiring property around the Truman birthplace home to protect its setting, even though he had lived there only 11 months as an infant.  Will future generations try to put back the missing pieces of the Truman Neighborhood?  And if they do, will they speak kindly of our efforts in community stewardship?  A generation from now, will City Hall still be pumping water down the fake waterfall at Crackerneck Creek?

Historic Preservation Program is Setback Three Decades

In the proposed fiscal year 2012-13 austerity budget for the City of Independence, the Historic Preservation Department has reached an all-time low.  In fact, we are now approaching the level of funding that City Hall put in place in the mid 1980's, during an era when the demolition of historic buildings were considered a religious sacrament and appointments to the Heritage Commission were selected to make sure historic preservation did not happen.  The current budget proposed for Historic Preservation is only $45,856 compared to the budget 10 years ago of $174,112 under the leadership of Mayor Ron Stewart and City Manager Larry Blick.  The proposed budget today is one-fifth of what it was then (accounting for 10 years of inflation).  And back then, we had a viable M/TRC Neighborhood Revitalization Program and an active city-wide not-for-profit for preservation working diligently to preserve and revitalize our historic neighborhoods.  Mayor Stewart even received an award for his leadership in turning the historic community around and making things happen.  Boy, those were the days!  Today, we seem to be struggling in both old and new areas of town.  And our struggles in the new parts of town are draining resources from Old Town, with little hope for changing priorities.  During this budget crisis, one would expect to lose a few years of progress.  But three decades?  I've always heard that a community that forgets its past is doomed for failure.  Maybe that's part of the explanation of the current state of affairs in Harry Truman's hometown.

Independence Preservation - Asleep at the Wheel

It looks like we are getting a "crash course" in how vulnerable out historic resources are here in the Truman National Historic Landmark District.  Late last week, a vehicle hit a power pole on Truman Road at 3:00 am and sent the high-voltage power line tumbling to the ground.  The drive was reported as "Asleep at the Wheel" and likely compromised by more than just sleep deprivation.  The overhead power pole could have very easily fallen onto one of the Wallace Homes at the Truman Home National Historic Site and could have resulted in irreparable damage, fire, or worse.  If that would have happened, Independence would, again, have made the national and international news in a not-so-positive way.  The Truman National Historic Landmark District is one of the few Landmarks in the country that has a 4-lane state highway running through it.  In fact, the traffic coming from the west rolls through routinely at higher speeds expecting to be stopped by only lighted traffic signals.  The residential-scale 4-way stop sign at Delaware Street is regularly missed and automobile accidents occur there all the time.  In fact, I've been involved in a hit and run accident at that very corner from a vehicle that ran through that intersection without stopping.  And heavy truck traffic and city buses can literally shake historic buildings on their foundations.  "Asleep at the Wheel" is a good description of the local revitalization and preservation efforts, which is unfortunate for one of the most historic communities in the Midwest.  At least the good folks at the National Park Service are aware of the problems and were concerned about the recent accident on Truman Road.  Thankfully we have the National Park Service here in Independence doing what they can to protect the interests of 300 million US citizens.  But it's time for locals to get back in the driver's seat and steer clear of disasters before we end up in the national and international media, again.  And for the 20,000 visitors per year who tour the Truman Home National Historic Site, please look both ways when you cross the street (don't assume the cars are going to stop), watch your step on the crumbling sidewalks, and make sure your automobile insurance is up-to-date.

It's Half-Time in the "Finial Four" Challenge

It seems we have casualties of the extreme weather which includes foul winters, dribbling April showers, and how 'bout that recent madness in March.  Mother Nature has descended on the Square with a "full courthouse press."  If you notice at the top of the clock tower of the historic courthouse, each of the four corners is supposed to be topped with urn-shaped "finials" perched on pedestals connected with balustrades in a very classic style of colonial revival architecture.  The design of the 1930's renovation of the courthouse was driven by the highest elected official of the County of Jackson, Judge Harry S Truman.  Even though the existing finials are a product of the award-winning courthouse exterior restoration from only about 10 years ago, each is in a state of severe deterioratioin, one on the southest corner had actually fallen off last year, and a second one fell off this week.  Yes, we are now 2 for 4 which makes it half-time in the contest of guessing how long it will take for the last one to drop.  If you look cl;oser, you can see at least one of those finials resting in the main roof gutter where it could also be contributing to other problems with keeping the building water-tight.  To the county's credit, they followed strict historic preservation standards in going with wood materials and even following every detail from the original blue prints dated September 2, 1932 that included Harry Truman's signature and stamp of approval.  The county's restoration was most definitely award-winning, but why do we already have failure with the finials?  A lot of experts agree that many of the products and materials that were available 80 years ago were a much higher quality than what is readily available today, especially when it comes to wood.  The worst thing that could happen to our investments is that they fail prematurely and actually contribute to deterioration to other historic elements because we were compelled to strictly follow historic preservation standards.  We have advancements in building materials that perform exceptionally very well in restoration projects.  Taking advantage of higher-performance products does not compromise historic preservation but can actually enhance historic preservation.  And giving property owners more flexibility when it comes to alternative materials will make historic preservation more agreeable and make it easier to initiate discussions on expanding the existing small local historic district, which seems to be the primary dilemma with local preservation efforts.  The City of Independence Heritage Commissioin and city staff needs to recognize this when they review projects with respect to preservation standards in the Truman Heritage District.  To emphasize this point, I suggest we have a city-wide contest for citizens to guess the exact time and date for which the last finial falls.  It's likely to go down to the buzzer.  And the winner could clain to be the champion of the "Finial Four."

Mismanaged Public Assets Become Liabilities

The investments we make, as citizens and taxpayers of Independence, especially for those dedicated to the education of our youth, are significant.  And many of these assets are historic, some are located in struggling neighborhoods, and a few are even located in a National Historic Landmark District.  These places are not just buildings, commodities, or line items on an accounting sheet but reflect the vitality and success of our neighborhoods and our community.  They also represent significant contributions of our forefathers and, in some cases, contributions of individuals and families.  This is one of the things I like about the Independence schools.  Almost all of them are named after and honor outstanding individuals who made a difference (instead of geographic features or directions on a compass).  In some cases, the land was generously donated to be used for the education of our youth.  This heritage should not be taken lightly.  When properties become no longer necessary or viable for their intended use, it doesn't mean that we stop maintaining them or practically give them away to anyone with a plan.  It was obvious that the old Pitcher Elementary School had not been maintained for the last few decades, which can be mostly attributed to its time under the care of the Kansas City School District.  It appeared that the grass had not been cut all year.  And it was reported that vagrants had been using the building and had even been using the lights and the air conditioning.  No one was really surprised by the recent arson and some may have actually welcomed it.  Does this honor the Pitcher family?  Does this honor our community?  We should respect the valuable public assets that have been passed down to our care.  If there are surplus properties, then every effort should be made to make sure those properties are maintained, cleaned up, and protected from damage and criminal activities.  If the ownership gets transferred to a private entity, then legal provisions should be in place to take back properties where plans have not materialized and promises have been broken.  Any new plans and rezoning efforts have to involve the surrounding neighborhoods and be compatible with adjacent land and, in some cases, historic preservation guidelines.  It seems that the only tool in the tool box for surplus school buildings is to convert them into low-income housing.  If the surrounding blocks are already saturated with low-income housing, then placing a big block of even more low-income housing doesn't seem appropriate or sustainable.  If the developer promises to reserve it only for senior housing, then what happens decades from now when ownership changes and agreements expire?  We tend to look ahead only about 5 to 10 years.  There are numerous instances here in Independence where planners did not have much foresight.  Appropriate planning and community discussions need to occur early as opposed to just moth-balling these assets while waiting for anyone to come along with a bail-out plan.  The Independence School District used to have a Facilities Planning Committee made up of community-minded folks and professionals that met regularly and planned walk-throughs of district properties.  This committee has been inactive since Dr. Hinson has been superintendant.  We can and we should do a better job with our public assets.  So why don't we?

The Real Independence Events Center

Come to the "Real" Independence Events Cneter.  It's the place where fur traders did business, where pioneer trails began to open up western territories of this great country, where slaves were bought and sold, where Civil War battles were fought, where brave soldiers died, where US Presidents delivered speeches, where regional banks conducted international trade, where one of the greatest US Presidents honed his political skills, where outlaws of the Old West were jailed, and where religious leaders came to spread the Word.  It is the center where events occurred that actually changed the lives of local citizens and shaped a great nation.  If anyone asks you if you've been to the Independence Events Center, ask them if they mean the real one or the one down south for minor league games and the occasional concert and, yes of course, cage fighting.  Is it the one our forefathers built and graciously passed down to us or is it the one we borrowed over $80,000,000 so we can enjoy it today while leaving the debt to future generations?

Full Frontal Disclosure

This entry is to give equal billing and to provide full disclosure of tax-exempt properties posting signs to persuade citizens to vote on tax-related issues (see blog entry from 10-27-10 "Would Jesus Vote Yes on Amendment 3?"). In the recent election last Tuesday, several frontal areas of the front yards on Delaware Street were displaying "Vote Yes for a Safer City" here in the Truman Neighborhood. At least 2 of those homes had been granted tax abatement through the Midtown / Truman Road Corridor (M/TRC) Neighborhood Revitalization Program. And one of those homes is the residence of a familar face on City 7 (the taxpayer-supported public access information channel which is accessible through Comcast Cable, Facebook, YouTube, Vineo, & the City's website and had been broadcasting "Vote Yes" messages for many weeks from the City Council chambers). It's certainly noteworthy that homeowners who do not pay any property tax are willing to post a sign and actively campaign for higher taxes for the rest of the community. It was just a few weeks ago that the Kansas City Star Editorial Board published a column in the newspaper commenting about the campaign and City Hall using expressions like "damage their creditability" and "neither honest or transparent" and "should not be trying to mislead residents." As most citizens are aware, the "No's" won that election last Tuesday (by almost a 3 to 1 margin, the highest margin I recall in any election over the last few decades). Frankly speaking, I don't believe anyone came out a winner on this issue. I recall a few years ago when we had a spike in neighborhood crime and a few citizens complained about it to their public officials. City Hall soon after that removed most of the annual crime statistics from their website and accused those annoying complainers as being alarmists and spouting harangue. Those same officials would end up doing a complete 180 and use the same tactics they criticized to convince voters that the crime wave is upon us. As folks try to put a spin on the election results, we are starting to hear that it was all about our poor citizens who couldn't afford the extra tax. But from what we heard in the community, not to mention the KC Star, it seemed to be about creditability, honesty, transparency, and leadership. In hindsight, our "Vote Yes" efforts to fight crime and improve public safety here in Harry Truman's hometown might have been more successful if the City Council had not campaigned at all or had actually come out against the tax!

St. Mary's Launches Hail Mary Pass to Lee's Summit

As local preservation and revitalization efforts on the grid iron grind to a halt, Old Town Independence ends up with another Trojan Horse. The Kansas City - St. Joseph Diocese announced recently their game-winning touchdown pass while scoring on some valuable real estate in Lee's Summit. The Diocese officialy announce in late January that it plans to merge St. Mary's and O'Hara High Schools and build a new high school in the booming area of Lee's Summit. To state in the Examiner article that St. Mary's is a "longtime facility" appears to be the understatement of the year. The school, as reported, dates back to 1853 making it even older than the Independence Public Schools. I believe that makes St. Mary's the oldest (or one of the oldest) high school in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River. The presence fo the Catholic Church here in Independence predates manyof the Protestant denominations and the arrival of Joseph Smith. The long and rich history of the Catholic Church on this property in Old Town is something to be celebrated and should be a source of pride. The local comminity should extend gratitude to the Catholic Church for their historic commitment to Old Town. Several years back I recall some encouragement that the high school was interested in staying when they demolished a Victorian home on the northwest corner of Main & College Streets for, what was stated in a public meeting, the construction of a library facility. Obviously, the library was never built and we are left with yet another empty lot. St. Mary's decision to move actually makes sense. A modern institution of learning combined with a successful athletic program requires much more space than they have on Main Street. And for this kind of investment to be financially viable, it has to be in a growing area. And to quote the St. Mary's official; this part of town is "not growing" (which could be interpreted as a polite way of saying the current area of town is in decline). I've alway believed that the true character of an institution should be judged not just on what direction they are headed but also for what they leave behind. Every time an institution leaves the Truman Neighborhood and Old Town (and we've had numerous), huge voids are left. Community-based efforts and planning are necessary to not only determine how to fill voids and empty spaces that sustain and build up our community (without the dependency of expensive public subsidies), but also how to retain outstanding institutions, businesses, and young families in the city's historic core. This is the challenge that no one seems to be interested in. The biggest concerns at City Hall appear to be focused on filling voids in the retail development in the Little Blue Valley, a development type that has traditionally had a life-span of maybe 1 or 2 generations at best. Old Town Independence has been around for 8 generations and continues to have the potential to play even a larger role in the educational, economic, and spiritual development of the city and the nation. When we put all our eggs in one valley, don't be surprised when the creek rises and washes them away.

Landlady Loses Two Tenants

Our infamous absentee landlady, who got the attention of the
entire Missouri State Legislature and every media outlet when she place a
registered sex offender (Randy Lande) adjacent to the First Baptist Church Day
Care Center, recently lost two tenants from her buildings near the corner of
Spring & Farmer Streets. The first
loss was a nice gentleman who actually lived there only a few months but was
compelled to move out a few weeks ago. In his own words, he had witnessed too much crime and drugs and was
worried about his own safety. The circumstances
of the second tenant leaving must have been a premonition of the first
tenant. You see, the second tenant left
a week later allegedly in a body bag. Just like the duplex on Pleasant Street, I’m sure the Landlady, with
these new vacancies, can give you a “Move in Special.” If anyone tells you that the biggest obstacles
to the preservation of Truman Neighborhood is poor sidewalks, inadequate
signage, and inconsistent preservation standards, then we have even more evidence
of locals under-the-influence. I can't
image anyone living near the corner of Farmer & Spring believing that the
state of the neighborhood and the city is good. Oh well, life goes on in the Truman National Historic Landmark
District. But in some cases, it doesn’t.

Judgment Day on Pleasant Street

Boy, have we got a deal for you. The duplex at 527-529 North Pleasant mentioned in the last blog entry and on March 19, 2011, appears to be ready for you to rent and, according to the sign in the yard, has a "Move In Special." Yes, this is the site of our local "Armageddon" where we had people behaving badly, chaos, the earth trembling, explosions, fires, and the heaven storming down on and into the building. The adjacent high-rise apartment building with the best view of the property even had the address "666" a few years ago (until local religious leaders changed it). All signs point to this being the place to be to witness all the action during the "End Times" in 2012. Just remember, you don't have to go to the Independence Events Center to witness the epic and dramatic clashes of Good vs. Evil. And if you don't prefer this property, this landlord has over a hundred other properties in Independence where, I'm sure, he can cut you a deal without selling your soul.

“For Us it’s Love of God and Love of Neighbor”

The above is a quote of Pastor Scott Myers of the
176-year-old congregation of the Westport Presbyterian Church after surveying what was left of the devastating fire (12-28-11) that gutted their circa 1904 stone church structure located in the heart of historic Westport, a small pioneer trails community actually founded 3 years before the establishment of the Town of Kansas (Kansas City). West Port was established by John Calvin McCoy in 1835 and was an elder at this church. John Calvin was an acquaintance and likely business associate of William & John McCoy of Independence but was not a directly related to them. The church and the adjacent environs have a well-documented and rich history. But it’s been more recent history that is most interesting and where there are valuable lessons on neighborhood preservation and the vigilant struggle against urban blight. During “white flight” and the urbanization of Kansas City beginning in the 1960’s, many Kansas City churches locked their doors, boarded up their stained glass windows, and literally abandoned neighborhoods at a time when the spiritual needs of the community were great. Instead of following the popular trend of that time period and taking the easy path to the suburbs, Westport Presbyterian Church made the decision to stay in its historic setting even though their congregation was dwindling also. That’s right; they decided to be a part of the solution instead of being a part of the problem. Westport Presbyterian became an active participant in the preservation and revitalization of the Westport neighborhood and business district. They didn’t do it buying up property, expanding their parking, and creating a barrier between neighborhood and church. They did it by reaching out their hand to assist their neighbors and being an integral part of practically every aspect of the neighborhood including youth and elderly programs, the arts, environmental concerns, city planning, fighting crime, and, yes of course, spreading the Word of God. Many community-based nonprofit organizations consider Westport Presbyterian Church their headquarters and many of those were actually established by the church and church members. They were not just a landlord of agencies and programs but an overseer and stake holder actively participating in the success of those activities. This is how it is supposed to work! Here in Independence, we had even more opportunities for these types of partnerships, but unfortunately most of those related to the Truman National Historic Landmark District not only failed to occur but resulted in adversarial relationships. In fact, one prominent religious leader actually made the public statement that their purchase of additional residential properties surrounding church properties was for “self defense.” Please pray for and support the good Christian folks at Westport Presbyterian and be supportive of churches that build bridges instead barriers to their neighborhoods and communities.

Top Eleven for 2011

11. The duplex at 527-529 N. Pleasant, the site of alleged drug activities, an explosion, arson, etc., continues to sit with “Dangerous Building” tags for several years now. Its location at the Pleasant Street entrance into the new and expanded National Historic Landmark District is dropping property values, is a local public nuisance and a national disgrace. See blog from March 19th.
10. Further up the street at 419 N. Pleasant is a home actually owned by the City who has promised to restore it using funds from the National Stabilization Program (NSP). The City was actually recognized by HUD in their investments in other parts of town while ignoring a project in the one of the most important neighborhoods in the country. This property has been a contributing element of the National Historic Landmark District since 1971. See blog entry from March 17, 2010.
9. On that same note, the Independence School District continues to leave an empty historic school building, ironically also on Pleasant Street, while also taking their successes further west. Because of the mold contamination left by ISD, potential developers have no choice but to spend money cleaning up the mess, thus limiting what they can do for investing in the property.
8. The empty parking lot owned by Bank of America continues to have a purpose for only Santa-Cali-Gon and to serve as blight for one of the east entrances into the National Historic Landmark District. Unfortunately, Connect Ministries who pocketed easy cash selling parking spaces didn’t bother to clean up the mess left by the previous Santa-Cali-Gon and the one before that. The cycle continues! At least it is not on Pleasant Street.
7. And directly across the street from Bank of America’s infamous parking lot, the Truman Heartland Community Foundations moves out of Truman’s true heartland, his beloved neighborhood.
6. The neighborhood’s problem with absentee landlords who actually prefer those with a criminal record and who are registered sex offenders finally get the attention of government officials but it wasn’t until after the brutal rape of an 8-year-old girl on Pleasant Street. No, the attention wasn’t from local officials but from the entire Missouri State Legislature who acted quickly to close loop holes that put neighborhood children in danger.
5. Planning continues for sidewalk improvements along Delaware Street and undergrounding utilities with ground breaking hopefully this year. Still waiting to see, in our quest for authenticity, if the absentee landlord at 315 N. Delaware will correct his driveway expansion which should determine if the city enforces preservation standards equally for everybody. And speaking of those standards, will the stamped and stained concrete actually look like the historic pavers? Let’s hope so, but history will judge.
4. City Hall loses its full-time Preservation Manager, Wendy Shay, resulting in almost a 40 percent drop in the Historic Preservation Department’s budget. Yes, the Historic Preservation Department is doing its part to pay for shortfalls in the Bass Pro Development in the Little Blue Valley. But reducing the budget so drastically the same year the Truman National Historic District is expanded to almost 3 times its original size is not an appropriate demonstration of support.
3. After publishing the blog “Taking it to the Next Level” on April 3rd, the City has agreed to make a substantial investment in the National Frontier Trails Center. Great move!!! Yes, Old Town Independence is not just about Harry Truman.
2. The McClain’s continues to have success in opening several more businesses on the historic Square. Now that the Independence Square in an important piece of the new expanded National Historic Landmark District, the McClain’s should be receiving “National” awards for these tremendous contribution.
1. And in the biggest news for the area, on July 27th, 2011, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, officially announced the expansion of the Truman National Historic Landmark District making it one of the largest Landmark Districts in the country. Thank you to the National Park Service officials and staff for compiling the 250-plus-page nomination paperwork and the neighbors and city staff who organized the celebration event in November. The next step should be to actually make the national district a part of the city’s local planning and zoning efforts with the expansion of the city’s Truman Heritage District.

Yes, some positive things are happening but we obviously have a lot of work to do. The ultimate privilege and honor of hosting an important National Historic Landmark District means that local governments, institutions, schools, and churches should put the stewardship of their properties located within the district at their highest priority. Is this the case in Independence? Well, 2012 is a new year with new opportunities. Happy New Year! And, in the spirit of the blog from July 17th, “Happy Founder’s Day!!!”