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."