On September 7, 2013, 80 years from the last rededication
ceremony which was under the guidance and leadership of Presiding Jackson
County Judge, Harry S Truman, we are blessed with a wonderful interior and
exterior restoration of the historic County Courthouse. I applaud Mike Sanders, County Executive, and
his partners at the County Legislature and County Public Works and the
professional designers, restoration consultants, and construction contractors for
the completion of this three phase project.
And it was accomplished using county resources, delivered on time, and
under budget. This project fulfills one of the main goals in
the City of Independence’s “Tourism Strategic Plan,” complied in 1998 by
consultants from Arizona, to create a tourist visitor’s center within the
courthouse. Yes, it has taken 15 years to
fulfill that goal stated in that Tourism Plan that, frankly speaking, is a strategy
that was outdated years ago. The City of
Independence tried to take the leadership on the courthouse restoration project
about 6-7 years ago and even produced floor plans on how they wanted every
corner of the space used in the courthouse.
Then somebody from the city figured out the obvious, “It’s a County
building, not a City building, and we have no control over it!” Thanks again to the County of Jackson and
for providing wonderful space for the priceless collection of the Jackson
County Historic Society archives and a research center. Also the McClain’s deserve a big “Thank You”
for the display of their priceless collection of artwork in the County’s wonderful
second floor gallery and adding another dimension of importance to the historic
courthouse and the Independence Square.
Job well done!
