Major Restoration Project on The Square, and It's a Gamble

One of the largest restoration projects is occurring right now on the Square.  No, unfortunately, it's not an investment in the abandon circa-1910 City Hall building in the Truman NHLD.  It’s Ken McClain’s brand-new Market Square Townhouses that were designed by architect Jim Gamble who was also the Project and Construction Manager.  Keep in mind Gamble had oversight of every aspect of this project.  It appears now that the entire facades on the buildings are failing before the units have even been sold.  Maybe it is good that the units have not sold after a year of marketing them.  Empty units are much easier to fix.  In spite of the fact that public assistance has gone into the project, there have been no public statements explaining the problems.  We still get the “Real People – Real Progress” spin and accolades for the development on social media.  It appears at street level that the culprit is excessive moisture intrusion after witnessing the darkened wood sheathing boards behind the building wrap.  These types of problems, if they occur, usually appear after 5 to 10 years of building occupation.  To have them occur this soon and even prior to occupation at least hints that this is very serious.  The project was plagued from the very beginning by excluding public hearings and stakeholder participation, environmental assessments typical of urban sites absent, suggestions for archaeological investigations deemed unnecessary burdens, and the mystery of missing local and state permits.  Demolition debris from the site that dated to Urban Renewal land clearance was dumped in a ravine in eastern Jackson County.  The building site had an abundance of ground water at times resulting in utility crews playing multiple scenes of the Keystone Kops.  Construction quality control issues were visible from the street with other less-visual incidences posted on social media by disgruntled workers, whatever that is worth.  All of this combined with City Hall taking a “hands off” approach, common with politically connected developers, resulted in a finished product that has already required substantial renovation.  And the question that city leaders refuse to answer, did McClain fulfill his obligation to meet schedules and receive tax credits, a prerequisite for the receiving free land with no public hearing?  We wish the McClain’s good luck in remediating the issues and hope that continued problems do not exist (as in the previous blog post).  If problems do continue, we can always follow the current trend: turn it into low-income senior housing.  And yes, with Architect Jim, what can we say?   I’m not going to take the bait with a witty pun.  Use your own imagination this time!

ISD Didn't Get Their Ducts in a Row

As one of the most blogged stories, the Palmer School debacle as received the most print.  The award-winning historic preservation project was a clear success at the time of the ceremonial ribbon-cutting because it came from a partnership between the school district and a committee of citizens that represented many aspects of the community, i.e., historic preservation, building construction, engineering, education, etc.  It was a unique process set up by Superintendent Dr. Rock to provide stakeholder involvement at every step along the way from assessment, planning, design, and financing.  The project itself was a unique adaptive reuse of a historic property in the Truman National Historic Landmark District that moved professional administrators/educators to the historic Square area within walking distance to restaurants, shops, banking, churches, and governmental offices.  Other community partners such as adjacent churches and City Parks & Rec were brought into the project for cooperative and coordinated parking arrangements that worked very well.  The ISD and the community partners appeared to have all their “ducks in a row.”  Then along came Dr. Jim Hinson.  During construction, Hinson approved a change order removing all the return air ducts on the project to cheapen the HVAC system.  Unfortunately, this led to the HVAC system pulling return air from not just ceiling plenums but also from historic pipe chases that were allegedly connected to mold in the basement/cellar and bat feces in the attic.  After operating the system for 5 years, it eventually made a lot of district employees sick including Dr. Hinson who was actually hospitalized.  But rather than admit to any mistakes made, ISD hired Ken McClain’s HFM Law Firm to threaten legal action against their own insurance company for a problem they created.  Instead of taking any settlement money and using it to clean a prominent property dedicated to our community’s youth for 150 years in the heart of the Truman National Landmark District, the contaminated building is sold for subsidized senior housing, a building Dr. Hinson claimed could never be cleaned enough for ISD employees.  Even the developer who purchased the property refused to discuss environmental clean-up or to even acknowledge environmental issues associated with the property, thus, maintaining Dr. Hinson’s secrecy/coverup over the matter, and reinforcing our assessment that no one really knows what they are doing.  Keep in mind, if senior residents complain about respiratory health, it can be written off as a symptom of, well, just getting old.  The residential facility was planned without the involvement of community stakeholders and even excluded adjacent churches with over a 200-year history in the community.  In the Pitch article (08-02-2017), referenced in the previous post, it quotes Shawnee Mission School patron and librarian, Jan Bombeck’s take on Dr. Hinson, “Something’s wrong with this man.”  And as we think hard to attempt to explain that statement, we realize it may have something to do with his time occupying space at the Palmer Building.  As you know, there may be something to the old expression, “Bat Sh*t Crazy!”

School Superintendent, Not So Super!

An interesting article appeared in the Pitch last month, August 2, 2017 (http://www.pitch.com/news/article/20971273/jim-hinson-shawnee-missions-swaggering-superintendent-vanished-after-parents-spoke-up-what-happened) outlining the misadventures of Dr. Jim Hinson as superintendent of the Shawnee Mission School District and the highest paid public school official in the state of Kansas.  Here in Independence, we know him, too, and the article was most interesting concerning his time in the Independence School District, especially regarding his special relationship with board member, Matt Mallinson.  We get some revealing information about Matt who is also a board member of the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA).  Some might recall him as representing the “National Trails” interest in what Mayor Weir presented at a public meeting as an official endorsement of the MACO Northcreek rental duplex project also supported by the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC).  Yes, most folks don’t realize this but OCTA, under Mallinson's leadership, has expanded its mission to provide design review and endorsements of publicly-subsidized housing projects.  You might also recall Mr. Mallinson as promoting the less historic trace of the old national trails on River Boulevard that grants him economic advantages in promoting his business at Gilpintown, a faux history site.  The tax payers of Independence and Sugar Creek were forced to purchase Mallinson family-owned real estate at over 6 times the county’s assessed value while Hinson gave away naming rights for the school to the Mallinson family, a tradition usually reserved for those who give to youth education, not take away.  Then we were forced to invest further in this property moving dirt and leveling the site just to make it suitable for a building.  The photo above highlights one of the most significant investments on the property as viewed from the school’s entrance near Forest & Mallinson Streets: the fill dirt.  Yes, politics has its perks.  And I almost hesitate to say that the "dirt" in local politics is literal and figurative.  During Dr. Hinson’s time in Independence and his “autocratic style,” he disposed of almost all the district’s inventory of historic buildings without consulting the district’s community-based Facilities Planning Committee.  It’s no wonder the Pitch article refers to the real estate transaction as “incestuous” while suggesting that Independence patrons and leaders are unengaged.  We elect school board members to represent all the tax payers and account for the limited resources we have for investments in our community’s youth.  We don’t elect them to represent their own financial interests or that of their family members.  Yes, it is good that Dr. Hinson has moved on, but we still end up with a management structure modeled by Hinson and a school board that’s not really interested in leading.  “Is it good for the children?”

Mistakes Made - "All in the name of Progress"

On Friday, August 25, 2017, Missouri Preservation announced its MISSOURI’S 2017 HISTORIC “PLACES IN PERIL” which included another sequel appearance of the Harry S Truman National Historic Landmark District.  It’s like the sequel for a National Lampoon’s version of “Independence Day” and “Ground Hog’s Day.”  At least this time the Mayor acknowledged the announcement and stated that “there have been mistakes made” but then followed by “all in the name of progress.”  Maybe that is why they also needed to keep reminding themselves with all those billboards proclaiming “REAL PROGRESS” so we would have visual aides to actually point to something real, a billboard (?).  So, yes, the City Council and the Mayor are successful with billboards.  The application to Missouri Preservation cites the demo of two homes near the Truman Home (blog entry 8-21-09),  Landmark District gerrymandering and confusion (blog entry 9-29-10), the neglect and abandonment of the circa 1910 City Hall (blog entries 6-17-10 and 6-20-10), poor planning processes for the brand new Market Square Townhouses (which have already suffered from poor construction and façade failures), the neglect and abandonment of the circa-1895 First Baptist Church, the mismanagement of the Palmer School by district officials (blog entries 8-10-09, 10-11-09, 5-25-11, and 11-27-13), poor planning in placing duplexes that impact the Truman District and the National Trail, poor planning and ineffective traffic control for the redevelopment of Heritage House, the continued institutional exodus from the Landmark District and Square area including the Truman Library Institute, and just the basics of lack of leadership, lack of stakeholder participation, unaccountability of developers, and dysfunctional natural nature of city government.  “Mistakes were made” seems to be the understatement of the year.  The Examiner article, which presented more questions than answers, goes on to quote the Mayor who states that solutions are already “embedded in our strategic plan and our comprehensive plan” which no one has seen yet.  So if you believe the Mayor, you can point to those billboards again and say, “That’s real progress!”  Yes, those billboards come in handy!

"Glory Days" Well They'll Pass You By

“Glory Days in the wink of a young girl’s eye” then it’s gone.  Old Glory disappeared Tuesday evening in wink of an eye from an apparent thief on the solemn and respectful grounds of the Truman Presidential Library.  In the recent week, American Flags have also come up missing on several homes in President Truman’s neighborhood.  To put this in perceptive, the last time prominent US flags disappeared in these numbers was in August 11, 1862 when Independence was raided by a group of rebels representing the Confederacy.  This time, Independence is under the siege of criminals and vagrants.  And with an understaffed police force and a community stewardship program that falls short, it is literally open season.  The above photo was posted on social media taken from an employee at the Truman Library.  The disrespect we’ve witnessed in the last few years here in Harry Truman’s hometown is tremendous.  When city leaders try to hide these incidences, pretend they don't happen, and do absolutely nothing, that’s a bigger crime.

"This Place Matters"

In celebration of National Preservation Month, we are reminded of the very heart of the national campaign led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that encourages people to celebrate the places that are meaningful to them and to their communities.  Preservation Month is the perfect time to share it with the world so it compels me communicate that message here.  That campaign which is simply put, “This Place Matters”, is more than just brick and mortar.  It’s about people and institutions with their own visions, values, and stories to tell and pass down to the next generation.  Here in Independence, our stories go beyond our locality to the entire nation and to the world.  The geographic location of those institutions becomes the very setting of their important mission and an extension of their values while facilitating the physical connections necessary for successful community partnerships.  High institutional standards radiate to the adjacent environs and extend to the corridors resulting in community assets that anchor successful city/regional planning for land use, education, economic development, tourism, and preservation.  These places that matter end up attracting other organizations, people, and investment.  So does this describe what is going on in Independence?  Tuesday, we learned that, in order to better fulfill their mission, the Truman Library Institute is leaving the Truman Library, leaving the Truman National Historic Landmark District, and leaving the City of Independence to space in Midtown Kansas City.  And so we should ask these questions.  In its current location, does the adjacent alternative school building that serves young students who aspire to achieve their GED contribute to the mission of the Institute?  Does the adjacent green space with a hiking/biking trail marked as a National Historic Trail which will soon host rows of low-income rental duplexes represent a setting for high institutional standards?  Did the exit of the Midwest Genealogical Center from across the street on 24 Highway open the door for more strategic exits of institutions and investments?  Does the 24 Highway Corridor provide a conduit that encourages high standards of community investments while welcoming visitors to these internationally-recognized institutional properties?  From the historic context of this geography and the local landscape along the Mill Creek Valley, does the “Place” of the Truman Library and its supporting organizations “Matter?”  The front cover and title of Dr. Jon Taylor’s book, “Harry Truman's Independence: The Center of the World,” says it all.

Happy National Historic Preservation Month!
“Place Matters,” but does it really here in Independence?

Top 10 for 2016

10.  In February, heavy digging equipment was noticed at our historic Woodlawn Cemetery.  It took calls to TV news stations and investigative reporters to get the real story of what was going on.  Apparently a storm sewer had failed that traversed through cemetery.  Turns out, the city had actually sold burial plots directly above this sewer line.  The city ended up replacing this storm sewer line with a new line that also ran through the cemetery without the support from an archaeologist instead of rerouting around the cemetery.  To minimize the controversy, the City removed historical information about the cemetery from their website.  So much for "Rest in Peace."

9.  The MACO Northcreek Housing project, a development to bring low-income rental duplexes on property that included a prominent hiking/biking trail marked with “National Historic Trails” signs that connects four city parks and a presidential library, was finally approved for public subsidies from the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) in their second attempt of applications for 2016.  During private meetings in the final hours for the public approval processes for rezoning in 2015, the community was blind-sided by support from two officials from a trails preservation group, OCTA, a group that ironically advocates for the preservation of green space adjacent to our National Trails.  The befuddlement continued in 2016 when the Independence City Council actually pulled a Resolution of Support for the project scheduled for their vote on August 1.  Supporting projects with these resolutions has been routine.  The Mayor and most of the Council instead sent their support for the project in a less visible and quieter manner away from the TV cameras directly to MHDC with form letters.  More to report about this to come in 2017.

8.  After breaking multiple commitments made to the Church, their own tenants, neighbors, several city commissions, the City Council, and even the Independence Public Schools, work to dump more public money into Heritage House, an Urban Renewal era albatross, begins.  Even federal officials from HUD judged the project as a negative impact to adjacent nationally designated historic resources, i.e., the Owen-McCoy House and the Truman National Historic Landmark District, due to the heavy and uncontrolled traffic on the short 180-foot-long dead end street, Ridgeway Avenue.  The city befuddled traffic issues by erecting NO TRUCK signs, then refusing to enforce them.  A new north entrance to the 11-story tall apartment building to relieve neighborhood traffic while improving site access for emergency vehicles, adding ladder truck access to the north side where there is none, and improving delivery truck access, a win-win solution first suggested to the city four years ago, was considered too costly for out-of-town investors in spite of receiving financial subsidies from every level of government.  The project will still not meet current life safety codes after renovation and will be supported by a single fire hydrant connected to a circa-1884 and undersized water main.  Sounds like a project that is preordained to either receive an outstanding achievement award from the locals or end up on the evening news.

7.  Speaking of the Owens-McCoy House, Ridgeway Avenue, and awards, a project to document deterioration and differential movements of the clay brick and lime mortar walls adjacent to Ridgeway Avenue using the latest in 3D laser scanning technology received an annual award for “Innovation in Preservation” in March.  No, it wasn’t from the City of Independence.  It was from Historic Kansas City Foundation.  The project made the lead story on the front page of the Kansas City Star on October 8, 2015, the same day the KC Royals began their storied World Series run in postseason play.  Engineering and information technology students from UMKC and Notre Dame were involved while turning the project into college credit.  The effort concluded that deterioration and wall displacements are three time worse on the walls facing Ridgeway Avenue, the same walls exposed to heavy truck traffic, than the other exterior walls.  So the lessons learned for these young students involved processing data, engineering, and city planning.

6.  We are entering our third calendar year for the construction of the Market Square Townhomes under the guidance of seasoned architect, Jim Gamble, and developer Ken McClain.  In its completion, it will bring an entirely new architectural style, “Enigmatic Neo-Eclectic”, to the Historic Square, thus, adding further to the diversity (and confusion) in styles and housing types for the Truman National Historic Landmark District and its setting.  The extended construction schedule adds perplexity to the entire project since the project team asked for an expedited approval process because of a deadline for a tax credit (?).  That emergency ordinance was passed by the City Council, of course, resulting in public land, an entire city block, gifted to McClain without an open public hearing or design standards to follow.  So was the construction actually expedited and was the deadline achieved?  Now the history of his property that included early 19^th-century businesses supporting the pioneer trails has another chapter.

5.  There was a sighting of Randy Lande, the child sex offender, who raped an 8-year-old neighborhood girl.  No, he didn't break out of prison, but his mug shot appeared again on every TV set in every corner of the state.  He was living in an unsupervised group home in the Truman NHLD because of Cass County Prosecutor, Teresa Hensley, who was running for Missouri Attorney General on a record ironically of protecting children.  Her Republican opponent brought up the Lande case in televised political campaign ads.  The voters responded appropriately.  This is the first time anyone has been held accountable for creating this situation.  But group homes such as these continue to put children in harm’s way in Independence.

4.  Jeffery Wahl, the other sex offender who ended up firing 11 bullets into the flesh of two of his neighbors was finally put away in 2016.  No, he was not put in prison.  He was placed in a mental institution where, after treatment, could eventually be released to, yes, a group home.   There are several within view of the actual location of this horrific crime with mental patients and, yes of course, no supervision.  The cycle continues.

3.  The Beauty Rest Motel, a historic motel complex made up of small cottages near 24 Highway & Salisbury, was demolished in September.  I use the term historic because professionals conducting a historic survey listed and documented the property in a study funded by HUD almost 4 decades ago.  The celebrated project resulted in a book entitled "Independence" and published in 1978 with a photo of this property.  Due to decades of owner neglect and our issues with vagrancy, this property became blighted and a source for crime so all the buildings were removed.  But this failure was turned into a victory party with photo-ops for politicians, TV cameras, and newspaper articles.  Even the children were involved in swinging hammers at those "bad" buildings as we raise a new generation of citizens responsible for our community stewardship. 

2.  Each year the historic community within and associated with City Hall takes a loss.  2016 was no exception in the loss of Christina Leakey from Neighborhood Services who got her start working with Historic Preservation. Christina has been a strong advocate for Historic Preservation and Neighborhood Revitalization while introducing programs and resources outside our community to assist historic neighborhoods.  Her strong work ethic allowed her to take on extra responsibilities at City Hall while the department downsized to meet budget restraints (that’s a whole other issue).  When your professional contributions make a positive impact not only in your local community but also in a National Historic Landmark District, that is truly something to be proud of.  Thank you, Christina Leakey.

1.  After decades and decades of holiday seasons on the Independence Square, this season City Hall decides to stop that traditions and blames it on budget short falls.  But don’t be a Scrooge!  The citizens and taxpayer do have a public building that not only had a large Christmas tree with seasonal decorations scattered throughout, and even had a live Santa Clause.  It’s called Bass Pro.  Taxpayers paid for a significant part of the development including the building that houses Bass Pro.  And, I understand, we are still making debt payments on that development that are leading to budget shortfalls.  Wait a minute, I get it now!  The cycle continues.

So 2016 was a banner year for drama, deception, hypocrisy, questionable politics, conflicts of interest, low standards for redevelopment, lessons not learned, and the disrespect of our rich heritage.  Sound like a plot for a movie or mini-series or the recent presidential campaign.  And as with previous years, we continue to be content with a large National Historic Landmark District with only minimal protection and an underperforming Heritage Tourism program.  The sad saga continues on and on and, unfortunately, we have a front row seat.