Under the Influence of Government Programs

Recent announcements in the neighborhood that this blog need to catch up on include work on the MyArts location at the old car dealership building on North Main funded by the county government’s COMBAT program and a proposed re-rehabilitation of the Palmer School Building for low-income seniors. We’ve already reported about several other programs in the National Historic Landmark District for those convicted of drug crimes. We also have multiple programs for the poor, hungry, disadvantaged, and the criminally challenged. If we still had our Statue of Liberty situated in it historic location on Pleasant Street, she would cry out “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning for controlled substances. “ The MyArts and the Palmer “do-over” have the potential to contribute positively to our historic community. And we need to embrace the diversity of the Truman Neighborhood, one of its biggest assets. Our diversity is not just in our people but include our housing types, architecture, and historical context. We should not forget that the diverse nature of the neighborhood has to include market-rate, non-subsidized investments targeted at young families with the resources to invest in owner-occupied properties. This is critical to achieve an appropriate and sustainable balance. The primary goal established by the Midtown / Truman Road Corridor Neighborhood Revitalization Planand unanimously adopted by the City Council was to increase the number of owner-occupied properties in the neighborhood. From that perspective, some current proposals and trends are taking us a few steps backwards. And it needs to be noted that in the current economic downturn, the marketplace has already created affordable housing without the dependency on government subsidies. Our addiction to government-subsidies appears to be reinforcing the current stereotypes of our city most recently presented in a cover story in The Pitch (local magazine) entitled “Independence’s Rap as Meth City USA Needs Tweaking” which also references the New York Times article of last year, “In Truman Homes, Reflections of a City”, depicting Independence as an economically & pharmaceutically challenged community that is aging and in search of the next fix. If governments are going to invest in programs in the heart of one of our nation’s most important neighborhoods, then they have an obligation to make sure those investments align with local planning goals, are coordinated with other nearby programs, are sustainable even when all levels of governments will soon be forced to make drastic cuts, and are well-supervised and audited periodically for their effectiveness. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. This blog has reported several times that government investment does not assure success and, in some cases, make situations worst. It took decades to realize that the “Urban Renewal” programs from the 1960’s and 1970’s drove away private investments, encouraged segregation, and failed to protect valuable historic resources. History is supposed to provide lessons so we don’t make similar mistakes over and over again. And it seems when Independence comes up short in city planning and community stewardship, it ends up in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and in hardback version published by the University of Missouri Press.

A Salute to Veterans & the Truman National Historic Landmark District

Eleven / Eleven / Eleven is lucky for the mild autumn day we have to be reminded of the great sacrifices of generations of veterans and their families. The community they built for us is embodied in the Harry S Truman National Historic Landmark District which is also celebrating a big day today: the 40^th anniversary of its establishment in 1971. The district, with its recent expansion, also includes the gravesite of Truman, WWI veteran and Commander and Chief of forces during victories of WWII. The district also includes his home and the homes of his family, friends, and associates. Don’t forget the Memorial Building dedicated to the WWI veterans. And don’t forget the churches where we are truly blessed to exercise the freedom to worship God in the manner of our choosing and the school buildings where generations of young people learned what being a citizen of the United States is all about. In fact, the Truman National Historic Landmark District is one of the epicenters of our nation’s great history. Its celebration, preservation, and protection has to be at the top of the list along our civic goals. A celebration is occurring tomorrow for the Truman District that will include lectures, a movie, and some open houses. Please stop by and see how important this neighborhood is to us and the nation. Make this pilgrimage for the sack of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and our quality of life. God Bless the United States of American!

Jobs, Jobs, & Jobs

This is all the talk coming from Washington, D.C. and in Jefferson City. It is also in the political debates and the basis of judging all legislation from both sides of the political spectrum. Other goals in the quest to improve the economy have been rebuilding our communities, economic development, adopting green & sustainable principles, promoting education, and stabilizing neighborhoods and neighborhood schools. Guess what? Missouri communities who promote historic preservation can accomplish all these things. Nationally know economist, Donavon Rypkema, studied this in our state and came up with the following conclusions. That public money invested through the historic preservation tax credit program creates more jobs than spending on new construction, highways, and even manufacturing. And investments in our real estate are capital expenses that create jobs during renovations with positions that cannot be outsourced. The best part is that most of the investment is private money not government money. Renovated properties become assets that are put into the service of creating more jobs in tourism, small businesses and in creating housing for families while stabilizing neighborhoods and communities. So why are state legislators considering putting caps on this program? And why aren’t the Independence Chamber and the Council for Economic Development promoting this tax credit program, especially now that the National Historic Landmark District has been expanded? And why aren’t the US Congress and the White House including revitalization and preservation programs in their job-creation plans? It seems to me the reasons these programs are left out is that there is a lack of understanding about the benefits of historic preservation and that citizens are not demanding it. If you feel strongly about this as much as I do, please let your voices be heard at City Hall, Jefferson City, and Washington, D.C. Ask candidates where they stand on historic preservation as tool for economic development and creating jobs. Become a lobbyist for job creation. Support historic preservation!

Sidewalk Shrapnel from the “War on Drugs”

Here at the front lines in the neighborhood battle grounds, the enemy is not readily visible for those nonresidents. Some may say it’s like finding a needle in a hay stack. But for those who live here in the neighborhood, the needles are actually easy to find. In fact, you have to watch where you step. The needle and syringe shown above in the photo was on our sidewalk last weekend. And neighbors around the corner stumbled on a kid’s Libby Lu bag full of drug paraphernalia on their property and another neighbor next to them had found about a half-dozen syringes on their property. If absentee landlords do not hesitate to rent to known sex offenders with records of violence against children, then they’re not likely bothered by drug use on their property. We should not be totally surprised that folks who have committed drug crimes are in our neighborhood. The fact is that drug offenders are given an official invitation to come to the Truman National Historic Landmark District every week. Most of the mandatory drug counseling meetings in Independence are conducted in the lower level of the First Baptist Church while the county government offers a special “Drug Court” right on Main Street directly across from the old Court House and below the watchful eye of sculptured bronze statue of President Truman holding his walking cane, perched prominently and respectfully on an engraved pedestal. We should be proud to host programs that are intended to help people here in the neighborhood. But are these programs successful?According the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, one out of every ten 8^th grade students reported using an illicit drug in the last 30 days. Are we providing adequate resources and a stable revenue source to fund our Police Department’s efforts to fight drug activities in our neighborhoods? Drug problems in the community contribute to neighborhood crime, problems in our schools, homelessness, and public health issues while putting a strain on the tight budgets of local governments. Are we winning the War on Drugs? From the perspective of our area of the National Historic Landmark District, it appears not. We are, however, blessed here in Jackson County to have a special funding source with a program called COMBAT to address these drug problems in our communities. And there are success stories to tell, which we all heard during the last election. But with the legendary stories of the great accomplishments of our 19^th-century pioneers on the trails, the Civil War battles, and the rise of world leader Harry S Truman, one of the nation’s most important neighborhoods also deserves to have success stories in our struggles with keeping our youth free of the dependencies of drugs, social welfare, and cultures of crime. Actually, we could really use someone like Harry Truman back here in his neighborhood and not just in bronze. And history tells us that Harry knew how to end a war!

Parking Lot “Postscripts”

As a postscript to the Bank of America park lot story at the corner of White Oak & Osage, it finally got an upgrade. No, it wasn’t cleaning up the weeds, trash, debris, or removing the rusty barbed wire fencing. The guard posts, that support the chains that are there to keep people from parking there, got a freshening up with a new coat of yellow paint. That’s right. The guard posts and chains are intended to prohibit any of their neighbors from parking there, unless, of course, it’s Santa-Cali-Gon. Who are their neighbors? That would include Independence Chamber of Commerce, Commerce Bank (their competitor), the Truman Heartland Community Foundation (who moved out a few weeks ago), and immediately to west located in the National Historic Landmark District, Hillcrest Ministries (family homeless shelter). Actually, families who need the services provided by Hillcrest because of, for example, “bank” foreclosures, don’t even have a place to park except for the street. If you haven’t figured it out, Independence if full of ironies, but this one takes the funnel cake. But, wow, those are some good-looking posts. Great job BofA! You might swing by there during Santa-Cali-Gon and admire all four of these wonderful bright yellow posts. And while you’re there, ask the good folks selling parking spots for $5.00 to clean up the mess when they are done so the parking lot will be ready when the chains go back up for the next 361 days. Yes, I would hope the clean up would include the mess that was there before they started. I know that is above and beyond the call of duty, but good folks always seem to forget that this area is a “Presidential Neighborhood.”

As postscript to this postscript and in breaking national news, just a few days ago, Warren Buffett has agree to invest $5 billion in BofA whose stock shares have been dropping over financial worries in the economy. A few recommendations to Mr. Buffett; you might suggest changes in the management structure at BofA. When all decisions are made in Charlotte, NC concerning the management of their assets world-wide, sometimes they miss the target when it comes to important local interests and concerns. I guess we should extend a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” to Warren Buffet & Co. who will actually end up owning a piece of this parking lot. Yes, that’s right, now Warren Buffet will be involved in Santa-Cali-Gon.

Foundation Loses its Footing in Truman’s Neighborhood

After two decades in the Commerce Bank Building at Truman Road and Osage, the “Truman Heartland” Community Foundation is moving to the Little Blue Parkway. This move comes right after the US Department of the Interior announced the expansion of the Truman National Historic Landmark District that placed the new and improved district on three sides of the Commerce Bank block. The district expansion announcement is intended to invoke community pride and a desire for institutions and families to want to reinforce their presence in an area that was truly near and dear to the heart of President Truman. Now the Foundation joins the list of other institutions that have left Old Town to improve their lots and to better serve the community. Local families have to make these decisions all the time; whether to stay in their home and neighborhood or to move to another part of town or another community where it perceived to be more stable and prosperous. A reoccurring theme from the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been just two words: “Place Matters.” These special historic spaces and districts are not intended to be admired and studied from afar. Successful historic districts nation-wide are ones that are relevant to today’s modern living. They are places where people live, children attend school, employees work, shoppers spend money, souls worship, and tourists walk. The new and improved-expanded Truman National Historic Landmark District will only be successful when all aspects of our community appreciate and respect these spaces. Are we there yet? Good luck to the good folks at the Truman Heartland Community Foundation in their new space on the southern edge of town, but please, don’t forget about Truman’s true heartland, his beloved neighborhood.

A Towering Example of Citizenship

We need to extend a big “Thank You” to Noland Towers at 130 E. College here in Old Town Independence. Why? Is it because they maintain their buildings & grounds beautifully and provide good, clean, affordable housing for our senior citizens? Heritage House does these things also, so should we thank them? What makes Noland Towers special is the fact that they are paying their taxes and have been for decades. Now this may not sound like such a big deal, but here in Old Town it is. In fact, with the exodus of the hospital, I believe that leaves the Noland Towers property as the largest contributor of property tax revenue for local governments here in Old Town. They are a towering example that for-profit business entities, especially those in the real estate business, do not have to be charities to maintain a successful presence here. Just their occupation of that property generates revenue for schools, libraries, local governments, emergency medical responses, public transportation, and police protection (all elements of quality of life especially important to senior citizens). We hear of the conservative, religious, tea party movement where taxes are considered, in some cases, a sin. I believe just the opposite. It is actually our civic and, yes, our Christian duty to support our community, to support the less fortunate and disadvantaged, to support our most valuable resource (the education of our youth), and to provide planning & programs to make Independence “The Place to Be.” Yes, it is true, here in Independence the disadvantaged also includes retail developers and empty seats at the Events Center but, for the most part, tax revenue goes toward important things. Thanks again to the good folks at Noland Towers, “A Beautiful Place to Live! Have a Nice Day!”