Conflicts on the Land of the McCoys

The newly incorporated town of Independence was established and led by William McCoy as its first Mayor in 1849.  Even though it was launched as the County Seat of Jackson in 1827 and even a settlement before that for traders and missionaries, Independence started to gain prominence through the pioneer trail period and survival through Civil War years because of leadership of William McCoy.  As an early pioneer, trails merchant engaged in national and international trade, banker, and prominent leader, no one has done more for our community.  William and his brother John did everything they could to promote civic development, education, and prosperity to this new town at the furthest edge of the country and at the gateway to Indian Territory and the wide open prairie.  John even contributed to the formidable years of young Harry Truman as teacher and superintendent of the Presbyterian Church Sunday School where Harry first met a young Bess Wallace.  William was one of the founders of the Independence Public Schools that also provided Harry plenty of education to become leader of the free world without an Ivy League education or even a college diploma.  The McCoy’s 14-acre country estate north of Farmer Street witnessed Civil War battles, trade and emigration on three national trails heading West, the first railroad constructed west of the Mississippi River, racial segregation in the Neck, the discriminatory practices of Urban Renewal, and the struggles of a community gaining national prominence due to its association with one of the greatest world leaders of the 20^th century.  All of these histories converge in McCoy Park, the property that is currently occupied by Heritage House Apartments, and what is left of the old McCoy estate on the corner Farmer Street and Ridgeway Avenue.  These stories matter to the community, but more importantly, they matter to the nation.  It is essential that City Planning efforts, residential & park redevelopment activities, and infrastructure & public safety efforts should be integrated with Historic Preservation planning and reviews that involve open-door meetings and the participation of stakeholders.  In many cases, it is actually mandated by the federal government under Section 106 of the National Preservation Act, a federal law that has been on the books for almost a half century.  In our circumstances in this history epicenter, just the opposite has occurred.  This reminds me of the blog post “Contrary Kingdom” from May 15, 2010 with a familiar story line of a community where everything happens just the opposite way it would in a normal community.  City leaders need to understand that history is not something that just happened 100 years ago.  History is being made today which will be judged by future generations and will very likely be discussed at national forums such as the one mentioned in the blog post from “Higher Learning Regarding Higher Ground” from September 14, 2009.  Yes, this is one of the primary reasons for documenting and studying history: “Learn from our mistakes of the past so we do not repeat them – lest we all be labeled idiots.”

Maple Avenue Apartments Takes Seat at the Bottom

 

As posted on April 19, 2013, “Maple Street Goes HD – High Density”, it was stated in the Missouri Housing Development Commission’s (MHDC) official annual report that the Maple Avenue Apartments in Independence MO was on the State’s “Watch List” for poor management and physical conditions.  This announcement was at a time when MHDC just approved the support of the Palmer Senior Housing project at the old Palmer Junior High School Building, right next door to the Maple Avenue projects resulting in a substantial increase in the density of this block (97% rental).  The MHDC had their annual meeting again last month and, again, it was reported that Maple Avenue Apartments has now been on the State’s “Watch List” for 15 months in a row making it one of MHDC’s worse run housing projects.  The report state’s “Staff inspected the property in December 2013 and found the physical condition, marketing techniques, and overall management of the property needing improvement. Inspection items remain open and uncorrected 8823s were issued as appropriate.”  While driving by the facility recently, problems were blatantly obvious.  An abandon couch, pictured above, had been left out in the rain for several weeks.  I have to keep reminding myself that this is all within view for tourists at the Harry S Truman Home National Historic Site and during Truman Week, Truman’s 130^th Birthday, and a time when congressmen and dignitaries were in the neighborhood to dedicate two completed NSP housing restoration projects.  Unfortunately, witnessing this level of property management in the neighborhood is common.  What’s extremely troubling is the fact that we tolerate it and, to a certain extent, we actually expect low standards of care for our Presidential Neighborhood.  Even the Midtown / Truman Road Corridor Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation (M/TRC), who receives public money for their operations and their efforts to maintain property maintenance codes for those receiving tax abatement, doesn’t seem to care about this situation.  Yes, Maple Avenue Apartments has been and continues to receive tax abatement from M/TRC.  City Hall does little to hold developers accountable city-wide but especially here in the Truman Neighborhood.  And this comes when the city is doubling down on government-subsidized rental property on Maple Avenue.  These situations would be troubling in any neighborhood and drive investors away from owner-occupied properties.  But these situations in the Truman National Historic Landmark District, one of the most important residential neighborhoods in the country, are especially troubling and are becoming a national embarrassment.

Top Ten For 2013

1)      Hiram Young, who prominently contributed to the pioneer trails history here in Independence and who happened to be a former enslaved African-American, is finally recognized in marble, concrete, and art-crafted steel in a highly-visible public improvement and historical interpretive project.  No, it wasn’t in Independence.  It was in Kansas City adjacent to one of the first tests of Hiram’s carpentry and blacksmithing skill, the Blue River wagon crossing.  Great job to our neighbors to the west in using our rich history to enhance and add value to public recreational and infrastructure projects.
2)      Work is beginning on the Palmer Senior Housing project at the old Palmer Junior High School building that was abandon by the Independence School District because of toxic mold contamination.  Superintendent Dr. Jim Hinson considered the contamination so bad that it could never be cleaned to point where he would allow school district personnel to occupy the space.  But somehow it has been judged to be okay for our senior citizens who will be occupying the space 24/7.  Planning and design of the facility occurred without discussions or input from the surrounding neighbors and churches whose parking facilities will be impacted by the project.
3)      The redevelopment of Heritage House Apartments started in a similar manner.  Public votes of support occurred without opportunities for public comment.  Neighborhood meetings were actually promised, then that promise was broken.  Even a HUD official admits that the property was poorly designed from the very beginning with respect to traffic flow (especially heavy trucks) and emergency access. 
4)      St. Mary’s Catholic Church puts up “For Sale” signs on the entire block that make up their church and school facilities.  The church’s presence here in the neighborhood endured the Great Depression and even the Civil War.  Apparently, that endurance reached its limits in 2013.  And speaking of war, another church within view of the Truman Home National Historic Site and who actually wants to maintain a presence here in the neighborhood feels compelled to place razor wire near their main entrance.
5)      Two national pioneer trails interpretive sites are targets of vandalism.  A valuable bronze sculpture of a pioneer woman at the National Frontier Trails Museum (NFTM) was stolen and chopped up into pieces for scape metal and an interpretive panel was vandalized at the newly-installed national historic trails interpretive panels at a pavilion in McCoy Park.  The vandalized panel that was ripped from its base and tossed aside was one that had a map of other trails sites, including the NFTM.  Ironically, as pieces of our trails history are damaged and disappear, the city actually has plans for a $13 million expansion of the NFTM. 
6)      Three National Stabilization Program (NSP) homes, all near the corner Farmer and Pleasant Streets in the heart of the Truman National Historic Landmark District, still remain vacant.  One of them has been vacant for about four years under the city’s leadership and control.  But there appears to be a glimmer of hope.  The city’s developer-of-choice is actually starting to work on two of them.  We are looking forward to all three of them completed during this calendar year and turned into owner-occupied properties as promised by city officials.
7)      While local businesses promote themselves individually proclaiming that they’re of part of Harry Truman’s hometown, the City of Independence promotes the entire city by proclaiming that we have “Real People - Real Progress.”  On the special “Shout Out” evening celebrations on the Square, a neighborhood block adjacent to us was on “Lock Down” because of an apparent criminal on the loose who was considered dangerous.  The fireworks on the Square actually startled police personnel in flak jackets because it sounded like gunfire.  Not a good way to begin a publically-financed PR campaign.  Interestingly, the city is actually investing in yet another PR effort called, “Re-think Independence” and, when combined with the previous campaign, will likely result in the expression: “Real People Re-think Real Progress.”
8)      The Jackson County Courthouse, the centerpiece of the historic commercial district on the Square, has been successfully restored by the County government.  Hooray!   In a way, the restoration has become a “living history” project by not just restoring the building but restoring actual county government functions inside the building.  Great Job!!!
9)      Community Development Department Director, Jennifer Clark, leaves City Hall for a position in Fresno, California.  Interestingly, Fresno was recently judged to be the “Dirtiest City in America” by Forbes Magazine and has been described as “planning gone wrong and development gone wild” by a local journalist, not to mention a city with its own set of problems with crime, unemployment, corruption, and budget shortfalls.    For some reason, her 5-year experience here in Independence somehow makes her uniquely qualified to be Fresno’s new Community Development Director.  “Good Luck Jennifer!”
10)   Shortly after Jennifer Clark’s departure, Heather Carpini, the City of Independence Historic Preservation Manager, disappears from City Hall one afternoon in mid-August.  Heather was here a bit longer than a year.  We welcomed her youthful, enthusiastic, and professional approach to furthering the cause for historic preservation and neighborhood revitalization here in Old Town Independence and she will be missed.  It is not surprising to see that kind of approach in conflict with city leaders.  We wish Heather “Good Luck” while we continue to mourn the losses, year after year after year, from the local preservation program which appears to be an annual ritual.

As we reflect on a year where we took one step forward and two steps back, we hope and pray 2014 will be year where promises can be kept and where our rich heritage will be considered an asset that can drive revitalization, economic development, and tourism.

Juventus Spes Mundi

Harry Truman, giving a speech in 1952 after his presidency to a group of scholars in Virginia about the keys to the success of the country, states the following:  “Youth, the hope of the world.  That was the motto on the front door of the high school from which I was graduated, only it was written in Latin, “Juventus Spes Mundi.”  I will never forget it.  I never have forgotten it, and I still think that youth is the hope of the world, and that they always will be.  It is just as true now as it was when I came out of that small town high school. It is necessary for the young people to understand the road to be followed, if this country is to accomplish the mission which God intended it to accomplish in this world.”  This simple Latin expression assembled in stained-glass and displayed prominently above the main entrance to the only school young Harry received a diploma from, guided the 33^rd president throughout his political career as one the greatest US presidents and world leaders of the 20^th century.  Truman also understood the importance of public architecture with its symbols of values and strength and provided leadership in maintaining and preserving public buildings for their continued use for the citizens of a strong democracy.  He didn’t just discard them when situations became difficult.  It’s somewhat ironic that the very property where “Juvenus Spes Mundi” was inscribed above the entrance doorway lintel, the Independence Public Schools abandons an empty historic building once dedicated to youth and now contaminated with toxic mold while turning it over to a for-profit developer to convert it to low-income senior housing.    And the Independence Public Schools invested tremendously in an old hospital property next to the local campus of Graceland University to develop their administrative offices and a business incubator for young start-ups and entrepreneurs, then supported low-income senior housing in the adjacent high-rise that was ideally located to support commercial use for young entrepreneurs or youth education.  And the Independence School District supported the sale and redevelopment of two historic elementary school buildings for, you guessed it, low-income senior housing located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of low-income rental property and desperate for investments from young families.  And with the closing of reputable youth institutions such as the YMCA, St. Mary’s High School, etc. along with cuts to Head Start and other programs for young students, are we experiencing trends that will sustain our community and support investments in market-rate housing, businesses, and job creation?  Will these trends attract young families to Old Town Independence?  Shouldn’t we be maintaining and expanding youth institutions and programs for the generation of US citizens that will be responsible for the 17-trillion-dollar debt (and climbing) from entitlement spending attributed to our generation for, in part, government-subsidized housing programs?  Aren’t we just digging the hole deeper?  Will our youth still be considered the “Hope of the World” when saddled with inflated college loans, neglected neighborhoods and infrastructure, and a monumental national debt? 

"Dead Stuff"

The bricks, mortar, wood millwork, windows, and doors have no soul.  The books, artwork, sculpture, photographs, and artifacts do not breathe.  The built environment of streets, sidewalks, stone retaining walls, street lamps, and grid of neighborhood blocks do not speak, comprehend, or plan.  It’s “just dead stuff” to articulate the profound statements of an apparent spokesperson of Heritage House Apartments, a circa-1973 11-story tall government-subsidized public housing complex placed smack dab in the middle of history.  The apartment building, built by the RLDS Church, on property obtained through eminent domain from an African-American neighborhood, is surrounded by a historic neighborhood, the Truman National Historic Landmark District, the circa 1840/1852 Owens-McCoy House (a National Park Service Certified Santa Fe Trail Property), three nationally designated pioneer trails (Santa Fe, Oregon, & California), and the Harry S Truman Presidential Library & Museum.  It’s the only commercial building in the view shed of the front steps of the Truman Library, a view President Truman himself was successful in protecting from commercial development until his death in 1972.  The “dead stuff” quote ended up on the front page of the Local Section of the Kansas City Star a few months ago quoting a gentleman who also happened to be the father of the First District Councilwoman.  He is also a resident of Heritage House with a seventh-floor vantage point of our historic built environment that includes the surrounding Antebellum, Victorian, and Craftsman-style homes occupied by living/breathing families.  These statements are very revealing about the attitudes of many in the community and in City Hall, that our rich history needs to be pushed to the “back of the bus” and is literally and figuratively “dead.”  And so there is no need to include historic preservation into city planning efforts, economic development strategies, and tourism opportunities.  There appears to be some fear (as depicted in the image above) that historic preservation is some kind of terrorizing threat to the living!

History is Courting More Attention on the Square



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!

Independence - "Really?"

When I observed the location of one of the new “Independence – Real People – Real Progress” billboards on 24-Highway, it seem fitting and actually says a lot about our actual progress here in the historic area of town.  It’s adjacent to an unkept lot with overgrown vegetation and code violations, adjacent to the oversized and prominent high-voltage lines that traverse in front of the Truman Library and dissect a National Historic Landmark District, adjacent to a used vehicle lot where vehicles are displayed on grass and gravel, across from the scrap metal dealer where stolen copper lines and bronze artwork end up, a corridor where about 40 businesses have abandon property, and a once prominent corridor that moved wagon trains towards the west that now handles migrant vagrants traveling east from KC.  It’s a street that KC has prominently named “Independence Avenue” but locals here call it by its State Highway 2-digit number.  And to top it off, the PR campaign that brought us this billboard was financed with public funds from our Heritage Tourism budget.  Yes, that’s right, this billboard at this location does send a message.