Forecast Calls for Windy Departure

This is last week for Wendy Shay, the City of Independence Historic Preservation Manager, who recently resigned. We wish her luck on her new career moves. It is our understanding that she has agreed to work, as needed and part-time, for the city to maintain the current program of oversight of the Heritage Commission and their management of our small historic district until, we hope, a replacement is found. We appreciate her dedication to the cause even in her departure. Wendy was the fourth Historic Preservation Manager for the City of Independence since the 1970’s when the city started what was then one the earliest and most significant preservation programs in the state. As with all the city preservation staff in the last 4 decades, you’re either criticized for doing too much and/or for not doing enough. And while you search for the appropriate balance that you would expect to see in a normal community, you realize that a balance really doesn’t exist in Independence. City Hall needs to know that this position and its important oversight of the Heritage Commission is important, especially here in Independence where there are absolutely no local preservation groups to be found. The absence of this position is an issue with our accreditation with the State Office (Certified Local Government Program), our eligibility for grants, our ability to administer grants, and our capacity to review and provide input into public improvement projects that impact historical and cultural resources. And with the city being under the weather with their budget, there is not a lot of incentive to fill the position anytime soon. With Windy’s departure, what is the long range forecast for our historic community here in Independence, one of the most historic communities in the Midwest?