St. Mary's Launches Hail Mary Pass to Lee's Summit

As local preservation and revitalization efforts on the grid iron grind to a halt, Old Town Independence ends up with another Trojan Horse. The Kansas City - St. Joseph Diocese announced recently their game-winning touchdown pass while scoring on some valuable real estate in Lee's Summit. The Diocese officialy announce in late January that it plans to merge St. Mary's and O'Hara High Schools and build a new high school in the booming area of Lee's Summit. To state in the Examiner article that St. Mary's is a "longtime facility" appears to be the understatement of the year. The school, as reported, dates back to 1853 making it even older than the Independence Public Schools. I believe that makes St. Mary's the oldest (or one of the oldest) high school in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River. The presence fo the Catholic Church here in Independence predates manyof the Protestant denominations and the arrival of Joseph Smith. The long and rich history of the Catholic Church on this property in Old Town is something to be celebrated and should be a source of pride. The local comminity should extend gratitude to the Catholic Church for their historic commitment to Old Town. Several years back I recall some encouragement that the high school was interested in staying when they demolished a Victorian home on the northwest corner of Main & College Streets for, what was stated in a public meeting, the construction of a library facility. Obviously, the library was never built and we are left with yet another empty lot. St. Mary's decision to move actually makes sense. A modern institution of learning combined with a successful athletic program requires much more space than they have on Main Street. And for this kind of investment to be financially viable, it has to be in a growing area. And to quote the St. Mary's official; this part of town is "not growing" (which could be interpreted as a polite way of saying the current area of town is in decline). I've alway believed that the true character of an institution should be judged not just on what direction they are headed but also for what they leave behind. Every time an institution leaves the Truman Neighborhood and Old Town (and we've had numerous), huge voids are left. Community-based efforts and planning are necessary to not only determine how to fill voids and empty spaces that sustain and build up our community (without the dependency of expensive public subsidies), but also how to retain outstanding institutions, businesses, and young families in the city's historic core. This is the challenge that no one seems to be interested in. The biggest concerns at City Hall appear to be focused on filling voids in the retail development in the Little Blue Valley, a development type that has traditionally had a life-span of maybe 1 or 2 generations at best. Old Town Independence has been around for 8 generations and continues to have the potential to play even a larger role in the educational, economic, and spiritual development of the city and the nation. When we put all our eggs in one valley, don't be surprised when the creek rises and washes them away.