Sidewalk Improvements Sidestepped

As a follow up to the 10-08-09 Blog “Walk the Walk” the above photo was taken to show progress. Yes, you are correct. Absolutely nothing has happened. In fact, the sidewalks are in worst condition. How can this be? A large group of concerned Delaware Street property owners actually had three meetings with City Hall department heads, City Council members, and even the Mayor to “Talk the Talk” about this problem and come up with solutions. Ironically, the Mayor represents both sides of this problem. He represents City Hall and he is a property owner on Delaware Street that sees this mess several times each day. The award-winning Midtown / Truman Road Corridor (MTRC) Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation also has some responsibilities that they have neglected even though the taxpayers are investing almost $40,000 a year to keep that organization in business. As a condition of “tax abatement” that was granted by MTRC for many of those property owners along Delaware, those sidewalks are suppose to be practically flawless. The failure to fix this very basic and blatant problem represents the dysfunctional nature of our community while reinforcing the main point presented in this series of blogs that the Truman Neighborhood is considered not that important to community leaders and local institutions. Could it be that our community leaders have been hit in the head too many times with hockey pucks? Should we change the symbol of our community from a “walking president” to a “falling tourist?” Should our Tourism Department be allocating a portion of their million dollar annual budget to place warning labels on their walking tour brochures? When taking the photo above, I was actually approached by a Park Service Ranger who stated, “I’m embarrassed to have visitors walk the neighborhood.” We are pleased to see the brand new sidewalks surrounding the Community of Christ Temple but community leaders need to recognize that there are other parts of town that are important also.

Is Independence a Presidential Community?

Last week, we traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia and toured the presidential homes of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison. It was an interesting experience to spend time in a community that has embraced their presidential histories. The presidential homes were magnificent by themselves but the local community goes to great lengths to preserve and maintain the historic settings and landscapes surrounding these landmarks. And it is not the federal government or local government zoning doing this. It is private citizens through local not-for-profit groups and foundations taking on the responsibilities of protecting these landmarks and landscapes while making them accessible to the general public. And what a difference it makes when the community is supportive. Historians have ranked Jefferson to be the 7^th greatest presidents of our country. Monroe is ranked 14^th and Madison is ranked 20^th. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and Madison was the primary author of the US Constitution. Meanwhile, back in the hometown of the 5^th greatest US president, Harry Truman, how has the City of Independence responded to its national responsibility? It is great to have the federal government step in and assist with the preservation and protection of the Truman Home. And it is appropriate for the City of Independence to provide local zoning and historic district regulations for the protection of the historic setting of the Truman Home. But wouldn’t it be great if local citizens, churches, and institutions just wanted to do it anyway because it was the right thing to do?

“Blessed Be the Tie that Binds”

This is actually a true story of a little country church a few counties away from the KC area. The congregation dates back to the 1840’s when they were meeting in a log structure. In 1883, they built a beautiful, but simple, wood-framed church building at a corner where there was a bend in the dirt road and continued to serve the souls in the nearby farms. Small towns and villages developed around this church but never very close by. In the late 1890’s, the church denomination decided to consolidate congregations to a larger church in the adjacent community and, for the most part, folks were agreeable to this. And so this one-room country church was to be abandon by the denomination and the congregation. This is actually a common tale in rural America but also in blighted urban areas and this is usually where the story ends. But, for this country church, this is where the real story begins. Families with strong ties to this property continued to meet there for what developed to be annual reunions consisting of scripture reading, prayer, and a feast while allowing time to perform repairs and maintenance to the church and property. They took collections to make sure the property would always be cared for. When a tornado ripped off part of the old metal roof and damaged the building, they made sure it was repaired immediately and a new metal roof was installed. What started out as a small group of local folks and families over 170 years ago is now a network of many families in multiple states who travel long distances to attend these reunions while bringing their children so a new generation will be there to pass the torch. Attendance at the last reunion counted over 70 people and they may soon actually outgrow the old sanctuary. I would imagine these folks do not consider themselves as “preservationists” and most are not likely involved in historical societies. They probably even scoff at the idea that governments have to be involved in historic preservation. But they have the assurance embedded in their hearts that this little country church is important. It is the fundamental element of the story of their families; where they inherited their strong Christian beliefs and family values; adjacent to the fields where they harvested the rewards for their hard work; where a sense of comfort and community radiated from the kerosene lamps hanging below the arched plaster ceiling. It is truly the story of America. Meanwhile, back in Independence, we too have stories to tell and to preserve for the next generation. So how well do you think that is going? Are our churches contributing to our sense of community in a way that will sustain our community (and sustain their own ministries)? The highlight of my year was being invited to step foot in that little country church and experience, with all my senses, the story of that strong faith in what was then a young and burgeoning nation. Independence is blessed with multitudes of highlights and stories to tell. We just need to recognize them before they crumble to the ground.

Flood Thy Neighbor

“And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, ………And God saw that it was good,” unless you happen to live adjacent to a church parking lot. This spring, our community has been abundantly blessed with rain from the heavens. In June alone, we had 8.5 inches total with almost 3 inches coming in a single day. Three inches may not seem like a lot of water but when it falls on 3 acres of pavement, roofs, and adjacent saturated ground, it amounts to a quarter of a million gallons of water. This amount of water falling on poorly designed and maintained parking lots has put millions of gallons of water “gathered together into one place” resulting in tens of thousands of dollars of damage to neighborhood properties. Unfortunately, the restoration of that damage comes out of the pocket of neighbors, not from churches nor from City Hall who approved the permits for all that asphalt. Ironically, City Hall is asking us to vote to extend the Sales Tax for storm water control in our community. All this rain reminds us that storm water management is very important. But if this sales tax is extended, will investments be made in and around the Truman Neighborhood to correct past oversights? Or will City Hall concentrate on their investment in the flood plain? Please consider voting in favor of the sales tax to give City Hall the tools to correct the problems created by the last generation of community planners. But before you vote “Yes,” make sure city officials are aware of storm water problems on your block and tell them Old Town Independence is important, also.

Happy 100th Birthday to Old City Hall

Thanks, PrudentPreservation, for seeing the forest for the trees. Did anyone realize that this year is the 100^th anniversary of the opening of this circa 1910 City Hall Building? Many communities would celebrate such an anniversary. This event will obviously pass without fanfare here in Independence. I ran across the above post card image back in the day when citizens were pretty proud of their public buildings. It certainly doesn’t look like that anymore, but it still has the potential to be a community asset. The condition of this property is more a community problem that a county government problem. If citizens do not care about historic buildings, then that apathy will be reflected in the government officials we elect and in the directions governments take. And these buildings become difficult to sell for private redevelopment since they are not eligible for State & Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits or many grant programs (since they are not in a historic district). Will this property become yet another poorly maintained parking lot that is only used during a 4-day festival? Is anyone picking up on the reoccurring themes of these blog posts?

Local Governments “Trading Spaces”

On the corner of South Main Street and West Kansas Avenue is a pair of structures that represent historic landmarks of local governments. On Kansas Avenue is the 1827 Log Courthouse, the very first County building and could well be the oldest building in Jackson County. Next door facing Main Street is the oldest remaining City Hall structure for the City of Independence. Now here comes the irony. The City owns the old Log County Courthouse and the County owns the old City Hall, therefore we now have an episode of “Trading Spaces” in the works. So let’s all judge how well they have been doing on this visible street corner in Old Town Independence. The City has done a respectable job in maintaining the Log Courthouse as a tourist site, considering it is 183 years old, not to mention it is constructed of vulnerable materials, i.e., unpainted wood logs. The old City Hall is almost half that age constructed of a durable brick and stone and it is in deplorable condition. You can see why the county has allowed the vegetation to be overgrown (see above photo). Just standing on the front porch appears to be dangerous with pieces of the ceiling sagging from above or laying on the porch floor. Someone has put a roadway barrier on the porch to apparently inhibit human occupation. Four AC condensing units are missing in the back with service lines to those units dangling as if it were the handiwork of a thief. Some of the stone and brick are cracked. Now we all understand the financial constraints of local governments, and yes, we all appreciate Jackson County’s award-winning efforts in restoring the exterior façade and landscape of the Courthouse on The Square. But there are other line items on the budget report that also need attention. A complete restoration of the old City Hall would be wonderful but most citizens would settle for just a little preventative maintenance, a good cleaning, and some vegetation trimming/removal. This summer is political campaign season for county government positions. This would be a great opportunity to ask the candidates, especially the incumbents, to address these critical issues of deferred maintenance of county-owned properties, especially for highly visible historic properties in tourist areas, and yes, above all, in the hometown of the most notable county politician, former Presiding County Judge Harry Truman. A funny thing about democracies, the voters always get the government they deserve.

Christian & Family Values Restored

Historic church architecture and steeples that dominate the landscape in Old Town Independence are tremendous and represent the foundation of our community. Many of the earliest settlers came here not for fortune and fame but to make sure the new territory was founded on Christian values. This great Christian heritage is something we should all be proud of and it should be celebrated more often here in Independence. The visible evidence of this important heritage is in our historic church architecture and sanctuaries. These structures were built not just to provide shelter for gatherings but to give glory to God through its architecture, scale, and symbolism. Materials chosen such as brick and stone were intended to endure through the centuries. Community hearts and souls went into the construction of these sacred places that witnessed baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals for generations of community people, thus, making these places important not only for church history but for the multitudes of family histories. Two historic churches are contributing components of the Harry Truman National Historic Landmark District which give them even more value to the community and to the nation. One of those, the First Presbyterian Church, is where young Harry Truman and Bess Wallace attended Sunday School. The other, First Baptist Church, represents the most prominent historic church within the view shed of the Truman Home National Historic Site. Many other historic church structures are also important to the community and help communicate the complete story of our town. This architecture is “real” and represents classic and original styles as opposed to much of today’s architecture which focuses on simulated veneers and plagiarized facades. But more importantly, it represents our collective histories; the histories of our families, our neighborhood, our town, our nation, and our covenant with God. When these pieces of our history disappear, the value of our historic community is diminished and our spiritual heritage is sacrificed. And, since historic preservation is an educational tool, a dimension is lost for spreading the Christian message to future generations. Yes, we have a lot to learn from the strong Christian and family values of our forefathers, for Christ’s sake.