Northeast News

May 14, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Members of the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association were joined by city manager Troy Schulte, representatives from the KC Parks and Recreation department, and the community at large for a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration at the new Concourse Park Playground (Gladstone Blvd. and St. John Ave.) on Saturday, May 14, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The neighborhood association provided music, lunch, and lot of laughter as the community celebrated the completion of the new embankment slide at the park. Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association President Leslie Caplan commented on the long road to transform the Concourse Park Playground into a safe, family-free area.

“Five years ago, we were fighting for our lives and property. We were bemoaning the fact that we couldn’t even walk through our own 300 acres of park because of all the transients with weapons and drug paraphernalia living in them,” said Caplan. “We worked with the police, the city manager’s office, and the parks department, and took the bull by the horns.”

The neighborhood has leveraged grants, crowdfunding efforts, and Public Improvements Advisory Committee (PIAC) dollars to finance the upgrades at the park. Although the community was celebrating on Saturday, that doesn’t mean neighborhood leaders are resting on their laurels. Caplan described the next phases of the park improvement plan during the ceremony.

“Our next phase is shown on the easel which is right back there,” said Caplan. “It will include bathrooms on the upper concourse, new soccer and basketball courts, and fencing. We are writing a grant for a playground for younger children, and we will be seeking funds for lighting, a small amphitheater for children, a walking trail, a tennis court, and a skateboard park.”

Parks and Recreation Director Mark McHenry praised the efforts of community leaders who fought hard to improve the neighborhood park.

“Playgrounds bring joy to communities and bring people together,” said McHenry. “We think it’s a great use of public resources to do park improvements in playgrounds.”