By JOE JAROSZ
Northeast News
May 14, 2014

Editor’s note: The following piece is the second in a series of interviews and articles about neighborhood associations in the Northeast.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Addressing the needs of a neighborhood to make it a better place to live.

To Bryan Stalder, president of the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, that’s what a neighborhood association is all about.

In January, when Stalder took over as president of the association, his goal was to re-write the by-laws. The goal was to add more officer positions with the hope more people would be able to take on various challenges and not get overwhelmed.

“We’re trying to delegate more so people go where their passion takes them,” Stalder said, giving the example of having officers for illegal dumping and slum lords.

Along with assigning more people to officer positions, Stalder said other goals of the association include attracting home owners and new residents to the area, the biggest of the Historic Northeast neighborhoods.

“I’d like to see more families but I also want to maintain the diversity,” Stalder said. “I appreciate that about the neighborhood.”

Indian Mound’s boundaries include Gladstone Boulevard and Cliff Drive on the north, by Independence Avenue on the south, Jackson Avenue on the west and Belmont Boulevard on the east. The association meets at 6 p.m. for about an hour, every third Monday of the month at the Northeast Library.

Some activities the association have been tackling recently include cleaning up Kessler Park by removing brush and taking down trees to “get the view back at Lookout Point.” A lot of resources have also been focused on saving the former Thacher Elementary School. Last weekend, the association held a community yard/garage sale to raise funds to save the school. Stalder also said along with the city securing the upper level windows, there have been talks with the school district about removing the graffiti on the building. On June 7, the association will host a Thacher-a-thon, inviting people to join in support and raise money and awareness for the historic school.

“The goal is to raise enough money to put up a fence by the time the middle school opens in August,” Stalder said. “Even though we haven’t saved it yet, we feel we’ve accomplished something by getting the school district to postpone demolition until September.”

With everything going on, Stalder would also like to see more people participate in the association, especially with neighborhood businesses. With the large coverage area, and a large Hispanic population, Stalder wants to make sure enough voices are being heard.

“We’re trying to show people it’s still a great place,” Stalder said.

For more information about the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, visit www.indianmoundneighborhood.org, or email Stalder at president.imna@gmail.com.