By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
June 3, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Employees of businesses don’t always live in the areas where they work. But they have just as much pride in their environment as the residents do.

The Paseo West Neighborhood Association held its annual neighborhood clean-up on Wednesday, May 27. Roughly 50 people, most of whom work in the area, attended in an attempt to beautify the neighborhood where they live or work. That morning, four teams traveled from Margaret Kemp Park to The Paseo, collecting garbage along the way, before doubling back to the park for lunch.

Evelyn “Evie” Craig, treasurer of the neighborhood association and president and C.E.O. of reStart Kansas City, said last week’s outing was the most participants in the clean-up’s history. The neighborhood has held the event off and on for the past 20 years, with more consistency coming the past six. Craig said the event is more than just cleaning the area’s streets, it’s about togetherness, as well.

“There aren’t a lot of residents in this area,” Craig said. The association’s boundaries are from The Paseo on the east, Troost Avenue on the west, Independence Avenue to the north and I-70 to the south. She said the area consists of businesses, non-profit agencies and a few residents.

Within the tight corridor, Craig said a sense of community has been growing over the past five years. On the same day as the clean-up, the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department was install new playground equipment at Margaret Kemp Park.

It wasn’t always like this though. At one time, Craig said the park was nicknamed “Jurassic Park” because of the rampant drug use that took place there. For years, she said reStart couldn’t let people into the park because of how dangerous it got.

“The city has made drastic changes though,” Craig said. “There’s a better sense of neighborhood now.”

One of the team captains was Rachel Powell, Assistant to the Vice President for Mark One Electric Co., Inc., which is located at 909 Troost Ave. Powell agreed with Craig’s sentiment, saying even though there aren’t many residents in the neighborhood, there’s a strong sense of community amongst the businesses.

“Mark One [Electric Company Inc.] is family owned and are big in the community,” Powell said. “They, and others, believe in helping better the city and its community.”