By Paul Thompson
Northeast News
December 30, 2016
KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Every year at roughly this juncture, the general public is inundated with a rapid-fire stream of listicles, retrospectives, and musings on the year that was. As we close the door on 2016, the Northeast News is proud to further clutter your social media feed by participating in that time-honored tradition. Without further ado, here’s our own list (in no particular order) of the top stories the Northeast News covered this year. Happy New Year and thanks to everyone who continues to read our work, even on holiday weekends.
Mark Bedell takes over as Superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools
For KCPS, 2016 began with a search for a new superintendent. Luckily for stakeholders of the district, they selected Dr. Mark Bedell, a longtime administrator who had found success in large public school districts in Houston and Baltimore.
Bedell began his tenure by announcing that the district would offer free Pre-K programming for 1,100 students in 2016-2017. Once the school year began, Bedell opened up about the struggles he faced during his own poverty-stricken childhood. In November, he celebrated another year of academic gains for KCPS, as the district earned enough points for full accreditation for the first time in years.
KCU celebrates its centennial in style
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2016. The celebration kicked off in January with a ribbon cutting for its new administration building, and didn’t slow down from there.
The university donated trees and volunteer hours on Earth Day, as well as to help start a new orchard in Sheffield Park. Later, KCU students participated in a “We Care” day of community service, hosted a World Refugee Day celebration on campus and published a book of its history.
Royale Inn highlights demolition targets
News began to spread in early 2016 that the Royale Inn was on the chopping block for demolition. While the building still stands as the sun sets on the year, it’s not long for this world. The city has purchased the property, and the Independence Avenue Community Improvement District has even re-purposed the rose bushes that once lined the eastern border of the property.
In general, it was a big year for demolition in 2016. The city instituted a $10 million dangerous building demolition program that ultimately helped bring down the former Manchester School and, most recently, a blighted home at 114 N. Topping.
October 12, 2015 fire still deeply affecting lives
2016 featured a slew of somber reminders of the tragedy that befell the community when local firefighters John Mesh and Larry Leggio died fighting an Independence Avenue fire on October 12, 2015.
In January, Thu Hong Nguyen received new charges related to the fire. In May, the firefighters were honored in a ceremony in Kingdom City, Missouri, and the KCFD released a 71-page internal report designed to prevent similar tragic deaths in the future. Later, Mesh’s loved ones created a scholarship in his honor; a makeshift memorial was erected at the site of the fire; a vigil was held on the fire’s one-year anniversary; and the Northeast News’s own Michael Bushnell helped commission a permanent black granite memorial in honor of Mesh and Leggio.
Also of note: after a lengthy battle, Speedy Cash decided not to rebuild at their location at 2600 Independence, which had been damaged by the fire. Meanwhile, Snyder’s Supermarket re-opened with great fanfare after its own closure following the damaging fire.
Paseo Gateway project keeps moving forward
In 2016, the table was set for major progress on the Paseo Gateway Project. In addition to the aforementioned purchase and planned demolition of the Royale Inn, the city began showing the public its plans for the intersection of Independence Avenue and the Paseo; Paseo Gateway developers unveiled a slew of details regarding the planned housing developments designed for displaced residents of the soon-to-be-razed Chouteau Court apartments; and MARC announced millions of dollars worth of future infrastructure related to the project.
Independence Avenue Overlay District sets new bar for the Avenue
In 2016, Independence Avenue stakeholders raised the bar for the future development of the corridor. The community-backed, 3.5 mile overlay district has instituted new standards for future development along the corridor, prohibiting uses like group living, single-family, adult businesses, employment agencies, pawn shops, gasoline and fuel services, motor vehicle sales, and vehicle storage and towing operations. In 2016, the overlay district plans made it through the Plan Commission before gaining unanimous support from the PZED committee and the full City Council.
“I think it’s yet another opportunity for us to really see that the development of Independence Avenue is in our future,” said Independence Avenue CID Director and Plan Commission member Bobbi Baker-Hughes. “With this overlay district, we know that we have city support to do great development in our community.”
Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood is ready for the future
The Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood continued to build towards a brighter future in 2016 – and never was that better exemplified than by the completion of the popular embankment slide that was opened in May at Concourse Park. In addition, the neighborhood saw the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies of the Independence and Benton intersection renovations, the completion of Phase 2 renovations at Concourse Park, the final installations of the Scarritt Mural Project at the former Scarritt Elementary, and the release of the Kansas City Design Center’s Scarritt Vision Study. Oh, and maybe you’ve heard of Scare-it Halloween; the neighborhood association organized that annual tradition again, as well.
Hero teens save lives during flash flooding
From left: Michael Rich, Josue Tijerina, Matt Rich, and Ed Shutt met on Friday, September 23 at the very spot where Shutt’s car came to a halt during the August 26 flash flooding.
One of Northeast’s brightest stories of 2016 revolved around a wild summer storm, a flurry of stalled vehicles, and a trio of quick-thinking area teenagers. Brothers Matt and Michael Rich, 19 years old and 16 years old respectively, were with 13-year-old friend J.J. Tijerina on the night of Friday, August 26 when a heavy storm created flash flooding conditions near the intersection of Truman and Askew and caused several vehicles to stall. The heroic teens wasted no time jumping into chest-high water to save several motorists. The act of heroism led one man to track down the teens to offer a proper thank you, and the Jackson County Legislature later honored the teens for their actions.
18th and Vine improvements get preliminary funding from City Hall
2016 was a vital year for the 18th and Vine District, which was frequently at the center of City Council discussions. In early January, 3rd District Councilman Jermaine Reed proposed a resolution that instructed City Manager Troy Schulte to put together a funding plan for the 18th and Vine District. That led to a whirlwind, months-long debate that included an April announcement of a $27 funding plan for the entertainment district, several stalls and starts in committee, an outreach event with the public at a local church, the City Council’s eventual unanimous approval of $7 in funding for the first phase of redevelopment, and in December, the beginning of redevelopment efforts. More news regarding the entertainment district will be sure to come in 2017.
Renovations plans proceed for Corinthian Hall
We’ll end with an ongoing story that is the sure to be a headline generator in 2017: the impending renovations at the Kansas City Museum. Museum Executive Director Anna Marie Tutera has been quietly building towards the spring 2017 renovations for some time now, and the public got a view of the progress during an update in June of 2016. As the season turned to fall, renovations to the museum began hitting the news again as the City Council began considering the potential of placing the authorization of $800 million in General Obligation bonds on the April 2017 ballot. During initial presentations provided by city staff, the Kansas City Museum renovations were included among the items being considered for funding. Though the Kansas City Museum is currently closed for the holidays, that hasn’t stopped business from proceeding; on December 21, the Museum officially hired JE Dunn to handle pre-construction services related to the renovation after the agreement received approval from the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners.
