Michael Bushnell
Publisher

Neighbors gathered at the offices of the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Thursday evening to review and discuss restoration and repair options for the Colonnade in Concourse Park presented by officials from STRATA Architecture and Preservation.

During the one-hour meeting, Angie Geist Gaebler, president of STRATA, showed a number of slides of the aging Colonnade in various states of disrepair including cracked or broken limestone steps, cast-stone repairs that are crumbling and bent or missing roof flashing between the tile roof and the Carthage Limestone structure of the colonnade itself.

“We want to listen to the community’s concerns and establish a priority list based on what we hear in these public meetings,” Gaebler said.

Additional plans include making access to the structure ADA accessible and the possible addition of a designated bike lane connecting to the existing lane that extends west into the Pendleton Heights neighborhood.

Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood resident Jeff Linville noted that discussions were currently underway with the City’s Public Works department on the bike lane component.

Site surveys, geotechnical investigations and preliminary drawings are complete. PIAC (Public Improvements Advisory Committee) applications to fund the project are currently being completed by neighborhood representatives who will work with Parks and Rec planners on prioritizing the work, addressing the greatest needs with the initial funding.

Bidding for the project is expected to take place this summer and construction could start as soon as late summer of 2023 or spring of 2024.