Travis Silvers is an illegal dumping investigator for the city of Kansas City and is stationed at the Mattie Rhodes Center on 148 N. Topping. Silvers is a part of an initiative with Northeast Alliance Together (NEAT) to help clean up the Northeast. He said he sees himself as a community liaison officer.

 Silvers worked in the Northeast before as a code enforcer in Indian Mound neighborhood from July 2015 until February 2018. He has been back since Jan. 13 of this year and has been working to keep Northeast trash-free.

“I think for me I enjoy the people, the camaraderie in the community, my [familiarity] with the community. Being involved with the neighborhood association and the cleanups is one of the reasons why I decided to come back,” said Silvers.

Education about trash issues is one of Silvers’ goals in his role with NEAT.

“The goal is really to just educate people and I enjoy going in front of the neighborhood and say ‘hey you have a responsibility to keep your neighborhood clean. Take pride in what you own.’ I think that’s very important because once you take pride in what you own your neighbors will fall in line and will want to do the same thing,” said Silvers.

“[If] you live in this community you have a part to play. That means being involved in neighborhood association meetings, that means being a part of cleanups. You got to do your part,” he said.

Silvers said that he enjoys being able to collaborate with leaders in the community including Scott Wagner and John Fierro, director of NEAT and CEO of Mattie Rhodes respectively, Greg Smith, Community Interaction Officer for Kansas City Police Department’s East Patrol Division, Bobbi Baker-Hughes, CEO of the Northeast Chamber of Commerce, and staff at Northeast News.

Educating students in the local Kansas City Public Schools is another goal Silvers said he has. He said he wants to teach children to learn how to take care of their environment.

“I think young children need to learn that at an early age and… use those skills to carry on into adulthood,” he said.

Silvers’ favorite restaurant in the Northeast is Taqueria Mexico #2 on Independence Avenue and he said that PH Coffee has really good coffee. He said that he loves the history of the Northeast and has enjoyed learning about it.

Keep an eye out for Silvers who will be driving around and knocking on doors to educate about trash policies and deal with infractions. Trash violations can be reported directly to Silvers at 816-581-5687. Silvers emphasized that calling him directly is the best way to get trash violations solved and to not go through the city’s phone number because it could take weeks longer to resolve the issue.

“I really believe in my job. I love what I do. I love being a part of the community. The community has definitely welcomed me with open arms, and I am looking forward to keep building those relationships with people because that’s what it’s going to take to make Northeast better,” said Silvers.