BREAKING
NEWS . . .
Raytown Park Board Director Kevin Boji
has tendered his resignation as Director of Raytown Parks and Recreation. In a
written statement Boji stated he was giving 30 days notice per his contract
with Raytown Parks and Recreation.
83rd
STREET BRIDGE TO BE CLOSED MARCH 5TH
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
One of Raytown’s busiest East/West Streets east of Raytown Road is
to be shut down beginning March 5th. The closure is needed for
construction of a new bridge at that location.
Ward 4 Alderman Bill VanBuskirk told the Raytown Report he was glad
to see the old bridge being removed. VanBuskirk, and former Aldermen Steve Mock
and Pat Ertz were instrumental in beginning the push for replacement of the
bridge.
“It will be an inconvenience, but in the name of safety, the
replacement of the bridge is long overdue,” said VanBuskirk.
83rd Street is the dividing line between Ward 4 and Ward
5. VanBuskirk’s concern was echoed by Ward 5 Alderman Bonnaye Mims. She is hopeful
the 83rd Street Bridge repair is indicative of a “return to basics”
in city service.
“Our infrastructure is hurting,” said Mims. “I hope the decision to
invest in a safer bridge is an indication of more emphasis on Public Works
Projects in the future.”
Paul’s
Rant! BY PAUL LIVIUS
City Council to Meet (FINALLY!)
After
cancelling both regular meetings in the month of February Mayor Michael
McDonough has re-scheduled one meeting for next Tuesday. It is a good move.
City business is starting to back up, and there is also the issue of filling a
seat on the City Council (Ward 5) that has been vacant for over a quarter of a
year.
For
those who need to be reminded, and we know you are out there, had that seat
already been appointed, the first meeting in February would have had a quorum.
In other words, the first meeting in February could have been held.
The
second cancellation was a joke. Come on guys! The City Council did not meet
because they were taking a snow day! Snow days are for children who ride a
school bus.
Have a
little faith in our Raytown Street Department. I am impressed by how quickly
and efficiently the Street Department prepares city streets for inclement
weather. Quite honestly, by last Tuesday afternoon, they had the roads well prepared
for vehicular traffic.
Let’s
be fair about it. Calling the last spitting of cold drizzle an ice storm was,
in a word, ridiculous. By late afternoon of last Tuesday it was clear the much
heralded ice storm was going to by-pass the Kansas City area to the north.
Raytown
City Hall is conveniently located near the geographic middle of Raytown. The
furthest distance a City Councilman would have had to venture out that bitterly
cold night was about 2.5 miles.
We all
may ridicule the weatherman. But give the devil his due. Once the storm is upon
us, the weatherman is quite accurate.
Next
time, let’s listen to the experts before jumping the gun on shutting down the
city for very little reason.
RFD to Provide Honor
Guard
Service at Royals Game
Service at Royals Game
Each year the Raytown Area Chamber of Commerce is host to Raytown
Night at the Royals. As a part of the responsibility as host, groups like the
Chamber also provide an Honor Guard for the opening of the game.
This year the Honor Guard duty has been given to the Raytown Fire
Department. Raytown Fire District Board Commissioner Richard Tush, speaking on
behalf of the Department said, “. . . the Department is honored at
being chosen to present the colors before the game.”
Not much to add after that than . . . GO ROYALS!
THE RICE-TREMONTI HOME
Spring Soup and Crafts
Historic
1844 Rice-Tremonti Home
8801 E.
66th Street Raytown, MO
March 17 and 18 11:00-4:00pm
Be sure to mark your
calendar for the annual Soup and Craft event. Homemade Soup, corn bread, pie
and a beverage for $7. Also, local
crafters will be on hand with a wide variety of items to purchase.
All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this Historic Home.
To leave a comment use this link POST A COMMENT
87 comments:
Paul is the joke. Unbelievable! Why dont you go out and risk flipping your vehicle upside down and injuring or killing others or even yourself in a snow or ice storm. Is that meeting really worth it? Life is priceless. It can and was postponed to another good weather day. Get a life
I have nothing against the fire department providing an Honor Guard for the Royals game just wonder why the police department isn't dong it.
Thank you BOA for using common sense and getting the 83rd street bridge done. Keep up the good work!
Good Grief, Mr. Livius! Hardly newsworthy and certainly not worth a rant.
I thought they were going to wait until school was out of session to shut down the bridge.
I hope they let KCFD and KCPD know as well. I see KC first responders cut through Raytown all the time.
I am glad, though, the bridge is finally being replaced.
They will all be notified plus I’m sure there will be plenty of signage.
Oh Boy! Raytown Night at the Royals.
Our Fire District will furnish the Honor Guard.
I wonder if anyone on the Honor Guard is actually a Raytown resident?
Oh well, I know they enjoy getting to wear their dressy unis and bear the chrome fire tools.
What pomp and circumstance.
11:06 Common sense would say to wait until school is out to start the project on the 83rd St bridge not only because school is still in session, but we are still in the winter month.
One thing Raytown can say is "We lack common sense".
Doesn't sound like something to be proud of does it!
Normally I do not post on this page, but I gotta tell ya'll the streets in Raytown were wet last Tuesday night. They were not snow packed. They were not covered with black ice or any kind of ice for that matter. The salt the city crews put on the streets melted the ice. I think whoever wrote that last post plainly does not like Paul Livius. Keep up the good work, Paul and Greg, your blog is like a breath of fresh air. Especially when compared to the hot air the preivous blogger wrote about.
I’m sure it’s more than a couple of month project to take down and put up a new bridge deck. This way they will have the longest stretch of decent weather to get it done. And if you only know one way to get to and from someplace, you are part of the problem in this country.
I drove in the Blizzard of 2018 last week as well. Paul is right. The roads were not treacherous. I think whoever wrote that earlier comment just has an axe to grind.
Raytown Police Dept. would have to bill the Chamber do to budget cuts, that’s why they will not be doing the Honor Guard.
Greg, Thank you for posting the Anuual Spring Soup and Craft event at Rice Tremonti, keeps getting bigger and better every year. Do the residents of Raytown know that they can also rent this venue for private use for $125.00. Just another best kept secret about this town.
You are wrong
There’s going to be a meeting in Feb. This Tuesday. A little more understanding and less judgement goes along way towards making a better community.
6:56pm
I believe I read the 83rd st bridge work will take 4 months.
to 5:47
The Fire District Color Guard was formed to stand Watch at funerals for past members and fallen firefighters from other departments.
Which we do on a regular basis.
We from time to time get the honor of presenting our nations colors at sporting events such as the Mavericks Hockey, Kansas City Comets Indoor Soccer and the Royals games.
It is a honor to present the Nations Flag at these events.
Anonymous 5:47 We do not have a living restriction because we like to open our ranks in the Fire District to the best candidates that apply and yes most live outside of Raytown. This is the same with Raytown EMS and Raytown Police.
I will tell you that there are nine members of the Fire District the went to High School here including myself (RHS Class 87).
Once again I will say that it is a Honor to present the nations colors and honor the men and women of the military and of the people like myself that respond to the call for help no matter what time, what weather or who they are.
Anonymous 5:47 you are free to call Fire District headquarters and complain about the Honor Guard or if you are watching the game feel free to take a knee in protest. I myself will be standing with my hand over my heart while our members present the nations colors.
Capt Doc Summers
Pumper 51 B-shift
Have a great day don't let bitterness keep you from doing something good today and please check your smoke detector batteries!!
Something is wrong with the picture of Jim Lynch arbitrarily setting fees for certain police services. He does not run a business at City Hall. Only the BOA can set fees. A typical honor guard consists of five participants. The ceremony lasts well under an hour. More like ten minutes. How does that equate to $1000 for a ten minute program? Thank you to the Raytown Firemen for stepping up and taking over the job!
Why is the police dept charging fees and where is the money going?
More and more reason for a state audit!
It's amazing how many bridge builders and engineers we have here! WoW, Raytown is so blessed. With the shorter school year, they probably want to start in March so that it does not cause disruption to the 2018-2019 school year. Everyone will just have to adjust accordingly. Life is rough.
How does that equate to $1000 for a ten minute program?
People often overprice a job when they don't want to do it, but they don't want to actually say no.
7:28 am
Where did you see this info?
Thanks
I hope after Kevin leaves the parks board moves and doesn't replace the position they promote.
The park department has to many employees now
I think the bigger question and something a state audit would tell is where did the city get the money all of a sudden.
You people are amazing! First you complain that the police department lets their officers hire out to Walmart, Hy-vee, and other places. You claim they shouldn't use city property when working. Now you complain that they charge a group to have officers working at venues outside Raytown. Make up your minds already! smh
When is the Board of Alderman going to address the codes issues and the head of the departments lack of doing is job.
If I didn't do my job I would get fired.
Must have something good on the mayor and Tom Cole that he continues to be employed.
I laugh at how great the Board of Alderman and Chamber claim Raytown is, but neither require there employees to live in Raytown.
Who cares where the Firefighters live? They are representing our community and we should be proud they are. I for one always thought it was terrible on the the Police were always asked to do it. I even made a comment one year at the game and was told by an Alderman that it was because the Fire District was not part of City government. But when I pointed out that Raytown Night at the
Royals was a Chamber function not a City function, and in fact the Chamber is not just Raytown but the area surrounding Raytown as well the Alderman just looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language.
How do you figure the parks department has too many employees? They have a one guy who plans all the events, one guy who maintains the property, a woman who does the clerical office work and a director who overseas all of it. The rest are only seasonal. These four people are the park department. Who would you cut? The director maybe? Good. You can run the place. I hope you know how to balance a budget and write grants. Get real. The parks department does a great job.
@5:26 am
We got people here who hate government in all forms,——demand a high level of services,—- yet don’t want to pay for them. And they all congregate here......
5:26 clearly you don't know how to manage a successful company and based on how the city is ran and your comments you must be on of the fine employees or Board members.
The parks office build should close
Mary should be moved to the finance department and her primary job would be parks, but would assist with other duties.
The next time someone in finance leaves other than the department head you don't replace the position.
Dave would continue his duties as today, but get the title of director as after all he has been doing the job for sometime anyway.
Other parks positions would remain the same and / or be come part of codes
However, that is another story on being successful
@5:26 a.m.
For all the parks that we have in Raytown, that is an amazing statistic. 4 FTE's and the rest seasonal employees. Sounds like a lean running staffing formula to me. I see this in all City departments really, all are very lean.
The bridge is out of a different fund than the general fund which is where the shortage was. Can’t mix funds
10:46 Thank you for the information, but here a few things you missed that others might not know.
The event is call "Raytown Night at the Royals"
This should include any business or government entity within Raytown.
I think some where over the years the leadership at the chamber got personally ate up with only including the city in activities in part for money I recall them taking several years ago form the city I believe for beautification.
There also has been some nepotism between those in leadership at the chamber, elected officials at city hall, and the police department that could have also meant everything had to be tied to city hall.
Every time I leave the house I see more and more code violations.
Every time I call city hall they tell me my tax dollars are still paying for a codes department.
I cannot believe I am the only one in the city that see a problem with this.
Come on Board of Alderman you cleaned up the police department and now it is time to cleanup the codes department so that by Spring the city can spring forward on proactively addressing code violations.
Can someone please explain why that lady was not appointed to fill the ward 5 vacancy?
People have been screaming for the mayor to appoint someone, he does, and then they vote her down.
We need a good board in Raytown. Not these folks.
6:32 pm
There is a house by me that has had a car in their driveway since November. Hasn't moved an inch. There is a license plate on it, so maybe if it is licensed it can sit forever in their driveway?
I called it in last year and it is still there. You would think the codes people would see it as it is located on a busy road named after our city.
As long as the vehicle is legally licensed and legally parked, it
Can sit there forever.
not sure you are right on that one. It can sit on the driveway indefinitely, but I believe it has to be licensed. Call he police and ask how they enforce the law in this situation. I am not sure it is a codes matter as much as it is a police matter.
As long as vehicle is parked on private property, there is nothing the police can do.
@7:36
Politics. All politics. Shameful way to treat somebody. No explanation for these no votes. Not honorable behavior.
Police can only handle cars on the street. Is the vehicle on blocks?
7:36 Not sure if it is still an issue, but at one time that lady in question from ward 5 believed she didn't need to pay her taxes.
I don't need someone telling me how are tax dollars are going to be spent when they don't want to pay their fair share.
This isn't like a city wide HOA, you can have cars parked outside on your driveway. They have to be licensed. I don't agree with the licensed thing but what bothers me is that someone has way too much time on their hands to watch a car that is not theirs 24/7/365 and knows that it hasn't moved an inch. Get a new hobby!
@10:14 pm
Evidence?
I think the Mayor's appointment failed because the majority of the Board believed she would only serve as pawn for the Mayor when it came to votes. From what I have been told she was interviewed by members of the city council and they apparently did not want her seated. That is the process. Would you rather they belittled her publicly? What I cannot understand is why the Mayor put her on the spot. He had to have known that he did not have the votes. He should have withdrawn the nomination. That would have saved his nominee the humiliation of being turned down publicly. This is a very small town. When it comes to local politics there are very few secrets.
I am one of the busy bodies with too much time on his hands,
I hate that two of my neighbors have junk cars sitting in their front yards and driveways.
No they are not licensed. Just looks trashy.
Why would you not agree with the "licensing thing"? Oh, maybe you are my neighbor.
BTW... it is like a city wide HOA. There are rules and regulations that we have as a city. If you don't agree, you are free to try to change them or move to the county where there is no zoning.
Then those six can take all the heat for ward 5 not having proper representation. Small town politics at its best. Yeehaw.
@7:28
That's a political excuse. They could of given a couple of reasons why they could not vote for her. Happens all the time during Federal nominations. Senators will say, I can't vote for you because of X, Y & Z. That did not happen here and it should of when you are talking about partially disenfranchising 5,000 residents of Ward 5. Cowardly behavior on the part of the BOA.
9:46 Police also are to handle cars on the grass
Is the car being worked on in the drive as that is a codes issue
4:21 AM
There is no need to be nasty. I drive by that house when I leave home or come back home-that is why I have noticed it just sitting there for months on end at all hours of the day and night.
I care about property values.
One reason the BOA voted against Melissa Beall could be because she owed $218.22 in property taxes for her car. She was almost a month late paying those taxes. If she can't pay her taxes on time, what else is she remiss in doing?
I applaud the six alderman that stood firm and voted their conscience last night. I am sure they all knew information that we did not know. Keep up the good work and make us proud.
All I can tell the mayor is karma is a real kick in the butt isn't it.!!!
I care about property values too, but, to some people they think that this is Leawood, Kansas or some fancy subdivision where they don't allow people to park their cars even on their own driveway overnight because of a HOA. Screw that, it is my property. If I own a car, and it is licensed, it can be on my driveway, period. Nothing you can do or say will change that. Now, if it is wrecked, disassembled, or unlicensed then you might have a valid complaint that the city can handle through codes enforcement, including parking on the grass. Maybe you are Mr or Mrs Clean, and run outside whenever a leaf or piece of trash blows into your front yard and pick it up, and have room in your garage to park all of your vehicles in there and you think everyone else has a problem, perhaps you have the problem. Worry about the real 'problems' like elsewhere in the neighborhood, or perhaps someone that lines all their vehicles up on both sides of the street reducing the street to only one lane. That in my opinion is complaint worthy
Nope. You are wrong. Police can’t handle
Cars on private property.
1:31
Because denying 5,000 citizens equal representation in a legal body is always worth applauding right?
Keep in mind, Raytown DOES NOT have a FIRE DEPARTMENT. What we have is a Fire PROTECTION District. What is the difference -- well it is simple. One is run by the city (or municipality), the other by a board of directors. The Raytown Fire Protection District is separate from the city, and is not limited by the boundaries of the city, as they extend (from what I was told) one mile of the city limits. As for letting others know the the bridge is shutting down, yes they know. The bridge shutting down is no different than them shutting down -- this week no less -- I-470 at Little Blue River/View High Rd, and the Ceder Creek/Rock Island Bridges. It is interesting how many so called experts are out there, that think they everything, yet they know nothing.
8:43 pm
Absolutely I pick up trash and fallen limbs in my yard! Why do you act like that is a bad thing? I am definitely not "Mr or Mrs Clean" either. I guess I am supposed to leave a beer can in the yard and let the mower hit it.
I care how my yard, my neighborhood, and my city looks.
If we want a beautiful city, it starts with each of us doing our part. I am in charge of my yard, and as long as I am in charge, it will look as good as possible. It is a shame more people don't think the same.
"PROPERTY VALUES"
What is the deal with people that have 4 or 5 vehicles, and a 2-car garage, and none of the vehicles are in the garage?
No way I would leave my car outside with the vandalism and car break-ins that are happening.
8:33 pm
if that’s the reason for them not voting for his appointment then really shame on them
8:54 sorry you are wrong code will assign it to the police.
The issue is we have lazy police that can only think about taking care of Wal-Mart and HyVee
8:43 We have laws (ordinances) on the books, which means they should be enforced or taken off the books.
We have a over staffed codes department and nothing to show for the justification of those individuals remaining on the payroll.
If you want to live in the hood move to KCMO and if you want to live with the swine move to the country.
I want to live a clear area that attracts young families and sales tax generating businesses.
I'd rather be known as a "Leawood" than "trashy" or "ghetto" which folks have been saying about Raytown.
It's time to up our game.
A better looking city......leads to a growing population........leads to more businesses moving in.........leads to more tax revenue.......leads to better roads, etc.
"Because denying 5,000 citizens equal representation in a legal body is always worth applauding right?"
Oh good grief cut the drama. No doubt that the perception of this former candidate's ties to this "mayor" factored into their decision. Instead of all the whining, get to work, recruit another candidate and rally for their appointment.
"It is interesting how many so called experts are out there, that think they everything, yet they know nothing."
Not sure who has said they are an expert??
Take a chill pill.
Darn it! I guess we all aren't as smart you are.
Where I work, Raytown is the "butt" of their jokes. Drive by shootings, pawn shops, liquor stores, empty houses, empty business and so forth.
Raytown is the "hood"!
Who in their right mind would now step up to the circus that Raytown just witnessed regarding the Ward 5 appointment to the council? As I understand the Mayor gave the Alderman a lengthy time to bring forward any potential candidates who might be interested in filling out the term and NONE were presented. As independent as that Board can be and vote at times, to be fearful that Ms. Beall may lean towards the Mayor is a cop out. Ward 5 residents have had a lack of representation with only 1 Alderman off and on for several years running and it appears that may be the case until April 2019.
Amen. This city is in so much trouble it’s not funny. I feel bad for anyone who lives in ward 5 bb
April 2019 - Time to elect a new mayor
Why is it when ever anything in the city doesn't go the mayor or chiefs way the first thing they do is pick up the phone and call the television station? they are the ones giving Raytown a bad name. It would be nice to have grown ups in this office not two big babies...
I stand with you we need a new mayor
I just finished watching the BOA meeting from Tuesday. I think the one topic that made my jaw drop, that no one has brought up yet was that one of the Aldermen pointed out that our PD writes two speeding tickets per day... TWO.
The Chief stumbled around for a response and stated that there were budget cuts, but the Alderman pointed out that it was a twelve-month average from January 2018. So for 10 months, 50-something officers were not able to write more than a couple speeding tickets each day? Something's not right here, especially with so many people using our main streets as race tracks.
I see the Raytown Water Company had enough money to spend a half million bucks for the abandoned Bank of America property but somehow can't get the 59th St roller coaster repaired properly.
City needs to grow a pair and lean on the water company to fix the mess. The water company keeps delaying things hoping it will just go away. At some point enough is enough.
How about it mayor? Here's a chance to show some leadership.
7:12
Channel 41 trolls the Raytown Facebook page and went to speak with different parties, the city didnt seek them out....try again.
I also agree with the new mayor sentiment. He's separating the BOA, not uniting them.
As I see it from the outside, it was a personal vendetta against the mayor over the budget. I applaud Steve Meyers, Jason Green and Karen Black for standing up for what was right. Shame on the rest of the board for depriving Ward 5 of equal representation. Those 6 need to be voted out.
@ 12:36
Sometimes people are short on cash because of Christmas. The bill appears to be paid. That’s what matters, and the late fees help the taxing entities.
Rental houses lead to lowlifes which lead to crime, trash, and disabled vehicles.
Can Raytown please do something about regulating rentals more closely?
@10:22 am
Didn’t the City get into trouble a few years back for writing too many tickets?
March 2, 2018 8:52 PM: "Oh please, this mayor is good."
"Please" elaborate.
(This should be "good".)
It is very possible that the Mayor is using up all of his political capital. First with the police chief when the mayor decided that even though the money was not available he would spend the reserve. Then he wants to push through a person that did not even have the support of the other member in ward 5. Please be advised that Jason would not vote against the mayor as he is mayor pro-tem. I for one do support the other members and would vote for them as they apparently are not bought and paid for by the mayor.
5:40 am
I guess that you don't have many friends with the attitude that you have.
Right now as a 4th class city the State Law does not allow rental control
Good news! Price of housing here has gone up 48 percent from 2014 to 2017
Less out of town investors will want to buy for rentals, but prices still affordable to draw In families and young professionals
If I was on the Board and had to vote, I'd vote no. She filed for that seat then when the going got tough, she quit. I couldn't and wouldn't support a quitter.
I had an untagged vehicle in my driveway. It was a code violation, NOT A POLICE ISSUE. Police have more important matters to tend to. Code enforcement sent a letter with a deadline to tag it or pay a fine. I recycled it.
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