It’s been awhile since we posted the following interview. Remember that the interview took place in the midst of the Cold War. The topic the two are discussing just to goes to show that the game remains the same, the players are different.

Greed - Friedman/Donahue

Coleman Park Update
We wondered if last week's picture of the illegal parking at Coleman Park had an impact -- so -- it was off to the ballpark we went!

Good News and Bad News: The illegal parking was gone! Well, as the picture can attest, almost gone. The pickup truck on the right is actually parked legally. However, the Sno-Balls vendor with its obnoxiously loud generator (and the truck towing it) are very much in a no parking zone. We took a close look at the vehicle for a business license from the City of Raytown. Couldn't find that either.

A copy of this picture and story, along with the other story regarding illegal parking at Coleman Park have been sent to the Mayor, City Administrator and Board of Aldermen.


Open Letter to the City Adminstrator BY SHIREEN McLAUGHLIN
 

Shireen McLaughlin sent the following letter to city officials last week. It is re-printed here because much of what the writer penned is (sadly) accurate. The author takes an additional step that is worth mentioning. She makes some common sense suggestions for solutions to many of those problems. She challenges city officials to step up and become more proactive in their responsibility to manage Raytown.

We hope they listen.

Editor, Raytown Report

Raytown City Administrator

City Hall
10000 East 59th Street
Raytown, MO  64133

Dear Sir:

I am writing this letter to Mahesh Sharma, City Administrator and sending copies to Jim Lynch, Police Chief, Kevin Boji, Director of Parks & Rec, Ray Haydaripoor, Neighborhood Services and – if I am able to find a mailing address - to the Raytown Times and the Raytown Report in hopes that many people will read it and get really angry about what is happening to our City and maybe, just maybe start a Take Back Our City campaign or something similar.

 

As I read over what I have written before I send this letter, I see it is not a grammatically perfect letter and it is wordy.  I hope you will each read it anyway, in its entirety.  The issues I bring are important and are being overlooked.

I began this letter May 7.  Now, adding to the despair I already felt living in Raytown is the horrible crime that happened on one of our busiest streets two Sundays ago. 

We are fast becoming nothing better than an extension of KCMO…and that is not a good thing.

I have become very disappointed with Raytown.  The peaceful life I thought I would have here has completely diminished.  The pride I use to have when having guests from other parts of the metro area into my neighborhood is gone.

I have always told my friends from other communities that when driving to my house, once they got past Brywood, things would change drastically.  Not so much anymore.  In fact, I’d rather meet my friends in a restaurant in Brookside or on The Plaza than ask them to come to Raytown.  Don’t you think that’s a shame?  This is where I live.  This is what I’ve paid a lot of money and continue to spend a lot of money for.  I’m talking about my house, my neighborhood, in Raytown.

As you can see from my address above, I’m just a hop and a skip from Brywood.  Just past Brywood, we have the beautiful ‘entry into Raytown’.  The ‘entry into Raytown’ was a waste of money and makes as much sense as trying to put a tuxedo on a pig.  Raytown is what it is and what that happens to be is part of the hood.  The departments I’m writing to are responsible for that.  Anyway, back to the ‘entry into Raytown’.   

Why not spend that money fixing crumbling medians or at least knocking the weeds out of them?  Why not use some of that money to paint stripes on streets that people can actually see, rather than them having to rely on really good eye sight or an ability to guess what exactly is the middle of the street?  Why not use that money to clean things up a bit.  One big clean up day per year is NOT going to get it.  Have you looked around?  Do you even live here?  I walk most mornings – no, I don’t.  I walked most mornings until Harry Stone was killed.  Now I don’t walk at all.  When I was walking I saw so much trash along my route – 63^rd & Hunter to Raytown Road to 59^th to Coleman Park and home.

Yep.  I saw a lot of trash.  I saw a lot of houses that had code violations – or things that should be code violations.  Trash.  Upholstered junk furniture sitting at the side of houses.  Cars with flat tires parked in front of houses.  Huge trash cans left in driveways for days.  Boats on trailers parked alongside houses on non-paved areas.  Garage sale and many other types of for sale signs nailed to posts or stuck in the ground. 

What I didn’t see is police car lights flashing, stopping the people speeding through the school zone on 63^rd.  In over one year of walking almost daily, I saw someone stopped two times.  That is ridiculous.  Think of the income if you’re not going to think of the safety of the people (children) who might be in that area.   

If not for the kids, why is it we have the lowered speed during school hours?  And while I’m on flashing lights, why is it that police visibility seems low unless there has been a major crime and then they’re everywhere?  If we’re ever to clean up our city, doesn’t police visibility need to be high everywhere every day?  I would so much rather see a police officer driving the neighborhoods than see them sitting in the park waiting for speeders or doing paperwork.  That wouldn’t scare me if I were a criminal.  I think someone looking to commit a crime would be less apt to do so in a city where they knew police patrolled constantly.  While I’m talking about police sitting in their cars in the parks I think of this – Coleman Park.   

I use to live IN Kenagy Park.  I rented a house from the city.  It was wonderful.  It was kind of a rough little house but I was never scared there, I didn’t see anything I didn’t like.  That’s all changed, too.  In Coleman, there are No Parking signs at the south entrance.  People park there anyway, even though there are two whole, mostly empty parking lots below.  The people that live in my neighborhood drive through the park a lot, just to get home.  With people parked on both sides of the street at the south entrance and behind the cars that are parked in parking spaces and sometimes grilling behind the cars and frequently sitting in lawn chairs around and behind all that activity, it’s difficult to get through any night there is a baseball game.   

The police department does nothing.  I’ve called on this more than once and it hasn’t changed.  We’ve already put in a permanent, ugly, bright yellow porta potty because someone came up with the great idea that people shouldn’t have to walk down to the perfectly nice restrooms that are provided.   

Then we have all the people that bring their lawn chairs and park them on the sidewalks rather than using the bleachers that are provided making walking on the sidewalk impossible during baseball games.  They won’t move so a walker has to go into the street which is unsafe due to the cars being parked along the curb in the no parking areas.  I don’t know what percentage of people playing baseball in Raytown parks actually have Raytown addresses but my guess is that it’s not too high.   

My guess is that they’re not from here and having nothing vested in our city so they just don’t care.  I see the litter the mornings after baseball games and basketball games.  I’ve got two words for you Raytown:  Swope Park.  One of the most beautiful parks in the United States.  It was ruined long ago.  Why?  You know why.  Such a shame.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Kansas City police turned a blind eye to such things as no parking signs in that park.  Are you going to continue to do that?  Please don’t.

To Neighborhood Services:   Drive around.  Look around.  Start writing citations and don’t make them warnings.  People have got to believe we want Raytown to be something special and if that means being very harsh in the beginning, so be it.  Don’t expect me to do your job for you by calling with complaints.  Do your own job.  Get out from behind that desk.  Write people up for code violations.  Collect the money.  Earn your pay.

To the City Administrator:  Manage your city.  Don’t expect me to do your job for you by writing letters.  Do your own job.  Get out from behind that desk.  Write department heads up or fire them for not doing their jobs.  Earn your pay.

To the Police Department:  Do your job.  Get out of that patrol car.  Write people up.  Collect the money.  If you’d keep the criminals out of Raytown, you wouldn’t have to worry about solving crimes.  Keep the criminals west of Blue Ridge where they belong.  Put back up that invisible barrier that Raytown use to have so that the hoods were afraid to even drive into our city.  Now they live here!  Earn your pay. 

To the Parks Department:  Why not post signs along the fence and near the basketball court – and then ask the police to enforce it – that say something about littering causing the closing of the diamond and the court?  Don’t let the dollars generated by the ball teams and the job security the litter causes guide you.  Do the right thing.  Post signs.  Make them visible and strong and ask the police to enforce.

Just think about this – if I don’t feel safe in my own home or on the streets or in the parks, if I don’t see anything that is pleasing to the eye, if I don’t want to invite friends in to my own home because of where it is, if I don’t think the people holding jobs with the city of Raytown care about anything other than getting a paycheck, why would I want to live here?

Sincerely,

Shireen McLaughlin

What’s Wrong With This Picture? BY GREG WALTERS

The following photos were taken last Thursday evening at Coleman Park. The illegally parked cars are parked along the street posted “no parking” are quite clear. In the first picture, a car can be seen blocking the handi-cap entrance way to the Walking Trail.

It is hard to believe that Park and City officials are unaware or this all too common occurrence at one of Raytown’s busiest parks.

Recently there was a serious medical emergency at one of the softball games. A player collapsed at second base during the game. Fortunately, the ambulance, police and fire protection responded quickly and were able to evacuate the player to the hospital. The emergency vehicles entered the park from the north entrance at 59^th and Lane Street. Had they entered from the south entrance it is doubtful they would have reached the player in a timely manner.

Raytown Summerfest a HUGE Success

Raytowners gathered to celebrate the Annual Summerfest Festival this past weekend. Temperate temperatures and a good stiff breeze helped to make the time spent at the annual event pleasant and enjoyable.

Pictured on the left, the final heat of the Weenie Dog Races. Mayor David officiating the popular event.

Bottom left: Spectators cheer on their favorites in one of the earlier heats.

Bottom Right: The winner and owner of the smallest dog contest.

  

The Paul Livius Report

Raytown Board of Aldermen Meeting – June 5, 2012

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen observed a moment of silence when the meeting had been brought to order.

Vicki Turnbow, with the Raytown Chamber of Commerce, invited everyone to the Summer Fest June 8-9.  She said there will be a carnival, craft booths and a whiffle ball contest.

Mahesh Sharma told the Board the Blood Drive held on May 23 collected 23 units of blood.  He also reported the Computer tablet training sessions have been underway for Senior Staff and members of the Governing Body. This will allow the staff to provide electronic agenda and meeting minutes to the Board and to reduce the time and expense of creating of City agenda and meeting minutes.

Kevin Boji gave the Board of Aldermen the Annual Park Board report.  He told the Board the Park Department oversees Park Operations, Administration, Aquatics, Recreation, and the BMX track.  There are 9 full-time employees and over 125 seasonal employees. Raytown Parks and Rec improves Raytown with the landscaping at the Gateways, the “Welcome to Raytown” signs, City Hall, traffic islands and the Eubank fountain. Mr. Boji provided the following information for Super Splash:

• Revenue        $363,670
• Expenses        $378,834
• Net Loss        ($40,626)
• Per Capita Spending was $2.37 per person.
• 4% increase in swim lesion registrations

The current year budget:

·         Revenues     $1,221,680

·         Expenses      $1,220,356

·         Under the Consent Agenda, the Board appointed Charla Roberts to The Council On Aging and appointed Tiara Fields to the Human Relations Commission.

·         The Board approved the acceptance of $51,219.86 from the US Department of Justice for federally forfeited property seized within the City of Raytown.  Chief Lynch told the Board these were items seized last year.

The Board approved an agreement with the Missouri Highways and

Transportation Commission for sidewalk improvements along 350

Highway.  Aldermen Melson said she likes the idea of improving 350 Highway, but she has liability concerns about the sidewalks.  Alderman Van Buskirk said he also likes improving 350 Highway but has concerns about this plan.  He said he came into Raytown on 350 Highway from the airport and traffic was backed up like it tends to do in rush hour.  He believes the elimination of the shoulder will only cause more problems if there were an accident or stalled vehicle.  Alderman Ertz said MoDot worked with the City of Raymore to improve Mo 150 Highway and there is plenty of room for stalled vehicles there.

      The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance to approve a contract for Transit service with The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, not to exceed $60,446.  Alderman Melson said she had several questions, but the ATA representative was not at the meeting.  Mark Loughry, Finance Director, told the Board the ATA Representative was scheduled to be at the meeting.  Several Board members told Mr. Loughry the ATA Representative must be at the next meeting if he wants this agreement passed.  Alderman Hamilton said there were only 23,225 people who used the Raytown ATA bus service in 2011.  He said that averages out to 73 riders per day, or less than 1% of the Raytown population.  He asked what other services the City offers where less than 1% of the residents benefit.  Alderman Melson asked how many busses were part of the routes and what hours they ran.  Mr. Loughry said currently there are 2 busses.  They run from 6-10 am and 2:30-6:30pm.  He is considering reducing that to one bus and route.  The Board told Mr. Loughry the ATA Representative must be at the meeting in 2 weeks.

The Board then adjourned to a Closed Session meeting.

 

Fit Bottomed Girls

Mud Runs, Down Dirty and Dangerous BY KELLY

Running is no longer enough: Themed fun runs and mud runs have exploded in popularity, requiring racers to not only race for miles but also to navigate obstacles through mud, while covered in foam, while being splattered with paint—or even while being chased by zombies. The original, and most popular fun run still remains the mud run, but no matter the theme, these races are a fun way to spice up your workouts and bond with your friends over some laughs. But with mud runs popping up all over the U.S., the volume, and severity, of injuries sustained during these races have many worried this new trend could do more harm to your health than good. Continue reading

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