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| Happy Thanksgiving from Greg and Paul! |
Clean Up This Mess! (week 3)
Does where you live and
work make a difference in Raytown?
EDITOR'S NOTE: We are pleased to report the trash pile from 63rd Street and Hunter has been removed.
EDITOR'S NOTE: We are pleased to report the trash pile from 63rd Street and Hunter has been removed.
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| City Hall, September, 2011 |
Apparently where you live does make a difference when it comes to
property code enforcement.
The picture at left was taken in September of 2011.
A driver lost control of his vehicle and smashed through the monument sign at
Raytown City Hall. Within two days the mess was cleaned up – though the sign
was never replaced.
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| 63rd and Hunter, November, 2012 |
This picture is of boxes full of trash at
a house located on the southwest corner of 63rd Street and
Hunter.
The trash has been there for over six
weeks. City Hall has been informed of the mess.
Why won’t they clean it up? Why
haven’t Ward 1 Aldermen Shane Pardue and Joe Creamer get some response from
their city department heads on removing the trash?
Blue Ridge Elementary is located directly across the street from the pile of trash. Why have they not brought action to clean up the mess?
Pride is something that is not hard to define. Lack of pride is equally easy to define. The so-called "professionals" at Raytown City Hall are the displaying the definition of "lack of pride" by their inaction on the trash that has been abandoned at 63rd and Hunter Street.
Does it make a
difference where you live when it comes to city services? Given the response to the trash piled at 63rd and Hunter and the debris from the sign wreckage at city hall it most definitely does make a difference.
Voters should remember the inaction by their elected officials when city elections are held next April.
New Weather Feature
You
may have noticed a new weather feature at the top of the left hand column of
the Raytown Report. The local website is the work of two Raytowners, Dave
Wilson and Chuck Smith. They have graciously allowed us to link to their site.
Take a second to check it out – we guarantee you won’t have any questions about
what’s going on with the weather once you finished!
Filing Opens December 11th
Five seats on the Board of Aldermen are
up for election next April. The Municipal Judge and the City Marshall will also
be on the ballot.
Following is a list of offices up for
election next April in the City of Raytown.
ALDERMAN: (Five seats open) $400 Monthly + $50
Monthly Car Allowance / Eligible to join City’s Health Insurance Plan. Four
year term. Following is a list of the Aldermen whose seats are up for election.
Ward 1: Shane Pardue
Ward 2: Jim Hamilton
Ward 3: Christine White
Ward 4: Bill VanBuskirk
Ward 5: Steve Mock.
MUNICIPAL
JUDGE: $26,000.00
Annually. Automatically included in all employee benefit plans – Pension/Insurance.
Four year term. Traci Fann is the
current Municipal Judge.
CITY
MARSHALL (Chief of Police): $96,742.00
Annually. Automatically included in all employee benefit plans –
Pension/Insurance. Automobile, maintenance and fuel provided. Four Year Term. Jim Lynch is the current Chief of
Police.
Other Races Coming April
The
races at City Hall are not the only ones voters will be deciding next April.
The Raytown Fire Protection District, Rayt0wn School Board and Raytown Water
District will be holding elections as well.
Here
is short list of those races and related information:
RAYTOWN
FIRE DISTRICT
One
seat is up for election on the Raytown Fire Board. The winner of the seat will
serve a six year term. The position pays $100 per meeting. There are two
meetings each month. Candidates can file at the Raytown Fire District
Headquarters located at 6020 Raytown Trafficway.
RAYTOWN
C2 SCHOOL DISTRICT
There are two seats up for election on the Raytown
School Board. The positions do not receive any salary. Candidates can file at
the Raytown School District Headquarters located at 6608 Raytown Road.
JACKSON
COUNTY WATER SUPPLY DISTRICT No. 2
There
are two seats up for election on the Jackson County Water Supply District No.
2. Candidates can file at the Water Supply District Headquarters located at
6945 Blue Ridge Boulevard.
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| Greg Walters |
Does Anyone Know When the Trail to
Nowhere is Scheduled to be Built? BY GREG WALTERS
A couple of summers back the Raytown Board of Aldermen voted to match some federal stimulus
funding to build pedestrian/bicycle trail on the south side of 350 Highway. The
trail was planned to start at the city’s western border and end at Maple
Street. The one mile stretch of trail was enthusiastically supported by most of the
Board of Aldermen.
One
exception was Ward 4 Alderman Bill VanBuskirk.
Mr.
VanBuskirk told the Mayor and fellow Board members that he was not opposed to
bicycle/pedestrian trails.
But he did voice objection to the plan to do away
with the shoulder on the South side of 350 Highway in the construction plans.
He pointed out that by eliminating the shoulder emergency vehicles would have
trouble maneuvering through rush hour traffic in the afternoons.
The
“going home” traffic is known to back up beyond the city limits on the west
side of town as far back as the new Holiday Inn located west of Raytown.
He
also voiced concern that if there were a traffic accident vehicles would not
have a place to pull over so that traffic could continue to flow unimpeded.
VanBuskirk
offered a compromise to move the trail further away from the highway so that
the traffic shoulder could remain in place. So far, his offer of a compromise has fallen on deaf ears, though he does say that some members of the Board had confided to him that they would support his proposal.
VanBuskirk said there has not been any
explanation (from city staff) as to why the project has not been started.
FIT BOTTOMED GIRLS
Balance? BY JENN
People
talk about balance all the time. Heck, I talk about it all the time—finding it,
cultivating it, holding on to it for dear life. But is this mythical “balance”
all that it’s cracked up to be? And is it even possible to have? It’s something
I’ve been thinking a lot about lately… For our recent... Continue
reading
To post a comment on this blog click on
the word comments on the line
directly below this sentence.
O’Hara
Men’s Basketball Win Openers
The
Archbishop O'Hara High School boys basketball team opened their 2012-2013
season with a win over Pembroke Hill by a score of 64-45 on November 19th. The
Celtics led throughout the game and outpointed the Raiders in every
quarter, leading at halftime 30-22.
The
scoring for O'Hara was well spread out with John Burton (13), Isaac Uche (12),
Desmond McDaniel (11), C.L. Naudet (10), and Kyle Baker (9) providing a
balanced attack. Pembroke Hill was held to just three points in the third
quarter when O'Hara pulled way ahead.
Prior
to the varsity contest, the JV Celtics won 62-34 and the freshman team edged
out a close 30-28 victory. For the JV team, DaQuan Barnes, Alex Wagner, and
Zach Drake were in double figures. During the second quarter, O'Hara
had four consecutive 3-pointers, three from Alex Wagner and one from DaQuan
Barnes.
Lady
Celtics Rally to Win Opener
With a strong fourth quarter, the Archbishop
O’Hara High School girls basketball team overcame a five point deficit to
defeat Platte County 51-45 on November 20 to open their 2012-2013 season.
Trailing 38-33 going into the final quarter
and led by Amanda Hull, Maddie Champion, and Cydnee Reese, the Celtics pulled
ahead with a shot by Alexa Williams 46-45 and the Pirates failed to score
another point in the game. They were
held two baskets and three free throws in the final frame.
O’Hara led throughout the first quarter
until two free throws by Jessie Hoover followed by a basket by Teryn Scott gave
the visitors a two point advantage. The Celtics continued to trail in the second
quarter until Cyndee Reese and Alexa Williams combined for four points and
O’Hara held on up to halftime leading 24-20.
However Platte County dominated the third
quarter outscoring O’Hara 18-9 before the fourth quarter rally. Top scorer for
the Celtic squad was Alexa Williams with 15 points; two of her baskets were
three-pointers.. Cyndee Reese and Maddie
Champion were also in double figures.
Raytown Holiday Lighting Ceremony
Downtown Raytown
December 7th, 2012 6:00 pm
Lighting of the Pocket Park,
Holiday music by the Little Blue Sing-O-Gram Team!
Holiday music by the Little Blue Sing-O-Gram Team!
Pocket Park – 63rd Street and Raytown Road
6:30-7:30pm
- Visit Santa inside UMB Bank and listen to music provided by Raytown Community Band Flutes
- Hop on a hay ride around downtown
- Stop by the Winter Wonderland at 63rd Street & Blue Ridge Boulevard to enjoy a sip of cider & a cookie.
- The first 120 children will receive a craft kit. Santa’s elves will be there to help put them together. Parents must accompany all children.
- Visit Open Houses in the Downtown Business area
23 comments:
Face it, certain hoods in Raytown are ghettos and are expected to look trashy so obviously codes vary by hood. (My opinion.) The Crystal Palace, 10000 E 59th St cannot be allowed to appear run down. My suspicion is since it was an "accident" the driver's insurance took care of cleanup and repair, not the city. Two different situations altogether.
Andy Whiteman
Any rumors on who may challenge any of the incumbents for their seats on the board of Alderman or Bobbie Saulsbury or Rick Thode on the School Board?
Also, who were the people you referenced in the last post that are not running again for Alderman?
Saulsbury REALLY needs to go Hope Thode stays he's the only one with any sense.
There has not been any announcement from incumbent Aldermen saying that they will not run for re-election. It has been said, but not confirmed, that Ward 2 Alderman Jim Hamilton may not run.
In contrast, Chief of Police Jim Lynch has announced he will seek another term.
Someone posted on this blog that former Congressional candidate Jason Greene is considering a run for Alderman. Former Director of the Raytown Ambulance Service, Matt Cushman has expressed interest. Richard Tush, President of the Raytown Democratic Association (RDA) has mentioned a possible run. Michael Downing, a Jackson County Democratic Committeeman, has indicated to some that he may run for a seat on the Raytown Fire Board.
I am sure there are others.
If you are reading this and wonder whether or not it is time to throw your hat in the ring, here is a word of free advice. There is a perfect storm brewing in the local political arena. Now is NOT the time to be shy.
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I don't know who to thank but the act still deserves recognition.
"Thank you" to whoever cleaned up the unsightly trash at 63rd and Hunter. Raytown is a better place for your action!
Speaking of messes!!! There are still 3 4x8 signs in a yard on 83rd street between Elm and Raytown Road. I believe that these signs were illegal from the beginning, but of coarse the city never bothered to enforce our codes. The city's attitude is just ignore it and maybe it will go away. The problem is MANY OF THESE EYESORES NEVER GO AWAY.
Give em a break! 83rd and Elm is pretty far off the beaten path that our out of town city department heads use to come into work.
To them Raytown is 350 highway, 63rd Street 350 Highway and of course 59th because they have to use those roads when they go to city hall.
83rd and Elm? You would actually have to live here to know where that is!
I hope someone will run against VanBuskirt.
We don't need people on the board that keep trying to bring up talk about "those people"
I hope someone will run against White. We don't need people on the board who believe all the public's business should be done "behind closed doors"
VanBuskirk does need to be defeated. He has become one of Bower's puppets, voting for that $30,000 raise for the city administrator was the last straw. These aldermen pass themselves off as republicans but they are the most LIBERAL bunch I've ever seen.
VanBuskirt has been a leader for the city by his support of "Those People" who do not live in the city.
He was agreed that they should recieve 30% raises while those that actually live in the city get nothing.
I know I like seeing my money goes to other cities so I will have to vote to re-elect VanBuskirt as he is for helping others.
It wasn’t that many years ago we learned that the Buffalo Wild Wings location in Raytown was the only location that allowed smoking. This was during the time the city was exploring passing a smoking ban. The bars in Raytown and several restaurants started complaining that a ban on smoking would hurt their business.
Jumping forward to today, we can see that smoking didn’t do anything to save Buffalo Wild Wings. Apparently those bar owners and those well educated individuals at city hall just didn’t get it that there are not enough smokers to keep these businesses profitable.
Maybe new members on the Board of Alderman will get it right and cleanup the smoke cloud that hangs over Raytown that has done nothing to positively promote our city.
Anyone that calls Mr. VanBuskirk a liberal does not know the man at all. He is the only conservative on the Board.
We need more like him at City Hall.
I believe that any restaurant in Raytown can elect to ban smoking in their establishment if they wish. Let the owners choose, let the market choose.
I am an ex smoker. If the smoke gets too thick, I can leave. Liberty does not mean the freedom to pass laws against behavior you do not like.
-Democrat
If a business owner doesn't want smoking in his business all he has to do is put up a sign saying "No smoking" it's not the cities place its the business owners right to have a smoking or non smoking business. After all he built the business not the government.
By his votes Mr. VanBuskirk confirms his liberal credentials. You can call yourself anything, but his voting record confirms that he is indeed a LIBERAL!!!
I have to agree that there is nothing more distasteful and disgusting as being called a liberal. It is the ultimate insult.
I can think of many Raytown politicians who fit that cookie cutter label.
You must be one of those people who thing that by repeating the same lie over and over it magically becomes the truth.
Maybe it does. After all. It worked for Obama.
To 8:55 AM:
Telling the same lie over and over does not make it the truth, although Karl Rove and Fox News didn't get the memo.
I had a "Republican" knock on my door and tell me there was a 5% sales tax on home sales because of Obamacare. No matter how many times you say it, it is still a lie.
The wackos on the left scare me less than the whack-jobs on the right.
-Democrat
Happy Thanksgiving to our Raytown friends,
Andy Whiteman & Red Dogg
For someone who won the election you come across as so shrill, so angry. You are in the driver's seat. No more excuses. Lead us to a better life.
It is a time to be thankful. I am thankful that someone got the trash removed from 63rd and Hunter. I don't care who removed it. But I do know who caused it to be removed. Keep up the good work you guys. .
Also the big political signs on 83rd street are gone too. I'm sure that would not have happened without this blog. Thanks
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