RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE
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In 2015 the City of
Raytown installed handicap street cuts at a cross walk light located on 63rd
Street at Blue Ridge Elementary.
Weeks later, the city
disabled the lights, placed plastic bags over the crosswalk lights and removed
the crosswalk buttons.
The
following story chronicles why the crosswalk light was put in place many years
ago and why it should be functioning now . . .
TICK TOCK BY GREG WALTERS
IT HAS BEEN OVER 25 YEARS since a young boy, was nearly killed when a car ran into him as he
crossed 63rd Street on his way to Blue Ridge Elementary School.
A crosswalk
guard was on hand, but the motorist said the sunrise, which is extremely bright
that time of year in the morning on east bound 63rd Street, blinded her to the
boy’s presence.
The
drivers speed was estimated between 20 to 25 miles per hour.
The Board
of Aldermen wasted no time in unanimously approving funds to install crosswalk lights
at Blue Ridge Elementary on 3rd Street. Within a few years, the same would be done at all schools within
city limits.
Three
weeks later (according to the residents in the neighborhood near the
crosswalk), the city disabled the crosswalk light and placed dark plastic bags
over the pedestrian walk lights.
Torn
fragments of black plastic bags used to cover the lights are a constant
reminder of the city’s intent to leave the lights in disrepair.
The metal
boxes that housed the buttons pedestrians would use to cross the street have
been removed by Public Works crews because people kept trying to push the
buttons to make the non-functioning crosswalk lights to turn on.
People who
live in the neighborhood say they were told by city officials the city does not
have the money to repair the crosswalk lights.
Which is
hard to believe after learning the City Council approved a $34,737.93 tax
abatement for a commercial developer at the last City Council meeting.
It is not
a question of money.
It is a
question of priorities.
By their
actions city officials are showing us what merits attention.
Apparently,
public safety on our streets is not high on the priority list.
The Board
of Aldermen approved a zoning change for a new Dollar General Store recently.
The location of the store is less than 75 yards from where the non-functioning
crosswalk light.
No doubt
the store will concentrate more vehicular traffic on that section of 63rd
Street.
Pedestrian
traffic will increase . . . especially with the young, who do not have
vehicles to deliver them to the Dollar Store once it is built.
Some call
this progress and boast of the power of the free marketplace in shaping a new
Raytown.
With this
so-called progress comes responsibility. Our city officials need to recognize
that responsibility.
The
crosswalk light was placed on 63rd Street so parents could safely escort their
children across the four lanes of traffic to Blue Ridge Elementary.
The recent
change of zoning allowing a Dollar Store to be built at that same location will
exasperate the situation.
The
traffic will increase. More cars, more pedestrians, more distractions . . . fix
the problem . . . tick tock!
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 |
| BY JENN |
Why You Should Eat a Whole Food Plant Based Diet The idea of eating a particular food for one nutrient is pervasive in our culture. We have been led to believe we should eat meat for protein, dairy for calcium, fish for omega-3 fatty acids, and even tomatoes for lycopene, among many others. This sort of thinking is misguided and has caused grave harm to human health. The quest for protein, for example, has steered us toward meat consumption. In this quest, we not only consume protein in excess of our needs, but also many harmful substances like dietary cholesterol that are only present in animal foods.
No food is a single nutrient, and we
should never think of foods in that way. Any given food has countless
nutrients. What matters most is the overall nutrient profile, i.e., the whole
package. Whole, plant-based foods contain all the essential nutrients (with the
exception of vitamin B12), and in proportions that are more consistent with
human needs than animal-based or processed foods. So our question is really
this: Why waste any of what we eat on inferior packages? As long as — over time
— we choose a variety of whole, plant-based foods, we will easily meet all of
our nutritional needs. READ MORE
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Comments
Pleeeeease!
Again, the one line sentence writer appears. He wrings his hands over the mislabeling of the subject matter.
Do not pay the apologist who writes these one liners much mind. His job is to cast doubt on legitimate complaints.
Sorry You chose to see my question as "nit picking" but as a tax payer and interested citizen I really want to know and do not feel it is a question that isn't valid . Do you know the answer ? Please
It is a Dollar General going in on 63rd st. I wonder if they are taking the Walgreens/ Cvs route of putting like stores in close proximity of one another.
The BIG difference of the development of the Dollar (Store, General, Family Dollar..take your pick) on 63rd Street does not fit the pattern. The nearest similar retail outlet is nearly one quarter of a mile away!
I find it hard to believe one writer called the location as part of downtown Raytown. Pure nonsense.
The zoning change is NOT an upgrade to the neighborhood. I whole heartedly agree with Greg's editorial. The city should repair the crosswalk light on 63rd Street. I drive that street frequently and have witnessed the large amount of pedestrian traffic along 63rd Street. The crosswalk at Blue Elementary is roughly the half way point be Raytown Road and Blue Ridge Cutoff. I have seen children cross 63rd Street to go to Blue Ridge Elementary School.
I hope the city owns up to its responsibility before something tragic happens.
Be fair about it. Some of those pedestrians are going to want to cross the street at some point. The nearest two crosswalks are at Raytown Road and Blue Ridge Cutoff.
Letter from Mayor Michael McDonough-
Good afternoon.
An issue of serious concern came to my attention last Wednesday, February 10, 2016, regarding whether or not the City of Raytown has been in compliance with reporting requirements for Raytown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, in recent years. Missouri statutes mandate that municipalities report certain TIF-related information annually. It appears that the City of Raytown’s mandated TIF reporting is incomplete or nonexistent for as many as the last four years. Failure to comply with the state mandates could have serious financial consequences, including the use of TIF in future economic development projects.
I take this matter very seriously, and assure our Raytown residents and businesses that I will find out what happened, when it happened, why it happened, and ensure that it is corrected and does not happen again.
Thanks for posting what was on a City Facebook page.
But honestly anything posted on the internet is nothing called Quietly Posted
I know how to see a Facebook page and the city website; no Im not blind. But I was asking Raytowna Beach how anything on an internet is considered quietly posted. Really it is out there for all to see; no conspiracy about that
for what ever year it was. Every year the city pays good money to go through an anneal audit of the
financial records of the city. It would seem to me that part of that audit would concern itself with
the TIF's that our mayor mentioned in the above. I would think that our aldermen should be maybe
also concerned enough to have telephone calls made to the audit firm. This is something that I
think our city manager would be very concerned with.
to request a copy of the the audit report from the audit firm that is given to the city
manager. There should be a section where the firm audits the TIF;s at least to the point
of being able to see money flowing in and out and the financial liability that the city
has at each fiscal year end of the city.
Hope this makes sense, someone has the ability to do this, at least the mayor if he
deems it.
Anonymous, I checked out your link and that is to some non-existent Tif from 2010, note the name-Downtown Raytown Tif and all the 0's, that tif never happened. Just because Benson's name's on that report from 6 years ago does not mean it's his responsibility to fill out reports for active ones. Good try to deflect responsibility.
Ron, attached is a link to average city manager's salary in the "area": http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thonline.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/27/d2717262-fd77-11e3-8ed9-0017a43b2370/53ada28939bd9.pdf.pdf
Note: not one town is less than 30,000 population and as someone said above you would have to compare duties and employees managed. Sharma manages probably 65 +/- employees, no public utilities as most cities have, not even the fire department. He's paid in the 180's., more than twice what the city paid 10 years ago, and yes it was a $30,000 raise in one year.
At the end of the day it's his responsibility to make sure things get done-ergo the term "administrator/manager"
Seems to me we're paying for Lexus prices and getting Edsel services.
Andy Whiteman
Often times, people spew bitterness about a variety of things as they are desperately trying to fill a hole in their own heart. Kids are grown, career has ended...they've lost a lot of control over what they had previously commanded. Barking venom online is merely a means for them to evoke some kind of control.
It's kind of a sad scene. Do you really think people are passionately irritated that a pedestrian traffic signal was deactivated or that someone didn't file a document or 5 with the state. Isn't TIF a program members of this forum have decreed is evil? Why not rejoice in the opportunity that this apparent flub at City Hall could halt future use of TIF?
Most citizens wouldn't have noticed any of this stuff. But, since they "need" to be irritated, they tune into this hateful little page each week to see what they can express an extreme opinion toward.
Some people are only happy when they're unhappy.
You have not added anything, although you seem to be a regular reader. The fact that your post has made it here unedited says something about this blog. I am a blog reader in this "age of FB" I am not a FBer. So forgive my flat earth way of staying in the loop.
BTW, enlighten me... What is Facebook? if not folks chatting back and forth.
Regards to all Raytowners, RN
Paybacks are hell you say; look up online see who signed those TIF reports, it was former mayor Bower and the CA. That tells me a lot. The way I see it is the 4 names you mentioned are the ones trying to at least be honest about what is going on. Keep your head in the sand.