BY GREG WALTERS

Tragedy at Colman

Park is a Wake-Up Call

One week has passed since two gunmen attacked a group of about 50 teenagers and young adults at Colman Park. For those living around the park, the memory of what transpired has not been dulled by the passage of time.

There had been an increase in traffic on the streets leading up to the park that evening. But the noise level coming from the park was tolerable. Apparently no one bothered to call the police after the 11:00 p.m. curfew had passed.

Many now wish they had.

One and one-half hours later, at 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning, all of the neighborhoods surrounding Colman Park were awakened by the sound of semi-automatic gunfire.

What followed was surreal . . . confused cries and yelling coming from the park, police and ambulance sirens . . . a panicked telephone call from a neighbor whose house had been hit by stray bullets.

Later I would learn three homes and the Park Department Maintenance Garage had been shot up.

It was difficult to watch all of the neighbor's house lights turned on only to realize one house remained dark. You know the person living there was home for the evening. You call on the phone only to get a voice mail. Did the neighbor get hit by a stray bullet?

I finally took a spare key we kept of our neighbors house and enlisted the help of two policemen to go into the house. All was well. Some people sleep very soundly!

AFTERMATH . . . City parks can be a blessing for the neighborhoods surrounding them. Parks break the monotony of street after street of houses. 

They can be a peaceful gathering place where neighbors can relax, walk the dog and visit with friends.

Parks can also become a place seen as dangerous, a place to avoid . . .  especially at night. It has reached that point at Colman Park. Anyone who does not recognize this is in denial.

One neighbor told me she is having a hard time explaining to her granddaughter why they can no longer visit her favorite city park (Colman Park).

Another told me she is expecting one of her children to visit her soon from out of state. She said it was difficult to hear her own child ask to stay in a bedroom that does not face Colman Park because "bullets can go through walls."

These reactions are understandable. It is also makes it very clear changes need to be made in how we manage our city parks.

TIME FOR A SOLUTION . . . The tragic murder of a 17 year old girl in one of our city’s largest parks is a wake-up call that should not be ignored.

The simple truth is that our police cannot be everywhere at one time. In fact, our Acting Chief of Police, Randy Hudspeth, shared with me that officers were engaged in calls at other city parks when the active shooter alert reached them a week ago early last Saturday morning.

Had the city’s curfew been enforced last Friday night, there would have been one less murder in Raytown. The murdered girl would still be enjoying life. The homes, the broken glass, the public buildings would be unblemished by bullets.

For those reasons I am asking the Board of Aldermen to form a Safe Parks Committee to review and develop policies aimed at making our parks safer.

I move that I be authorized to create a Committee, consisting of the following member classes:

·        (2) Public Safety Personnel – including Police and Fire/Ambulance.

·        (2) Raytown Park Board members to include, at the Park Board’s   discretion, one Park Department staff member.

·        (2) Aldermen

·        (2 to 4) Qualified residents living adjacent or near our city’s parks.

·         Any other person who may have expertise or experience necessary   or beneficial to complete the task at hand.

That the Committee has the following charge:

·        Investigate park safety issues.

·        Investigate remedial steps to address park safety issues.

After not more than 90 days, report to the Mayor, Board of Aldermen and the Park Board of Directors the findings and recommendations of the Committee regarding park safety, park security and the promotion of peaceful enjoyment of our city parks. 

Other Publications Discuss

Secure Our Parks!

BY MICHAEL ANDERSON        Re-printed with permission from Raytown Digest

The shooting at Colman Park was a wake-up call for the return of law and order to our City.  Residents in the area near Colman Park have complained for many years about the homeless population, drug activity, unauthorized fireworks, and occasional random acts of violence.

Some advocate for the closing of Colman Park. I do not. The answer for Colman Park is really quite simple.

Lane Avenue should be transferred to the control of the Parks Board and should be gated when the park is closed.  Next, a tall, decorative fence should be installed along the park property adjacent to 59th street.

Fortunately, most of Colman Park is surrounded by residential homes which should reduce the cost of fencing the property.

This is an easy and cost efficient solution to bringing public safety back to Colman Park and it's long overdue!  Easy solution, but politics is never easy!

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Park Board Meets with

Colman Park Neighbors

Last Monday evening the Raytown Park Board met with about a dozen residents from neighborhoods surrounding Colman Park. Board members listened to neighbor’s concern that City Ordinances are not being enforced at Colman Park.

One speaker told the Board that if the problem is not addressed that Colman Park would gain a reputation of a park where anything goes. Discussion included stricter enforcement of curfews and enforcement of city laws addressing amplified music at Colman Park.

Many of the attendees suggested the Parks be “gated” at curfew to dissuade individuals from hanging out after the park is closed.

Current City ordinances set curfews at 11:00 p.m. during the summer months. Amplified music is specifically not allowed by City Ordinances.

Park Board members urged the area neighborhoods to call the police whenever a violation is noted.

Ward 1 Alderman Greg Walters and Ward 5 Alderman Derek Ward were in attendance at the meeting. Ward 5 Alderman Bonnaye Mims had an earlier commitment but did arrive while testimony was being given. 

Infrastructure Needs Addressed

BY WARD 5 ALDERMAN DERRICK WARD

A little less than one year ago, Raytown hired a consultant, Stantec, to evaluate the overall and specific conditions of our streets and roads.  Although the report was discussed at a public Board of Alderman meeting and is available to the public for review, many residents have never seen it.

The following is a brief summary of the report’s findings and recommendations.

According to Stantec:

According to Stantec, as of mid-2018, the cost to fix our roads was approximately $36 million dollars.  This last winter season placed a huge stress on our paved surfaces.  Without immediate action, the condition of our streets and roads will likely decrease rapidly, as wear leads to more wear.  Also, obviously, the cost of everything rises yearly.  More repairs at higher prices is the only possible outcome if we don’t fix our roads soon.  While I expect that we will struggle to finance over $30 million in road repairs, we could be facing a $100 million bill if we delay even a few years.

• Using lasers, accelerometers, GPS, computers and other hardware, Stantec inspected every lane mile of paved surfaces owned by the City. Raytown has approximately 330 lane miles of roads and streets.
• The replacement cost of Raytown’s streets and roads is nearly half a billion dollars.
• On a scale of 1-100, with 100 being a perfect road, Raytown’s roads scored, on average, 41 on one scale and a 46 on another scale.  A score of 41 is “poor” and only one point above “Very Poor”.
• Only 12% (approximately) of all Raytown streets and roads are in “Good” or “Excellent” Condition.
• Approximately 67% of all Raytown streets and roads are in “Poor”, “Very Poor”, “Serious” or “Failed” condition.

Of course, streets and roads are not the only pressing issue facing our city.  As this spring’s rains have reminded everyone, our storm water management needs are very real, and our Park department would like to construct new amenities for our residents.

Therefore, I encourage city staff and my fellow aldermen to explore funding options, including general obligation bonds, as suggested by Alderman Ryan Myers.  We cannot afford to keep kicking this can down the road for others to fix.  We must be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to maintain our basic infrastructure.  Failing to do so will doom our chances for significant development and can only depress our property values.

  

The Paul Livius Report

Raytown Board of Aldermen Meeting – June 18, 2019

PUBLIC COMMENTS: Mindy McDaniel addressed the Board about neighborhood safety concerns at Coleman Park in the wake of the shooting a week ago last Friday.

Tony Jacob addressed the Board regarding a number of city issues, including public safety and budget concerns.

The Board approved a resolution approving the appointment of Deborah Sommer as the Ward 1 representative to the Special Sales Tax Review Committee.

The Board approved a resolution approving the reappointment of Tommy Bettis, Mary Phyl, Dwight Robinson and KevinWilson to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The Board approved a resolution approving the reappointment of Loretha Hayden, David Thurman and Robbie Tubbs to the Raytown Park Board.
The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance amending chapter 50 (zoning) of the code of ordinances in order to add Article XI and add Article XII, Medical Marijuana.  In November, 2018, Missouri voters approved an amendment to the Missouri Constitution that legalized the growing, manufacturing, transportation, consumption and sale of Marijuana for medicinal purposes only.

Those regulations were finalized by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on May 24, 2019, providing staff fairly solid regulatory guidelines to go by in preparing this Ordinance. This same state agency plans to begin considerations of applications for Medical Marijuana Facilities statewide on August 3, 2019, necessitating this Ordinance to give the City some control over their siting and operations.

This Ordinance, designed to be consistent with state law while also protecting Raytown neighborhoods and residents from the undesirable impacts of Medical Marijuana operations, is an entirely new Article XII addition to Chapter 50 of the Raytown Municipal Code. Included in the Ordinance are new medical marijuana-specific definitions, detailed requirements for citing the various types of facilities and types of approval methods required, and basic regulations for residential based medical marijuana operations.

Article XI of Chapter 50 is also amended to add reserved sections for future code amendments and contains no other changes. Staff worked closely with legal counsel, reviewed similar Ordinances passed by other Missouri cities, and considered other related codes such as Building and Fire Codes as this Ordinance was being drafted. An open-to-the-public informational meeting was held by the Planning Commission on May 7, 2019, at which Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services representatives and legal counsel representing the City provided presentations and answered citizen questions after the meeting.

The Planning and Zoning Commission held a Public Hearing on the marijuana hearing on June 6, 2019. At which time the Commission offered  recommendations outside of the State recommended guidelines.

Ward 4 Alderman Bill Van Buskirk offered a motion to eliminate the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendations and re-instating the State recommendations.

The vote to approve Mr. Van Buskirk’s motion was 6 yes to 4 no.

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