TIFFANY BRAND OF "BRAND X" PERFORM  AT THE GREEN SPACE.

Brand X . . . 

a Show to Remember

Each summer the City of Raytown holds four concerts in an area known as the Green Space in Downtown Raytown. Here is the neat part. The shows are free. Bring your own food, bring your own bottle. Or, buy something from one of the vendors on sight. More plainly stated, it can be a fun evening for very little cost … plus … you get to touch base with fellow Raytowners.

This past weekend, the entertainment at the city’s third of four concerts was provided by a band named Brand X.

This four piece band was the essence of rock and roll. Lead singer, Tiffany Brand, gave the best Lady GaGa imitation I have ever seen on a small stage. The evening ended up with a unique version of the Lynryrd Skynyrd hit, "Free Bird" was perfect for a warm but breezy summer night.

The show was rock and roll at its core. It was plain, simple and down to earth. If you have ever been at a Royals baseball game and seen a walk off home run by the local team, then you may understand that Brand X hit the show out of the park last Saturday night.

The final show of the Summer Concert in the Green Space has not been announced.

BY GREG WALTERS

Park Improvement Committee,

Park Board to Meet in Joint Session

For the past month the Raytown Park Improvement Committee has been working with a diverse mix of members from Fire, Police and Ambulance Services in Raytown. Add a number of members from the Raytown Board of Aldermen, the Raytown Park Board and private citizens and you end up with a strong coalition working together to find ways to improve security in Raytown City Parks.

On August 19th the Raytown Park Board will sit down with the Raytown Parks Improvement Committee to find ways to better enforce curfew laws at Raytown Parks.

Analysis . . .

On June 14th about 50 young adults, some of them teenagers, were attacked by two armed gunmen at Colman Park. The shootings  occurred one and one half hours after park curfew. There should not have been anyone in the park to attack, let alone two gunmen stalking them that night.

The aftermath was horrific. A 17 year old teenage girl lost her life. Homes along the west side of the park were hit by gunfire. The Raytown Parks Greenhouse and maintenance facility was also hit.

In a similar shooting, a young woman lost her life at First Friday at the Crossroads in Downtown Kansas City. In that case the shooter filed blindly into a crowd of people near a food truck. 

Our world is one of escalating violence.

In response to the danger of this reality, our local governments must take steps to increase security at what are often characterized as soft targets for a domestic form of terrorism.

The answer to this situation is taking shape around us. Both public and private places are being “hardened” to protect the public from those who would cause harm. 

To gain entrance to entertainment districts like Westport, major league sporting events, public and private buildings, we have become accustomed to being  scanned for weapons.

Our churches, public and private parks have seen a proliferation of gates and other barriers aimed at dissuading people from trespassing when the buildings are closed. 

The Board and the Parks Improvement Committee have focused on addressing the problem of vagrancy once the parks are closed. Let’s hope they find solutions that will make Raytown parks a safer haven for us to enjoy and relax in. 

On Monday, August 19^th, the Committee will meet with the Raytown Park Board to hammer out an agreement to share cost and responsibility to make Raytown Parks safer.

It is an opportunity for these community leaders to show they are about finding solutions to a problem that plagues not only Raytown, but also the entire metropolitan area.

We wish them well and pray they will be successful.

The Paul Livius Report

BY PAUL LIVIUS

Raytown Board of Aldermen Meeting

August 6, 2019

Dawn Thomas said she is a former Art teacher with Belton and O’Hara High Schools.  She is working with Raytown Artists.  This group has been having an annual art show.  This year it will be held August 16 and 17 at St. Paul’s Church of the Nazarene on Blue Ridge.  She hopes to see everyone there.

Robbie Tubbs asked the Board to look into the mistreatment of animals by the local veterinarian responsible for medical care.

Steve Meyers said he was tired of all the negative news items.  He said it seems like every time someone is unhappy, he calls the news crew to complain.

Vicki Turnbow said the Raytown Chamber of Commerce applied for a building grant through AARP to update the Chamber offices.

Bonnaye Mims said she wanted to personally apologize to former Raytown Mayoral candidate Tony Jacob for all he has had to endure. She went on to say she is tired of the back-stabbing and petty games being played out at City Hall with no positive contribution to our community. She asked that it be stopped.

The Board heard the first reading of an ordinance approving a conditional use permit for MohamedAlsiyouhi to operate a vehicle repair use at 9100 E. 350 Highway.  Mohamed Alsiyouhi, the applicant, has a lease agreement with the property owner, Henry Machauf, tooperate a tire and minor auto repair shop in the former Auto Cool building which has been vacant since 2016. The 2-bay building was originally designed and built for minor automotive work in the 1960s or 1970s and the requested use would be consistent with the original purpose of the building and consistent with automotive work previously performed on the site. The building was continuously occupied by the most recent business, Auto Cool, from 1998 until 2016. Several conditions of approval were attached to the Conditional Use by staff and concurred with by the Planning Commission relating to required property maintenance and upgrades to bring the property up to current code requirements.

The Board heard the first and second readings, then approved an ordinance giving a conditional use permit for BryanBosley to operate a vehicle repair use with limited vehicle sales at 5247 Woodson Road. Bryan Bosley, owner of Bosley Automotive, has leased the former Carwash Plaza Lube and Fuel Outlet building and applied for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a Vehicle Repair business doing all forms of automotive maintenance and repair, primarily transmission repair, on the property, with limited vehicle sales as an accessory use. The building was originally designed and built for quick-lube type automotive work in 2004 and the requested use would be consistent with the designed purpose of the building but more intense than activities previously performed on the site under the Vehicle Repair (Limited) classification and a preceding Fueling Station use category. The building has been continuously occupied since 2004, but activities appear to have been closer related to limited repair than general repair, based on available records.

The Board heard the first and second readings, then approved an ordinance for the “Final Plat of Brywood Centre, Second Plat”, located generally in the northeast quadrant of 63rd Street and Blue Ridge Cutoff and comprising 25.6 acres, of which approximately 24 acres is in Kansas City, Missouri, and 1.5 acres is in the City of Raytown. This is being done in advance of an effort by the developers, RCG Ventures, LLC, to modernize the layout of the center by adding pad sites along 63rd Street, an additional big box retail space on the west end of the main part of the center, and space for a multi-tenant building on the northeast portion that would extend into Raytown. The plat has already been approved by both the City of Kansas City Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council and now needs approval by Raytown as a small portion of the plat is within Raytown city limits. The entirety of the 1.5-acre portion within Raytown is vacant land, including an access drive into the shopping center from Blue Ridge Cutoff. Public works has no additional requirements for utilities or roadway construction as all these improvements are already in place.

The Board passed a resolution approving the expenditure of funds for Micro-Surfacing in an amount not to exceed $20,000.The City of Raytown Public Works Department is scheduling the Micro-Surfacing of Lane Avenue through Colman Park and has suggested the Raytown Parks Department take advantage of the pricing that is approved for this job to overlay the parking lots in Colman Park. This is a non-budgeted item, with a cost of $16,029.85 for an estimated 6,095 square yards of material. This project is to be added to the current 2019 budget, from the Park reserve fund. The amount requested by the Raytown Park Board is $20,000.00 to pay for the Micro-Surfacing and restriping the parking and handicap areas. The project that Public Works is moving forward with will leave the parking lots adjacent to Lane Avenue in Colman Park in better shape for the long term and will be the most aesthetically pleasing appearance, since the public streets and parking areas will be completed at the same time, with the same material.

The Board passed a resolution approving the city administrator to enter into an agreement with Yellow Blue LEDfor solar and LED lighting in an amount not to exceed $15,000.The City of Raytown Parks Department sent an RFQ to six companies for information and pricing of free standing solar/LED area lighting to be placed in the dark areas of the City Parks. The Park Board reviewed the quotes that were submitted and chose the product from Yellow Blue LED to light those dark areas in the City of Raytown Park properties. This is a non-budgeted item, with a cost of $12,813.56 for 10 solar/LED area lights. Staff has requested $15,000.00 be added to the current 2019 budget, from the Park reserve fund, to make the purchase and begin in house installation of the solar/LED units. The solar/LED lights will be installed on poles 15 feet high and cast a 60’x40’ area of light. The units will be dawn to dusk lights operated by a photo cell with no electric utility costs, and also come with a 5-year full replacement warranty. The lights can be aimed to avoid light spilling into neighboring properties, while providing 1000 lumens of light to the desired areas. The product will function normally for 48 hours without a charge. All photocells, solar panels, and batteries are contained within the unit.

To leave a comment use this link
POST A COMMENT