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Council Moves
Forward with Priorities
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Last
month, the City Council met during
a work session to discuss a number
of priorities, including a review
of the dialogue and consensus
achieved at our strategic planning
retreat in February 2009.
Recapping the discussion from
February's retreat, we examined
ten priorities or consensus points
that City officials agreed were
most deserving of attention and
activity over the next year. These
ten points included:
1. Develop Guiding Principles for
Blue Springs Leadership
2. Establish
Operating Protocols for Working with
Developers
3.
Increasing/Facilitating Community
Information Sharing
4,5,6.
Expectations of City Staff, More
Council Work Sessions, Lake Ridge
Village Development
7.
Downtown Growth and Development
8.
Public Safety Sales Tax
9.
City Financial and Revenue Options
10.
Storm Water Detention Commitments
Much was accomplished during the
work session, as the active dialogue
of each consensus point led to the increased
interest and involvement among our
Council in some critical areas.
Considering
the importance of these and other
issues, the following Council
members have agreed to examine and
support several items more
closely:
Consensus Point 1:
Councilman Jeanie Lauer of
District 1 agreed to Chair a
subgroup of individuals that would
work on enhancing the Guiding
Principles for City Leaders and
develop an action plan.
Consensus Point 7:
Councilman Kent Edmondson of
District 2 and I will meet to
discuss future action items and
new ideas for downtown growth and
development.
Consensus Point 10:
Councilman Lyle Shaver of District
1 agreed to Chair a task force
charged with developing
recommendations regarding storm
water detention facilities and
financing strategies. Councilman
Ron Fowler of District 3 and
Council Jeanie Lauer will also
participate on the task force.
While these are only a few
examples, we want citizens to know
that Blue Springs City Council
members, your City leaders are
listening to your needs and
concerns, and are moving forward
in a positive direction in efforts
to address them.
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Upcoming
Events in Blue Springs:
July 24: Blue
Springs Street Flicks
will feature the movie
Madagascar 2.
Activities for children
begin at 7:15 p.m. and the
movie will begin at dusk
at 12th and Main Street.
August 4: National
Night Out Against Crime
will be held from 6:00 -
9:00 p.m. in Downtown Blue
Springs (11th and Smith
Street) - in the Farmers
Market area across from
the Blue Springs Police
Department.
August 8: Blue
Springs Annual Mighty Mud
Volleyball Tournament
will be held at Hidden
Valley Park in Blue
Springs. An adult coed
tournament open to the
public. Team registration
is $100 and closes July
31. Games begin promptly
at 8:00 a.m. Contact Blue
Springs Parks and
Recreation, (816) 228-0137
for more information.
August 11: Blue
Springs EDC Bowling
Challenge is a
fundraising event for the
Blue Springs Economic
Development Corporation
and the Blue Springs
Education Foundation. The
event will be held on
August 11, 2009 at 6:00
p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at
Lunar Bowl in Blue
Springs. For more
information, contact the
EDC offices at (816)
228-0208.
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|
 News
Happenings
Around Town
A
monthly message from your
Blue
Springs Mayor and
City Council
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Greetings!
Hello and welcome to another
informative edition of News
Happenings Around Town.
As we enjoy the warm, eventful
days of summer, it's good to
reflect on the opportunity we
have to live in and be a part
of such a great community.
Blue Springs is a community
that strives to offer citizens
a wide range of public
services, recreational
amenities, quality education
and a diverse array of
opportunities to get engaged
in community issues and
initiatives.
In city government, citizens
are encouraged to participate
in the public meetings of
elected and appointed
officials to learn how local
decision makers are working on
their behalf. For years,
citizen groups like Stand
Up Blue Springs! and Renew
the Blue have focused on
issues such as neighborhood
growth, community improvements
and economic development. And
our newest citizen engagement
initiative, the Blue Springs Citizen
Police Academy is
designed to expose citizens to
the policies, performance and
administrative practices of
our Blue Springs Department,
revealing how our officers
work every day to keep our
community safe.
If you are considering how you
can be involved with one or
more of these outstanding
community services, you're
taking the first and perhaps
most important step. An active
and thriving community is most
commonly fueled by its
citizens.
By deciding to become involved
in Blue Springs, you're doing
your part to help make this
City great, one project, one
street, and one neighborhood
at a time. To learn more about
citizen engagement
opportunities in Blue Springs,
call City Hall at (816)
228-0110.
As always, please continue
sharing this timely
publication and spreading the
word about what's good and
going on in the City of Blue
Springs.
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Blue
Springs, Growing Strong
 Last
Monday, City Staff received a
population update from the US Census
Bureau. Blue Springs
population is currently estimated at
55,698 and we are now identified as
the 10th largest City in the State
of Missouri, followed closely by St.
Peters and Florissant in the St.
Louis metro area. During the
last 10 years Blue Springs has
experienced an annual growth of
approximately 2%; outpacing the
overall growth rate for the state of
Missouri which is approximately 1%.
As our population grows, a critical
challenge for the City will be to
maintain those essential city
services that create value and a
strong quality of life for our
entire community. One thing this
past year has taught us is that
responsible government leadership
involves doing more with less,
sustaining quality of life, and
utilizing available resources to
provide good customer service.
Everyday, we are working to address
citizens' needs and anticipate their
concerns. As a collective body,
comprised of elected officials, city
staff and area citizens we will
continue to work together to
stimulate growth and opportunities,
making our city a leader in Eastern
Jackson County for decades to come.
The top 10 largest cities in
Missouri included (beginning with
the largest):Kansas City, St. Louis,
Springfield, Independence, Columbia,
Lee's Summit, O'Fallon, St. Joseph,
St. Charles, Blue Springs. |
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City
Hosts Civic Leadership Awards
Banquet
Last evening (July
16), the City of
Blue Springs hosted
the annual Civic
Leadership Awards
Banquet for the West
Gate Region of the
Missouri Municipal
League (MML).
City and county
governments from
Jackson, Platte,
Ray, Cass and Clay
Counties comprise
the West Gate Region
of MML, a
professional
nonprofit
organization created
to promote
cooperation between
Missouri cities,
towns and villages.
Each year, the Civic
Leadership Awards
Banquet recognizes
outstanding civic
leaders from
communities across
the state, bestowing
them with the honor
as their community's
Citizen of the Year.
Last night, the City
of Blue Springs
recognized Emil
Spears as one of the
City's citizens of
the year. Emil has
been an active
leader in Blue
Springs for numerous
years, playing an
integral role in
community issues
such as downtown
redevelopment and
public safety. Most
recently, Emil
served as the Chair
of the
Mayoral-appointed
Citizen Police
Advisory Task Force
which completed its
work earlier this
year.
At the banquet, the
City was also
honored with the
MML's coveted
traveling attendance
award which is given
to the municipality
with the greatest
number of guests in
attendance at each
meeting. Blue
Springs won the
award for the July
16 annual banquet
with 19 members of
City Council, staff
and community
members present.
Also earning the
distinction of
Citizen of the Year,
Tom Evans, Blue
Springs citizen and
community leader
will also be
recognized during
the 2009 Truman
Heartland Community
Foundation Gala in
September.
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New
Public Safety Citizen Advisory
Board Appointed
 At
the last regular meeting of the
Blue Springs City Council, I had
the privilege of appointing Blue
Springs' first Public Safety
Citizen Advisory Board, which will
expand the partnership between our
citizens and the Blue Springs
Police Department through regular
recommendations and dialogue on
public safety issues in the
community. The ordinance
establishing the six member board
is the result of the Mayor's
Citizen Police Advisory Task Force
which completed its work in recent
months.
Members
appointed to the Public Safety
Citizen Advisory Board include:
- Chris
Lievasy (Chair)
- Tom
Echerd (Vice Chair)
- Janet
Black
- Lee
Miller
- Michelle
Weisenborn, and
- Chuck
Zuvers
On July 7, the
Advisory Board held its first
meeting at City Hall. During the
meeting members discussed
organizational activities including
rules of order and meeting dates, as
well as reviewed previous
recommendations from the Citizen
Police Advisory Task Force. The
Board's current focus will be to
examine those public safety issues
that have pressing importance
including equipment needs, crime
prevention, and public awareness.
Together
with Police Chief Wayne McCoy, I
am eager to collaborate with these
outstanding citizens who have
volunteered their time to work
together in a continuous effort to
provide the quality law
enforcement services for our
community.
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Step
out Against Crime,
National
Night Out August 4
On
August 4, 2009, we invite your
family to join us as we
celebrate the 11th Annual
National Night Out (NNO) event
in Blue Springs. Hundreds of
families, elected officials
and neighboring businesses
will be stepping out in the
streets of downtown Blue
Springs on August 4, taking a
stand against crime and drug
abuse.
The
event will be held at 11th and
SW Smith Street, directly
across from the Blue Springs
Public Safety Building.
Sponsored by the Blue Springs
Police Department, NNO is a
free event designed to
generate support and encourage
participation for anticrime
and public safety programs,
and to strengthen the
neighborly spirit of Blue
Springs police-community
partnerships.
This
year, on Saturday August 1,
Blue Springs Police Officers,
community members and
volunteers will celebrate the
kick-off of National Night Out
2009, as they host
child-centered activities and
crime safety information
booths at businesses around
the community. For more
information about the 2009
National Night Event and
related activities, go to www.bluespringsgov.com/nno.
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Take
a Stroll Down Main Street, New
Lights, New Sidewalks, New Look
 Have
you taken a stroll down Main
Street lately? If you
haven't, you might want to
consider visiting the
downtown area to view some
of the new improvements to
the area's streetscape.
Through the US Department of
Housing and Urban
Development Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG)
program, the City is working
to install a series of new
decorative lights along Main
Street, beginning at Highway
7 and going west to 15th
Street.
Installation of lights along
the North side of Main
Street have been competed
from Highway 7 to 12th
Street and on the South side
of Main between 9th and 12th
Streets. Kansas City Power
& Light crews anticipate
the installation of the
remaining lights to be
completed in the next few
weeks, weather permitting.
The presence of new,
consistent lighting will
certainly bring both visual
appeal and act as an added
safety measure for
pedestrians traveling in our
downtown area. Through the
use of City Council-approved
CDBG funds, the City has
also installed several new
decorative crosswalks and
more than 3,600 feet of new
and replacement sidewalks
throughout downtown. For
questions or more
information about the City's
CDBG program, visit www.bluespringsgov.com/cdbg.
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I hope you
have found this issue of News
Happenings Around Town to
be both informative and timely
for your City information needs.
Is there anything we missed? Do
you have questions about any of
the articles from this issue?
Share your thoughts with me and
the City Council by calling City
Hall at (816) 228-0110. Know
that we truly value your time
and support for our City and
hope you join us for the next
issue of News Happenings.
Sincerely,
Carson Ross,
Mayor
City of Blue
Springs
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| Our
Mission
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The City of Blue Springs is a unique
community where families, visitors and
businesses share a special quality of life
and an abundant spirit of community
closeness and cooperation.
Our number one goal is to ensure that our
residents, visitors and patrons receive
quality customer service and attention
with every program and service the City
provides. Just as you stand by a community
that strives to meet your family's needs,
we promise to do our best to meet these
needs and anticipate what's best for you
and our community, to the best of our
ability.
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News
& Events Around the Community:
2009 Missouri
Municipal League's
Civic Leadership Awards Banquet
Mayor
Carson Ross (left) and MML
President Bill Skaggs (right)
present
the 2009 Blue Springs Citizen of
the Year award to Emil Spears
(center).
District
3 Councilmen Ron Fowler and Councilman
Sheila Solon greet City staff,
community members and Blue Springs First
Lady, Eloise Ross.
Mayor
Carson Ross, 2009 Citizen of the
Year Emil Spears, City
Council, City staff and community
members accept the MML Traveling
Attendance Award.
Mr.
and Mrs. Emil and Judy Spears
accept the
2009 Blue Springs Citizen of
the Year Award.
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