Point of View

"Practicing kindness toward others is one way of finding happiness we know works.” says Dr. Waguih William IsHak, professor of psychiatry @ Cedars-Sinai. Showing acts of kindness is a powerful way to counteract the escalating mental health battle our world is approaching quickly. Acts of kindness can relieve anxiety & depression & can change our brains. To put it into perspective, kindness has the ability to change the world. Please join the 31-Day Kindness Campaign. www.smallchangesbigshifts.com/kindness/

CCPHC Order - Masks are required indoors until further notice.

Monday, 4:00 pm - CIP

Tuesday - COE Conference; 4:00 pm - Community Center Meeting, Municipal Court

Wednesday, Start your campaign, receive email every morning w/small act of kindness you can do; 5:00 pm - HPC

Friday, 7:30 am - Council Work Session

Council approved Assistance for Slightly Off Broadway ($16,650), ES Museum ($12,590) & AA ($850), [FUNDING: CARES] WHY? compensate losses due to COVID restrictions on gatherings; approved Vireo agreement for Safe Streets & Sidewalk Planning on west side of town, [FUNDING: CIP $120K] WHY? to create safe access between neighborhoods & destinations, schools, community center, commercial district, library in vicinity of McCleary, Wornall, Crownhill Roads, HWY 69 & 10; amendment to Trespassing Ordinance to include vehicles, aircraft & watercraft; WHY? to make it a crime to be within a vehicle, etc., without the owners permission; tabled rezoning request for Empire Heights from R-1 to A for a 3.7 acre tract east of 940 Holly Street to address additional questions; approved rezoning south 8.1 acres of planned Clacton Estates east of Cherry Hills from R-1 to R-2 to support 16 duplexes; approval of Preliminary Plat of 26.7 acres Clacton Estates for purposes of residential development; & restored suspended council compensation [FUNDING: GF] WHY? Council suspended their compensation during period city employees experienced pay reduction.

Stephanie Marcum to join Community Center Staff as Nutritionist, [FUNDING: Community Center] WHY? Center expands focus on nutrition to achieve wellness; Fire offers practical experience for Career Center & UMKC Paramedic & EMT students in a rural setting starting next week, WHY? improves training for students & potential to find candidates for hard to fill paramedic openings; Community Center Wellness Café employees become community center employees & Center adds position for Opening Life Guard so swimmers can use pool at 4:45 am, [FUNDING: CC Memberships] WHY? changes to accommodate how members want to use their Center.

Navitas will conduct preliminary energy audit & potential to install plasma filtration system in city buildings, [FUNDING: CARES] WHY? audit is looking to reduce energy costs & PFS is designed to reduce spread of air-bourn disease; Soliciting RFQ for Architect to prepare Hall of Waters renovation construction documents, [FUNDING: SAT, CIP] WHY? Architect will lead improvements planned at H/W; Issuing RFP to seek development proposals for 328 E. Broadway, [FUNDING: Private] WHY? private interest expressed in building, seeking best proposal for ownership, renovation & use; Flatlander KC prepared article about Hall of Waters, see excerpt below; Spot concrete repairs being made around town, work started at Broadway & Elizabeth this week; [FUNDING: CIP/TT] WHY? continuous improvement will extend life of streets; Received 100-Tons of salt for winter stock, [FUNDING: TT] WHY? better pricing to order during offseason, ready for 1st snow; Starting annual street inspections, painting crosswalks, [FUNDING: TT] WHY? to assess need for improvements & determine how to best allocate funds; Cemetery planning meetings to convert from paper records to digital, [FUNDING: CIP] WHY? improve service to families, communication between Sexton & City.

Smack dab in the middle of downtown, it’s hard to miss the stone tower with shining glass. From a distance this building looks like a monument that has stood the test of time, & in many ways it has. On closer inspection, though, the broken glass panels & rusting metal beams on the tower reveal a more troubling truth — the HW has seen much better days. According to Katherine Malone-France, chief preservation officer for the National Trust of Historic Preservation, “I would say generally preservation gets done through partnerships. I think the city is a great partner, & would be a great partner for anybody considering how to bring this really remarkable place back to life.” The city’s hope is that the building can be used in a way that is similar to the original purpose - a place for health, wellness & calming waters. “So often, the key to a building’s new use is in some way carrying forward the legacy of it’s past.”

Email: mmcgovern@excelsiorsprings.gov
Website: cityofesmo.com
Location: Hall of Waters, 201 E. Broadway, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
Phone: (816) 630-0752