Point of View

Champagne, noise makers & confetti are all NYE staples. But, in some parts of the country & the world, so are black-eyed peas, lentils, grapes & pickled herring. There are 7 lucky dishes traditionally eaten around NY to bring good fortune. To live long, & prosper, tuck into any variation of pork. Pig is said to represent wealth & progress in E. Europe. In Mexico & Spain, eating 12 grapes represents good luck, while in the Southern US, arugula’s green hue represents money & prosperity. Thai cuisine's long rice noodles are celebrated for promise of a long life when eaten uncut. Brazilians & Italians devour golden coin-shaped lentils to boost their fortunes. In Greek culture, pomegranates are thrown on the ground—the more seeds the more luck. In Turkey, pomegranates are a reflection of fertility. From their scales representing coins or wealth, to their movement in schools representing power & progress, fish’s lucky properties are wide-ranging according to Chinese tradition. Ring in the NY with a moist & chocolatey ring-shaped cake that’ll start you off on a promise to a full round of good luck.

CDC recommends > age 5+ get vaccinated.

Tuesday, 5PM - Filing for April election ends. Friday - New Year's Holiday - City Offices are closed.

City Council approved bid of $34,958 from Olathe Ford, through cooperative purchasing program for 2022 Ford F250 4x4 truck to replace 16 year old Animal Control Vehicle, funding source is PSST; bid of $214,000 from Delta Innovative Services, Inc. for replacement of Police Station roof, funding source is CIP; bid of $48,951 from Generational Buildings to improve north hangar, includes enclosure, insulation & heat, funding source is CIP; improvements will generate $14,400/annually in rent for airport & provide on site presence recommended by state audit. Proposal from BKD, $55,500 to conduct city's annual financial audit, Funding is General Fund; adoption of 2018 Building Codes for Mechanical, Electric & Plumbing; acceptance of Clactin Estates Storm water conveyance & detention portion of public element & 1st reading of Pit Bull Ban repeal, considers removal of specific breed bans, but leaves dangerous dog sections of ordinance intact, to continue protection from aggressive dogs of any breed. Public Comment can be made to City Manager.

Construction documents have been completed & are under review for work planned in Hall of Waters, funded by the Saving America's Treasures grant. This work includes repairing structural columns in sub-basement supporting Hall of Springs & repair to floor under Water Bar & above pool. This work will be out to bid in January.

• Miller Cabinets was awarded Clay County EDC's Keystone Award recognizing businesses that have made significant contributions to Clay County’s economy. Miller's private investment & job creation qualified the city to receive $900,000 to make roadway improvements to N. Jesse James to improve traffic flow to/from the business. Miller Cabinet's positive contributions to our community is the result of a local family business' success.
• State Representative Doug Richey updated the city council on two iniatives that he is working on at the state level to the benefit of our community.
• The first iniaitive is to dedicate funding for necessary renovations to the Hall of Waters. We have shared our need to stabilize the front courtyard from collapse into the tank room beneath & the need for positive air exchange to stop deterioriate in the sub-basement as the most immediate concerns. Due to facility planning done in 2014 & evaluations completed in more recent years, we are capable of advancing several improvements needed to maintain the building in FY 22/23.
• The second initiative is to address flooding downtown. Flooding solutions were last studied in the early 1980s, which will require these plans to be updated first to confirm whether the identified solutions are still valid. The city will begin to update the prior study undertaken with hopes to have defined the solution in time to seek funding in FY 23/24.
• The Excelsior Springs Hospital is taking excellent care of us. I had several meetings this week with people coming from outside of our community that had to cancel due to potential exposures to COVID. They were waiting to get tested & to receive test results. In ES, we have access to drive through testing, 40 hours/week, with test results reported with a fairly quick turn-around.

"Just want to say how much I appreciate our hospital's drive-through COVID testing. Yesterday, the day of our big family gathering, I woke up with a scratchy throat & cough. It was such a quick & easy process to run over to the hospital. Thankfully, I tested negative. ES is fortunate to have such a service to the community!!!" Message from a friend.

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