point of view

Labor Day was envisioned to honor the American worker, the driving engine behind the most productive economy in the world, & the American work ethic that resulted in one of the highest standards of living in the world. If you were to build a playlist to inspire your work & achievement what would be on your list? Eye of the Tiger, Remember the Name, Bills, Final Countdown, Shake it Off, Don't Worry, Be Happy, We will Rock You, Ain't no Mountain High Enough, 9-5, or A Little Less Conversation.22 Top Motivational Songs For Work in 2023 (teambuilding.com)

City Council Agenda: Transportation Department public hearing & grant application for Federal 5311 grant used to fund the city bus service [Funding: Federal $376,000 (2 years) matched with State Grant $15,431, MARC Grant $12,792, General Fund & passenger fare revenues $60,000]. Services include fixed route, senior center & medical appointments.

• Council will hear presentation from Rebuilding Together KC regarding minor home repair & modications provided for Excelsior homeowners in need.
• Proclamations will be presented for Diaper Need Awareness & Missouri Good Neighbor Week
• Police Department requests the purchase of 2 police cars for $81,276. [FUNDING: Insurance $32,899, PSST $48,377]
• Council will consider new board appointments & several reappointments: BZA - Brent McElwee, alternate, John McGovern, Rocky McLaughlin; CIP - Jason Cole, Mary Lou Greim; Downtown CID - Daphne Bownman, Melinda Mehaffy, Jill Rickart; EEZ - Brent McElwee; HPC - Dennis Hartman, Anna Sue Spohn; Housing Authority - Barbara Blubaugh, Robert Warner, Sharon Williams; Hospital - Martha Buckman, Tim Pence; P/Z - Jake Simmons, Jason Van Till; PSST - Domonique Purnell, Bill Westerheide; & URC - Gary Sanson
• Community Development requests resolution of support for 2 grant applications to support historic preservation activities - Planning Funds for 410 Superior & training funds for Defensive Decision-making [FUNDING: State Grants $8,872, General Fund cash match $809]
• Amendments to the Purchasing Policy

Monday - Labor Day Holiday - City offices are closed

Tuesday, 5PM - Budget Review, 6PM - Council Meeting

Wednesday is TRASH DAY this week!

Celebrating work anniversaries this week - Gunnar Gudehus, CC Front Desk - 4 years; Cody Horky, Firefighter/EMT - 3 years; Victoria Goetz, CC Front Desk - 1 year.

• RAISE Project progressed this week, after 3 revisions, our Federal partner has deemed our agreement with TranSystems, Design Criteria Consultant is in approval form & can be presented to secure funding to begin planning & preliminary design.
• Dry Fork Greenway project was kicked off with a walk-through with our design team, starting with survey & boring in the next couple of weeks
• On-site field measurements at pool in preparation for the winter dome
• Ready to make repairs to deteriorated sewerline in the Hall, Pullman has mobilized to begin stabilization of the front yard of the Hall of Waters
• Presentations given at storm water conference this week on the Fishing River Watershed Plan & connections were made to explore funding opportunities for future phases
• As the cost of street improvements continues to outpace our funding, we completed a street scanning process to identify which streets still have a good subsurface & will benefit from a surface maintenance treatment at a lower cost intended to protect the subsurface & prevent the need for a more expensive repair. For those streets that will require a more extensive repair, the scanning process will assist us to target the subsurface improvements where the damage is, so we can stretch our dollars to make spot repairs. Our goal is to increase the overall quality of street surfaces which starts with what you can't see. At the completion of the scanning process, our score was 48%, signifying poor overall condition. In the next couple of months, we will complete an implementation plan geared toward raising the score with the funding we have.

Whether you're new to ES or have lived here your whole life, Thrive's Citizens Leadership Academy is for you! We still have a few seats left for our fall cohort. Learn More: www.bit.ly/ThriveCLAinfo. The deadline for applications is 9/6