You may have received your "Dear Weatherby Lake Residents" letter yesterday from Jerry. (See my post on July 20th, "Dear Citizens").
Highlights:
"What went wrong?"
"The process that was agreed upon was not followed in many respects" Translation, don't blame me blame Allied. It only took City Hall three letters by Allied to figure out things were a bit screwed up. The details of the "many respects" were not described...maybe for the best?
"Why do I have to use a container supplied by Allied?"
"Your Board of Aldermen wrestled with this requirement" The wrestling may have happened outside of public view (thankfully) but not much of a struggle was observed during BOA monthly meetings. If this was perceived as a big issue, why wasn't public feedback sought?.
"Get rid of the recycling containers at City Hall and CC"
"Nuisance" is the operative word. Jerry and Tanya grew weary of trying to police some of the goofballs (residents or not we don't know) who left stuff outside the bins. Although it was discussed at meetings, I am not aware of any specific action taken to address the issue. It remains to be seen how many residents will sign up for the recycling curbside...we will. From a cost perspective, if you can get all your trash in the 95 gallon bin you might be tempted to save 6$ a quarter and not get curbside...hope that doesn't happen.
"Why do I have to set the carts at the street in a particular way?"
According to Jerry, "I told the Allied representative that the Weatherby Lake residents were smarter the the residents from (Liberty, Lake Waukomis, Houston Lake and Excelsior Springs) those Cities..."
BOOYAH!
If you crunch the numbers on the Trash Evaluation matrix your conclusion on which service is the winner depends on the services you use. If you use trash, yard waste and occasional bulk pickup, Deffenbaugh might be a winner...depending on how the "Midwest Retail price" is calculated for fuel recovery. If you just use the 95 gallon, and that's all, you win over the previous contrac with Allied because of the quarterly charge difference and the elimination of the "Fuel recovery charge"
Interesting note, Allied in their recent bid to Gladstone submitted a substantially lower price for trash ($4.75 a quarter less) than they did to WL. Does size matter?
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
And You Think I'm Bad
"Cheryl's mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbin, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories".
2011 Bulwer-Lyton Fiction Contest, Sue Fondrie winning author
2011 Bulwer-Lyton Fiction Contest, Sue Fondrie winning author
Friday, July 29, 2011
A New Sheriff in Town
In case you don't read your mail...from your friends @ Allied Waste, effective August 5th:
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Do
not put dirt, sod, rock or flammable material such as oil, gas, paint, and concrete
or construction debris or any other hazardous materials in the carts.
*(Yard stick not included)
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Place
cart one foot from the curb or edge of street.*
Place
trash cart and recycling cart at least five feet apart.
Please
place cart at least four feet from any tree, pole, fire hydrant, mailbox etc
and at least 10 feet from any cars parked in the street so the automated arm
can reach your cart.
Trash
needs to be bagged and tied and then deposited in your cart. This practice will keep your cart cleaner.
Do
not overload your cart. If the lid is
not closed, garbage will be subject to wind and nuisance animals.
REMEMBER
TO PLACE THE ARROWS ON THE LID OF THE CART TOWARDS THE STREET AND THE HANDLE
TOWARDS THE HOUSE.
*(Yard stick not included)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
All Stirred Up
What inflammatory issue do Gladstone, Parkville and Weatherby Lake have in common? Garbage. If you have been following the news in the Star and Luminary, a very public process to move to a single garbage provider has met with considerable resistance from the public in Gladstone and Parkville, to the point where neither city will move to a single garbage company. Ironically the WL approach to the new trash contract has been relatively on the QT, with no formal communication (even as of this date) to the residents. The changes taking place here are substantial and from what I understand, lately, the pushback on the Mayor and BOA has been epic for our little burg. What are they thinking? Unless you have had personal communication with them you would not know. Makes you wonder if some of the sore spots on the new contract could have been avoided if the crew had taken a more public approach. Prepare yourself for the response from them that the discussions have been held at the monthly BOA meetings (attended by all 7 of us) and the Mayor has had a blurb in the eWeatherbyLake Living (as though it were an official publication?). No, the strategy by the elected officials is to weather the storm and wait for smoother waters...after all, Life is Good at Weatherby Lake.
Image via Wikipedia
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
If a Tree Falls...
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
We'll have to have an offline discussion about that one, in the meantime, the BOA "workshop" regarding Tree City USA scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled. Apparently the idea ran into a buzz saw of questions. Hopefully the particulars will be discussed at the next BOA meeting to be held on the evening of 2 August. So, I can't answer the question posed at the beginning but I can say the Tree City USA idea, for now, has fallen with a ...thud.
Image via Wikipedia
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Blue Boy
Image via Wikipedia
Monday, July 25, 2011
Out Noodled
At least that is what the folks at Lake Lotawana claim in their effort to beat WL. The Star documented their assertion they had 1,555 noodleistas in the water, beating the world record set in 2008 by WL. Gauntlet thrown down? Oh, yeah.
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/23/3032903/lake-lotawana-uses-its-noodle.html
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/23/3032903/lake-lotawana-uses-its-noodle.html
Susan Pfannmuller
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Trash, Part III
from the City web site
**JULY 22, 2011 TRASH UPDATE**
Per Allied Waste, a new and final letter is being mailed out today to our residents that should provide detailed information regarding our new contract with them.
Allied has requested that residents please disregard the previous two letters. The 3rd and final letter should be more informative and provide answers to the most frequently asked questions. Letters should begin arriving the week of July 25th.
Thank you for your continued patience during this transition.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
I Think I Shall Never See
Cover of James Joycehttp://www.bartleby.com/104/119.htmlJames Joyce
Brought by the same crew (Jerry & the BOA) who is messing with your garbage, they are now fixin to mess with the trees on your private property. Say it ain't so, Mikey! I can't. Part of Vic's proposal to make the City a "Tree City USA". You can have a voice in the matter this coming Thursday...if you take off of work and come to a BOA "workshop" to discuss the matter. In their typical arrogance and disrespect for working folks, our elected officials (all retired and north of 60) have picked the time of 3PM to vet the proposal. One of the required elements to qualify for the designation is to have a ordinance for trees. (Note there is no requirement for an ordinance governing private property...for some reason our ordinance is considering this.). I will be in in NJ on business and cannot attend the meeting...anybody out there cover for me? In lieu of me being there here is what I would say (I know a couple of you (aldermen) read this...please print and take with you to the workshop):
Image by michaelb1 via Flickr- I am not opposed to a Tree City designation if it can be done with an ordinance that does not include private property...and
- does not require money above what is already budgeted for trees in the City (ie Park Board)...and
- does not make the Park Board the designated "Tree Committee", they have enough to do with parks, and I think it is a stretch of state statute to add all the trees in the City to their duties. I understand this Committee would be "advisory" something which is not the case for the Park Board which is independent of City control. I am sure Jerry can come up with enough of his friends to make a Tree Committee or just task one of his already do nothing committees (like the Audit Committee) to pinch hit for trees.
Image via Wikipedia
Friday, July 22, 2011
SNAFU
Situation Normal All Fouled Up
...or words to that effect.
Part 2
Ok, so Allied Waste sent the 2nd letter which I received today...with information that should have been in Part 1. Go figure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwirWWnzJKM
Image via Wikipedia
...or words to that effect.
Part 2
Ok, so Allied Waste sent the 2nd letter which I received today...with information that should have been in Part 1. Go figure.
- Trash - $10 a month
- Optional Recycling - $2 amonth
- Optional Yard Waste - $10 a month, April through December
- Bulk Item - $15 per item
- Contract is for 3 years with 4% annual increase on monthly items
- Allied Waste 254-1470
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwirWWnzJKM
Image via WikipediaThursday, July 21, 2011
Wheels Up and Go Around
Image via Wikipedia I fly a fair amount and think nothing of flying...no fear of flying here. Coming back to MCI from LIT via MEM (I know, it seems like going the wrong way), on approach to MEM, wheels down and the FedEx facilities to my left when...engines power up and wheels up...going around for another approach. I can't remember when this last happened, it's so rare in my experience. We get quickly put back into the pattern and land with no issues. Once on the ground the pilot mentions there was a problem with another plane...indeed. Don't know about you but Memphis BBQ doesn't hack it, still searching for the best in MEM...any tips?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Dear Citizens
By now you should have received your letter from Allied Waste introducing you to the new trash/recycling/yard waste service beginning August 5th. Informative huh? Just in case you missed it, here are highlights from the letter sent by the City and Mayor Bos.
Dear Citizens:
We are happy to announce the details of the next contract with Allied Waste beginning August 5th. After extensive meetings with the public we feel this meets the needs of our city. Your new waste bin will be delivered during the week of _____, the charge will be ______ a quarter. If you should choose the mandatory/optional curbside recycling service, the bins will be delivered the week of _____ and the charge will be _____ a quarter. Items that can be recycled in the same bin include ______ but not _____. The yard waste service is also optional and is _____ a quarter for _____ bags/containers a week. Large item pick-up will not be included in the new service, unlike the previous contract. A fee of ____ for ____ will be assessed for pick-up when you call ________.
After opening the bids for these services, Allied Waste was the clear winner because ________. We are happy to report we saved/cost you _____ compared to the previous contract.
The recycling receptacles at the Community Center and City Hall will be removed on _______ because of the new curbside recycling.
Sorry for any confusion, but we felt you could figure it out on your own. But just remember, Life is Good at Weatherby Lake!
Your BOA and Mayor
Image via Wikipedia
Dear Citizens:
We are happy to announce the details of the next contract with Allied Waste beginning August 5th. After extensive meetings with the public we feel this meets the needs of our city. Your new waste bin will be delivered during the week of _____, the charge will be ______ a quarter. If you should choose the mandatory/optional curbside recycling service, the bins will be delivered the week of _____ and the charge will be _____ a quarter. Items that can be recycled in the same bin include ______ but not _____. The yard waste service is also optional and is _____ a quarter for _____ bags/containers a week. Large item pick-up will not be included in the new service, unlike the previous contract. A fee of ____ for ____ will be assessed for pick-up when you call ________.
After opening the bids for these services, Allied Waste was the clear winner because ________. We are happy to report we saved/cost you _____ compared to the previous contract.
The recycling receptacles at the Community Center and City Hall will be removed on _______ because of the new curbside recycling.
Sorry for any confusion, but we felt you could figure it out on your own. But just remember, Life is Good at Weatherby Lake!
Your BOA and Mayor
Image via WikipediaTuesday, July 19, 2011
Amity Open-Yippee!
A small ray of hope on what seems to be an unending road project...Amity reopens.
"We are extremely pleased to reopen North Amity ahead of our projected schedule," said Second District Councilman Russ Johnson. "Our crews will continue to work quickly and efficiently to provide residents and motorists with the modern, safe roadway they deserve."
"The improvements to North Amity are long overdue and sorely needed," said Second District Councilman at Large Ed Ford. "This road will serve the needs of commuters while maintaining the area's livability and accessibility."
"We are extremely pleased to reopen North Amity ahead of our projected schedule," said Second District Councilman Russ Johnson. "Our crews will continue to work quickly and efficiently to provide residents and motorists with the modern, safe roadway they deserve."
"The improvements to North Amity are long overdue and sorely needed," said Second District Councilman at Large Ed Ford. "This road will serve the needs of commuters while maintaining the area's livability and accessibility."
Monday, July 18, 2011
Lake Closed to Swimming
KC Star, Sunday 17 July
page C3
Two swimming beaches at Perry Lake have been closed due to concerns about harmful algae in the water. Testing by the Corps indicated harmful algae bloom levels. Toxic blue-green algae were found in "high levels". Boating and fishing "may be safe" but direct contact with the lake water should be avoided.
We had a sail boat at the Perry Yacht Club for over ten years so we can imagine what a bummer the findings are...especially on hot summer evenings where raft up swimming parties are the mode.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria
page C3
Two swimming beaches at Perry Lake have been closed due to concerns about harmful algae in the water. Testing by the Corps indicated harmful algae bloom levels. Toxic blue-green algae were found in "high levels". Boating and fishing "may be safe" but direct contact with the lake water should be avoided.
We had a sail boat at the Perry Yacht Club for over ten years so we can imagine what a bummer the findings are...especially on hot summer evenings where raft up swimming parties are the mode.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria
Sunday, July 17, 2011
City Man Wins Lawsuit Against KCMO
Kansas City man that is. KC Star, Saturday, July 16, page A4.
A KCMO property owner was awarded $150,000 in damages because KCMO erred in tearing down a building. "It was just a big screwup" one of the jurors told the Star. An attorney for the plaintiff said the case involved a serious breakdown in communication between city officials.
How big of a screwup will it take to before KCMO is taken to task for the numerous problems at the lift stations?
A KCMO property owner was awarded $150,000 in damages because KCMO erred in tearing down a building. "It was just a big screwup" one of the jurors told the Star. An attorney for the plaintiff said the case involved a serious breakdown in communication between city officials.
How big of a screwup will it take to before KCMO is taken to task for the numerous problems at the lift stations?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Barry Road Update-15 July
From Platte County...
Construction Schedule:
Following is the contractor’s anticipated schedule for the project:
Stage 1 and 2 – Close NW Barry Road between Arcola Ave. and Potomac St., March 21, 2011 thru March 2012
Stage 3 – Close NW Barry Road between Arcola Ave. and Chariton Ave., June 2011 thru mid-August 2011 (The intent is to close this section of road immediately following the last day of school in May/June and reopen prior to the new school session beginning in August)
Estimated Completion Date – March 2012
Friday, July 15, 2011
KCMO Takes A Dump (Again) On WL
The Official Unofficial Minutes of the WL BOA
July 5th
During the Mayor's Comments, Jerry addressed the latest sewer spill " a couple of weeks ago, I don't know exactly when" (it was Saturday, June 25th). Attributed to a "lightning strike" the outage occurred at approximately 8:30 AM and lasted until 12:30 PM. Sewage was observed flowing out the "Jackson manhole" (wouldn't you like to have a manhole named after you?) and called in. Jerry chuckled as he shared with the BOA the pumpers dispatched to relieve the lift station of its burden were sent to the wrong community, "somewhere south of the river"...didn't seem too funny to me.
What exactly was the problem? The control box was not functioning properly, spawning the observation by Hizzoner, "we need to understand what happened on the control box". Indeed.
Not much concern or feedback from the Aldermen. Immediately following Jerry's discourse the Aldermen have their "Aldermen's comments" Great opportunity to show a little outrage...nah. Instead pet projects like stop signs, fireworks, trees and microphones were the focus of their comments.
The City is content to eat what KCMO is serving them. In this case...a crap sandwich...yummm!
July 5th
During the Mayor's Comments, Jerry addressed the latest sewer spill " a couple of weeks ago, I don't know exactly when" (it was Saturday, June 25th). Attributed to a "lightning strike" the outage occurred at approximately 8:30 AM and lasted until 12:30 PM. Sewage was observed flowing out the "Jackson manhole" (wouldn't you like to have a manhole named after you?) and called in. Jerry chuckled as he shared with the BOA the pumpers dispatched to relieve the lift station of its burden were sent to the wrong community, "somewhere south of the river"...didn't seem too funny to me.
What exactly was the problem? The control box was not functioning properly, spawning the observation by Hizzoner, "we need to understand what happened on the control box". Indeed.
Not much concern or feedback from the Aldermen. Immediately following Jerry's discourse the Aldermen have their "Aldermen's comments" Great opportunity to show a little outrage...nah. Instead pet projects like stop signs, fireworks, trees and microphones were the focus of their comments.
The City is content to eat what KCMO is serving them. In this case...a crap sandwich...yummm!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Bin There, Done That
Follow-up to the new trash deal, the City has a post on the web site regarding the distribution of the new blue receptacles
http://www.cityofweatherbylake-mo.gov/newsView.aspx?nid=27 :
Bottom line, you can use your new bin (if you have received one) beginning this week, but..." beginning August 5th you must begin using the new receptacles."
An explanatory letter from Allied Waste is supposedly in the mail to give the details of the new trash deal. The City, in my opinion, has fumbled the ball on communications on this one, not sure why. The Mayor and BOA were well aware of an earlier, premature delivery of bins...and discussed it at the BOA meeting on the 5th. Their reliance on the vendor to explain to the citizens the new trash arrangement, fostered by the BOA, is puzzling.
In the meantime, Parkville has gone in the opposite direction, continuing their "choose your own" policy for trash haulers...and not mandating curbside recycling.
http://www.cityofweatherbylake-mo.gov/newsView.aspx?nid=27 :
Bottom line, you can use your new bin (if you have received one) beginning this week, but..." beginning August 5th you must begin using the new receptacles."
An explanatory letter from Allied Waste is supposedly in the mail to give the details of the new trash deal. The City, in my opinion, has fumbled the ball on communications on this one, not sure why. The Mayor and BOA were well aware of an earlier, premature delivery of bins...and discussed it at the BOA meeting on the 5th. Their reliance on the vendor to explain to the citizens the new trash arrangement, fostered by the BOA, is puzzling.
In the meantime, Parkville has gone in the opposite direction, continuing their "choose your own" policy for trash haulers...and not mandating curbside recycling.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monumental Redux
The Official Unofficial Minutes of the WL BOA
July 5th
"Match our eyeballs with our bellies" that's the strategy going forth with the EAG Committee as Jerry refers to their "stagnant" status (interesting choice of words). An executive meeting was held on the 6th of July to revive what has become another moribund committee established by Jerry and the BOA. There is an intention to have a meeting of the full committee soon to go over cost estimates (a continuing theme as the committee persists in bumping up against the reality of what they want versus what they can afford).
Year two of those who pledged funds to support the effort is soon to expire...will the committee be requesting them to pay up? Stay tuned.
July 5th
"Match our eyeballs with our bellies" that's the strategy going forth with the EAG Committee as Jerry refers to their "stagnant" status (interesting choice of words). An executive meeting was held on the 6th of July to revive what has become another moribund committee established by Jerry and the BOA. There is an intention to have a meeting of the full committee soon to go over cost estimates (a continuing theme as the committee persists in bumping up against the reality of what they want versus what they can afford).
Year two of those who pledged funds to support the effort is soon to expire...will the committee be requesting them to pay up? Stay tuned.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Oh Deer
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Bin Man Cometh, Soon
The Official Unofficial Minutes of the WL BOA
July 5th
August 5th will be the inauguration of the new trash/recycling service in WL, it was announced during the BOA meeting. A letter will be sent to residents outlining the specifics soon. Positives will be curbside recycling and not needing to make the trek to the CC or City Hall. On the negative side, if you are a conspicuous consumer or a larger family, the one bin for garbage, one bin for recycling might not fit your lifestyle or budget (you can always get another bin at an additional cost). Meanwhile our pals to the south in Parkville have had a row over city-wide mandatory recycling. Residents there have their choice of trash haulers and the four companies that serve the city have balked at mandatory recycling, citing increased cost of equipment.
Advice from our trash guy this past Saturday, clean out your garage or attic before the 5th. The days of virtually unlimited garbage at the curb are over.
July 5th
August 5th will be the inauguration of the new trash/recycling service in WL, it was announced during the BOA meeting. A letter will be sent to residents outlining the specifics soon. Positives will be curbside recycling and not needing to make the trek to the CC or City Hall. On the negative side, if you are a conspicuous consumer or a larger family, the one bin for garbage, one bin for recycling might not fit your lifestyle or budget (you can always get another bin at an additional cost). Meanwhile our pals to the south in Parkville have had a row over city-wide mandatory recycling. Residents there have their choice of trash haulers and the four companies that serve the city have balked at mandatory recycling, citing increased cost of equipment.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Tree Huggers
The Official Unofficial Minutes of the WL BOA
5 July
Tree Nazi might be kind of strong, Tree Czar is probably more appropriate. Alderman DeJong is well on his way to establish WL as a Tree City USA. In order to achieve the designation from the Arbor Day Foundation, four requirements have to be met:
5 July
Tree Nazi might be kind of strong, Tree Czar is probably more appropriate. Alderman DeJong is well on his way to establish WL as a Tree City USA. In order to achieve the designation from the Arbor Day Foundation, four requirements have to be met:
- Establishment of a Tree Board
- Enactment of a Tree Care Ordinance
- A Community Forestry Program with a budget of $2 per capita per year
- An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Joplin
There were 12 of us from our company, all based in Missouri, to do our part as well as about 20 others who were in our group. We dove into the task. Hard manual labor under a sun that was hot, but could have been hotter. Dusty and dirty, a layer of grime quickly attached to any exposed skin. The requirement to wear protective masks was a pain but it wouldn't have been very smart to take the chance of breathing in whatever we were disturbing in the ruins. The debris was a mixture of personal items, vegetative matter, rubble and garbage. 2x6s, 2x4s, shingles, bricks and plywood were strewn everywhere, some whole pieces, some in small junks like it had gone through a gigundo blender to be picked up with a shovel.
About 1 hour in to the task, a young woman (I'd say in her 20s) walked up to our leader and asked if there were spare gloves and a mask. She explained the lot we were cleaning up was her grandmother's house. We briefly chatted as she waited for her equipment. No, her grandmother didn't make it, she was one of the fatalities and as her granddaughter put it, was "in a better place now". I might add as we picked through all the stuff on the ground, if we found any items we felt were important to the owner we placed those items on the foundation. Later in the day I was working on removing brick rubble from a collapsed wall and found the complete homeowners insurance policy, ironic. I was also standing next to the granddaughter when she looked down at her feet and blurted out, "that's my bra!". She giggled as the bricks yielded to her tug on her lingerie.
The day went quickly. We began our trek back to the pick-up point and I talked with the gentleman next to me, James, who I would say was in his late seventies. The leader had pointed him out to me earlier, saying he had been volunteering for them 35 straight days. Very tanned, he was lugging a small chain saw. We struck up a conversation and he commented on how much there was to do. Indeed. His take on the situation was this, "You get more than you give". He recounted all the wonderful people he had met and all the acts of kindness he had observed. I think he was right.
902 W. 26th
Friday, July 8, 2011
Work Day In Joplin
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Rockets Red Glare-Meoow!
Image by Bjørnli Foto via FlickrJuly 5th
Official fireworks aside, not everybody was delighted with the individual displays of fireworks around the lake before and after the "big show". Discussion about the city's largest demonstration of civil disobedience was ignited by a comment/complaint from the audience regarding a neighbor who was blowing stuff up, including "M80's" and assorted aerials to at least 11:30 PM on the 4th. When asked if she had reported said neighbor to the Police, she answered no, she "didn't want to cause a problem". (Interesting...apparently it ticked her off enough to come to the BOA...but not call it in to the cops?). Discussion ensued. Chief Gary said that getting citizens to comply with the current ordinance regarding banned fireworks was like "herding cats". He had an officer on each side of the lake, as well as one (Mike O'Neill) in the WLIC patrol boat on the lake...and himself. The challenge to enforcement is the requirement to catch the individual in the act of blowing said contraband up...a change to the city ordinance to be able to cite the homeowner, rather than the individual would assist in enforcement...so says the Chief. Alderman Finn endorses the idea...seems like there is a consensus on the BOA. Question from the audience...does that mean violators in a WLIC access area would cause the WLIC to be dinged? Although there was some sentiment thinking no...City Attorney John thought to the contrary, believing it could be possible for WLIC to get a citation if bottle rockets were shot off at C- Point...yipes!
Look for a change to the ordinance, as John took notes during the discussion. A tradition that stretches for decades might soon come to an end. The City Attorney is going to be one busy guy as the BOA suddenly becomes active in keeping you safe...next up...the Tree Nazi.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Near Miss
![Daily Shoot 05.26.10 [Square]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4642781115_b607683975_m.jpg)
Image by colemama via FlickrJuly 5th
Actually it was three near hits recently that spawned Alderman Folkedahl's interest in adding a stop sign at the south end of Eastside Drive near City Hall. Considerable discussion followed with the topic weaving from the origin of Blair back in the old days (farming trail) to the County Commissioners looking at the intersection at Blair a few year ago...with the Aldermen/Mayor/Police Chief giving their "fixes" to the problem. Gary, after thinking out loud, favors a roundabout, and was negative on the placing of a stop sign on city property (considerable discussion on where the city begins and ends, bottom line, nobody really knows). The Chief pointed out Eastside Drive was a main thoroughfare and you just don't put a stop sign on it. Apparently after a discussion with the county about the problem a county squad care posted at the south end of Eastside and it was Gary's guess the officer issued "more than one ticket" presumably for speeding.
Alderman Finn asked how many accidents have happened at the intersection in question...Jerry jumped in the discussion with the comment, "oh man, a lot". The Chief replied," less than you would think" and offered the guess of three or four a year. The City is going to approach the Parkville Special Road District about the problem (Jerry surmised they must be spending a ton of money at the intersection of Blair and 45).
Good luck with that idea. Might be more effective to approach them with the question of when was the last time the road district spent money inside WL for the maintenance of roads.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Fourth on the Fifth
Enjoyable 4th, right? The weather was fab, got to visit with friends (and relatives) and eat like a glutton...can you say Pepcid Complete? WL fireworks went off without a hitch, we thought they were A+, that was the consensus on the boat we were on. There seemed to be more boats on the lake than the past couple of displays...our imagination?
Caught up on emails during a break in the action yesterday...one that stuck out was an email entitled "My" country tis of thee, sweet land of...", addressed to "Fellow citizens of Weatherby Lake", the author Ed Kendrick. Now one of the liberties we all treasure is freedom of speech, so I will grant him that much. I assume many if not most of you received the email, a number of folks remarked yesterday they had...if you haven't, talk to some of your friends, I'm sure someone probably did. I think it is fair to characterize the email as a "rant" and at best, a bit bizarre. My simle summary of the "missive" ( Mike Henderson liked to use that word) is "wow", emphasis on the understated, non-capitalized version...like, really?
Caught up on emails during a break in the action yesterday...one that stuck out was an email entitled "My" country tis of thee, sweet land of...", addressed to "Fellow citizens of Weatherby Lake", the author Ed Kendrick. Now one of the liberties we all treasure is freedom of speech, so I will grant him that much. I assume many if not most of you received the email, a number of folks remarked yesterday they had...if you haven't, talk to some of your friends, I'm sure someone probably did. I think it is fair to characterize the email as a "rant" and at best, a bit bizarre. My simle summary of the "missive" ( Mike Henderson liked to use that word) is "wow", emphasis on the understated, non-capitalized version...like, really?
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Say What?
Image via Wikipedia"Officials urge boating safety"
Pic of lake with potoon boats
"Officials in Kansas and Missouri are stepping up their patrol efforts this holiday weekend at popular boating spots such as Weatherby Lake in Parkville. Among other tips, they recommend that people designate sober skippers to stay safe on the crowded waterways."
Might be popular...but it is private...and certainly not in Parkville! Fact check?
Fireworks On The Fifth
Image via Wikipedia"Discussion about possibility of putting a stop sign at the south end of Eastside Drive"
What the heck is that all about? She doesn't mention the instigator of the idea...I personally think it is a terrific idea, our Eastside brethren need a taste of inconvenience.
"Discussion about applying for Tree City USA."
While it seems like a nice idea...there are some strings attached...see link. Do we need this?
http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA/standards.cfm
July 5th, 7PM, your BOA in action...don't miss it!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Fifth on the Fourth
If you insist...drinking and driving got a little less complicated for lawmen in Platte County. In the past if you got nabbed for DUI you could refuse a breathalizer. If you refuse, a new MO State law allows the arresting officer to have your blood alcohol drawn...without obtaining a warrant. Bottom line, one way or the other, driving DUI, or appearing DUI will get you tested.
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-platte-county-hopes-blood-tests-will-catch-more-dui-suspects-20110701,0,2066711.story
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-platte-county-hopes-blood-tests-will-catch-more-dui-suspects-20110701,0,2066711.story
Friday, July 1, 2011
Bumper Cars
Image by Just Us 3 via FlickrSpeaking of toes, Weatherby's finest continues to run traffic surveillance on Hillside...numerous times this week. I observed one car pulled over at the bottom of the hill on Hillside earlier in the week. Wish we had the same presence when our notorious neighbor makes his run down Potomac. Almost always a cell phone in hand and at speeds this past week of, my guess, 40+ mph. If you walk or ride bike or push a stroller on Potomac...beware, it is at your own risk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuAUI_0knfk
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