High at WL

Water that is.  See the pics from C Point post deluge (photos provided by a loyal reader).  A number of folks who have been around WL have commented they have not seen as much rain as we have experienced the past week.  Add a half an inch yesterday (Friday).

Swamped

Farmer John was able to wade to his water station to measure what you already know...lots of water.  

Tuesday: 1.89"

Wednesday: 3.09

Needless to say, the lake is brimming and lots of "extra" stuff has made its way into the lake, compliments of our upstream neighbors.

South Pole

To be precise, South East.  I am sure you noticed the light pole supine on the SE corner of Barry and Amity...as well as a bit of glass/plastic on the roadway.  This is at least the second time that side of the street, in that vicinity has had a car meets pole incident.  You might say the car won in both cases?  Not sure about that.  The idea of a round about came up during the candidates forum, not much enthusiasm about that, but the intersection does remain a bit of a hazard.  I don't know about you but I ride the brake coming West on Barry as I come down the hill approaching Amity.  Just don't trust the the scenario.

I'm taking a few days off, but never fear, will be back.  Just check or sign up on email.

I'm Mad at Prince

Pardon the Interruption

Okay, so he is now in the great Purple Rain in the sky...I wanted to have my own tribute song fest to him on my Apple Music...then I came to the realization that his music, at least streaming, is not available in any meaningful way (with the exception of Tidal).  What the hell?  I did purchase some of his CDs way back so I do have some of his best early work.  But, nothing like I could dial up with many artists on Apple Music.  Boo, right?  Well, Prince from the very beginning was very smart, and very protective of his work and artistic rights.  Interestingly it wasn't about the money so much as artistic control...which he had and takes to the grave.  I can appreciate that.  Supposedly a treasure trove of unpublished music is in his "Vault", co-owned by Warner Bros and him (estate).  Wouldn't that be interesting to get at?

So yeah, all you refugees from the 70's/80's music scene you will have to get into your archives or pay up.  Just like he wanted you to do.

My favorite, Little Red Corvette.  Hmmm, the stories that come with that song.

I'm not really mad at Prince.
RIP

Sold

Thanks for the inquiries, didn't take long, Blue is staying on WL and moving to the East Side.  Close call, money down prevented an interloper from Waukomis to kidnap the boat.  With the sale we abdicate forever the opportunity to wrestle the crown of "biggest fleet" from Don Coleman, although putting stickers on all our stuff still takes a couple of days.

Smile, it is Friday and the Royals keep on rolling.

One of a Kind on WL

For Sale:
The belle of the ball at Weatherby Lake. 

Our beautiful "Blue" 1958 Fiberglass Fleetform classic 14 Ft. runabout is going up for sale.

It is in excellent condition with a bright white new bottom paint and it is clean as a whistle, speaking of whistle it has its wonderful original signature airhorns

Johnson 9.9 outboard, love that it starts right up and runs like a charm.
New prop
Duel shift mechanism changed to single shift last year for ease of use, both available
Canvas boat cover for boating season and complete winter cover for winter

Heavy duty trailer included
We've always kept it on our boat lift which we can sell for cheap if you are interested.

Call Lisa or Mike Moratz at 816-728-7282 or 719-2556

Asking $3800

My Water Tower Runneth Over

See previous post...Water Water

This afternoon (Tuesday) a citizen noted water in/around the water tower, bottom line it is overflowing.  Soooo, we have run the tower dry(a week ago Sunday) overflowed the tower(today)...in military lingo that is a "bracket", fire for effect?

Police/Roads/Water/Sewer are the biggies right?  Time to TCB, Take Care of Business.

Related articles

• Worker rescued after fall into water tower

Water, Water, Everywhere...

And not a drop to drink...and more.

You might have noticed a lack of water pressure a week ago Sunday, or you may have seen the advisory posted on Nixle (you can sign up to receive their advisories).  It became a non-event as water pressure was restored within an hour.  The back story is interesting.

The cause of the water outage was an empty water tower.  How did that happen?  A valve did not open which caused the tower to empty and not refill as it should.  Despite Mayor Botbyl's claims of upgraded software for the tower as one of his achievements, there was a failure.  The failure could have gone well beyond inconvenience...what if by coincidence and bad luck a home caught fire during the outage.  Catastrophe.

Who came to the rescue?  Oddly enough Alan York.  He happened to notice the lack of water pressure and immediately called George (Public Works Director).  Unable to reach George after multiple calls, Alan called the WL Police, who then put out the Nixle advisory.  George eventually responded to the phone calls and made his way in to WL to open the valve.  (Neither George nor any of his staff live at WL, so they have to travel in to attend to business).  Emergency averted.

It does raise the question of emergency preparedness in the City.  Nobody within the City could deal with the valve...Alderman Clark pointed this out at the last BOA meeting and requested to be trained as a backup, which is being done.  Clark actually lives a couple of football fields from the tower.

It does bring into question the preparedness of the City to deal with emergencies.  Is there a plan, is leadership aware and what happens in worst case scenarios?  My guess is there is work to be done.

Brilliant!

Yesterday (Saturday), with fabulous weather cooperating, the Derchers and Fullmers hosted a "Block Party" from 4 to 7 PM.  Bring a dish/dessert and celebrate what hopefully will be a long spring/summer/fall.  Entertainment provided by Bruce's band, Match 5, with a healthy dose of kids/grandkids to play in Wayland Park.  Fun.

As you know, without traditional blocks, and not having sidewalks to connect homes WL can be a challenge connecting with neighbors.  Maybe the concept of "neighborhood parties" needs to be dusted off and revived? (the Venita neighborhood has had a long standing tradition, I am sure there are others).  The parks in WL offer the perfect place for a neighborhood party, don't you think?  Spontaneous, free form, why not give it a try?

Kudos to Bruce, Margie, Pam, Jim and all those who pitched in.  

Terminal Velocity

Quote from KCMO councilman Quinton Lucas after a visit to Southwest @ Love Field:

But Lucas said he was impressed with the improvements that Love Field got for $500 million, and he wants to ensure that Kansas City’s airport modernization does not result in big ticket price increases or deter airlines from expanding their business in Kansas City. On the other hand, Lucas acknowledged Southwest’s point that Kansas City might lose flights if it does not undergo a major modernization.

The current proposal for a new KCI is at $1 billion.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article72133067.html#storylink=cpy

I vote for Me

The Unofficial Official Minutes of the WL BOA, 13 April
(as recounted from those in attendance)

One of the first duties of the newly seated City Council is to elect a President of the Board also known as Mayor Pro Tem.  Duties include acting in the absence of the Mayor which could include presiding over a BOA if the Mayor cannot attend and/or such things as signing checks, again if the Mayor is not present/available.  (fyi, I was President of the Board twice and indeed had to fill in for Mayor Mike Henderson during an illness)

The process is the nominations are opened and the Board members can nominate a fellow member.  Clark nominated Richmond, Richmond nominated Stevenson.  Nominations closed, and discussion was opened.  Apparently Richmond was not interested in the nomination and withdrew his nomination.  Stevenson was the only name on the table.  Discussion was closed and a request for the nomination of Stevenson to be voted on.  Richmond, Yes...no second coming from either Finn or Clark.  Stevenson then seconded his own nomination (Gee, is that "legal"?  No, Stevenson's brother in law was not in the audience, so the legal question never came up...and yes, Mr Stevenson can vote for himself).

Richmond could not escape knowing the acrimony from the Stevenson camp demonstrated during the election campaign towards Finn and Clark.  Accepting the nomination might have been a way to reduce tension on the board...and really, for the most part, being President of the Board is not a big deal.  What was Richmond thinking?  Actions speak louder than words.

Ask Your Elected Officials

A new feature of the blog.

The Entrance Advisory Group (EAG) was established in 2009 (yes 7 years ago) with addressing the issue of replacement of the entrance monuments removed as part of the Barry Road project.  It expanded into a more ambitious project to replace all the existing city monuments.  It wasn't without a little controversy...the projected cost and the destruction of vintage but serviceable monuments.  Nonetheless, Jerry Boss was the driving force for establishment of the EAG, primarily as a vehicle to allow deductible donations to fund the project, it was clear the city did not have the funds outside of the $50,000 provided by KCMO as part of the Barry Road construction.  From the very beginning it was made clear by Bos and Jim Miller, the chair of the EAG, no public funds would be used to build the monuments.  If the city provided work on the project, it would bill back to the EAG funds, a separate account in the city budget.  This was done for the monuments at East Side and City Hall.  Apparently that was the last time any labor was billed to EAG.  This came to light because of (3) city workers laying a pad at the Potomac entrance last week.  Are you (the tax payer) paying for a free ride for the EAG?  Why hasn't the work from the other monuments been billed to the City.  Why haven't other projects (water meters, crack sealing, road patch) been addressed instead of monuments?  I don't know but I do know who could give you the answers.

Ask your elected officials.

Mayor Patrick Botbyl - 816 326-8268

EASTSIDE ALDERMEN
Tanya Finn	816.587.9957
Brian Stevenson	816.746.8563
WESTSIDE ALDERMEN
Doug Richmond	402.540.0078
Steve Clark	816.741.0048

Fear of Not Flying

on line today

American Airlines said that long lines at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints last month caused 1,000 passengers to miss its flights at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The TSA has cut nationwide checkpoint staffing 10% over the past three years, wrongly predicting a surge in PreCheck program enrollment.

No Show

Had good intentions of making the BOA last night, but a family outing ran long and just coudn't make the meeting.  I will attempt to gain highlights from those who attended and post manana,

In the meantime, an article from today's WSJ, "Air-Travel Survey Reveals American Fliers Habits".
Source:Ipsos Public Affairs.  Some highlights:

• Travelers value price and airline schedule in deciding whether to travel by air
• Time spent in travel, safety perceptions, operations reliability and convenience of the airport also counted strongly
• Quality of in-flight amenities and amenities at the airport rated much lower
• Before flight, the most important factors for travelers were speed of getting through security and the efficiency of the boarding process.

Why do travelers love KCI?  Convenience.  I flew to Baltimore last week, landed at the very end of the terminal with a very long walk to baggage (here in KC it is a short stroll) then to a designated area to catch Uber (another long walk) before I could get on my way.  Amenities needed, just a stop to use the bathroom.  No shopping, no food, just let me be on my way.  On the trip out, a very congested security line, which I bypassed with my TSAPre pass.  Without that I would not dare think of arriving as late as I usually do.  Convenience? Adios, amigo.

BOA Tonight

http://www.cityofweatherbylake-mo.gov/agendalist.aspx?cid=10739

Agenda items include:

• Mayor's Google update
• Swearing in of the new Board (Finn/Clark/Botbyl)
• Election of Mayor Pro Tem
• Changes to building code

Free Entertainment

Tomorrow night is the monthly BOA (Board of Aldermen) meeting.  The good news it will be free of the fringe element of the last election (you know who you are) and back to the ho-hum...or maybe.

Making nice is tough to do, so we shall see.  So, absent new, fresh ideas,the Council will have to move on.

I will try to make the meeting to give you a first hand account of the action...or not.

You know, Parkville broadcasts their meetings for all to see.  Possibly that is something for us to consider?  At one time we had a budding film historian in the community, but apparently he decided not to continue...to bad?

In any event, come join me.

Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.

 Otto von Bismarck

Done Deal

A series of meetings are being held in KCMO this week in regards to the airport redo.  Except it appears highly unlikely that a redo is in the making.  A new, single terminal plan, at a cost of a billion dollars or more is all but assured.  But not before the voters have a say...if you live in KCMO.  Look for the same approach by Sly and his pals on the council as they did with the earnings tax, encourage KCMO residents to vote yes, imply that many users are from outside KCMO and there will be no financing by "general taxpayer dollars".

I fly minimum twice a month, sometimes much more.  I fly through/to new airports as well as old (yes Newark and LaGuardia are 3rd world...actually that isn't fair to the third world, we recently were in backwater Cabo and they have a nice new airport).  My goal in flying is to get to KCI with minimum time prior to departure...land at my destination, escape quickly for my next stop.  Number 1 need, access to a bathroom.  No, I don't need a $4 water, golf shirt, pizza, or a rock hard scone.  Maybe the occasional traveler does.

One thing you might need is TSA Pre.  That 5 minute wait to go through security will be just a memory unless you pay up to be Pre.

Looking For Pot

Holes.

The new Board will be seated this week (okay, it is the old Board with two re-elected members) and need to get back to the business of governing and managing the City.  The Mayor needs to come to the realization his aldermanic candidates (Red and De) didn't cut the mustard and the voters have spoken.  What needs to be done?

Do you walk/run the City streets?  Do you ride a bike on the City streets?  Do you drive a car on City streets?  If you walk/run (no, sidewalks simply are not feasible Red) on the streets it becomes apparent how many of the streets need to be replaced/repaired/crack sealed.  The slower you go over the streets the more visible the needs are.  Yes we have road money stashed at Platte County,  Is it enough.  Ask your Mayor/Alderman.  Is there a written plan in place.  Ask your Mayor/Alderman.  Yes, it is nice to see West Ridge and all the new housing.  No, the roads are not in good shape up there and deteriorating at a rapid rate.  It wasn't all that long ago there was extensive patching there, at...$?.

Question for you, the reader.  What if the County Road Tax was not renewed?  How would that impact WL?  Is that even possible?

"Lead Me, Follow Me, or Get Out of My Way"

General George S. Patton

We received a letter from WLIC, dated April 5, 2016, "Your LOMA Determination Document".  This is the final product of the time and effort by the WLIC Board and others to fight, mitigate and resolve the potentially disastrous determination of the flood plain at Weatherby Lake.  The letterhead of the document says, "Together, we make a difference".  What an understatement.  This isn't something that just impacts lake front property, in my opinion.  Anything that potentially impacts the value of lake front property impacts the entire community.  Why this happened in the first place is a different post, another time.

As much as I would like to move forward, one observation.  Mayor Botbyl, in his campaign material, mentioned the City was "monitoring" the situation.  That resulted in nothing.  Period.  They knew of the problem for months, did not advise citizens of anything.  WLIC on the other hand, took a leadership role, and TCB...took care of business.  We should be very grateful.

So thank you Rick and the Board of the WLIC.  Thanks to Don and others (I am sure there are) who gave an assist.  

"If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking"

  

George S. Patton   

A Sly Tax

If you are a Weatherbean who pays KCMO earnings tax you knew the deck was stacked against you. Why wouldn't the residents of KCMO vote to continue to lay some of their tax burden on your back?  The results were in before it started.  You get taxed but have no say so, a great example of a tax without representation.  Just like our cousins on the other side of the state, St Louis.  In the meantime, KCMO merrily provides huge tax breaks in the form of TIFs, eroding the property tax base, in some cases for years (Sly didn't mention that in his tax campaign).

But, not so fast.

While Sly celebrated the state legislature is seeking a number of avenues to impede or stop the earnings tax.  So for now chalk up a victory for Sly, but he may not get the last laugh.  One last thought, if the citizens of KCMO were voting only to tax themselves rather than the 40% plus of those outside the city...would it pass.  They may get to find out.

On The Bright Side

The WL voter turnout was low based on the contested contests (in my opinion) but the turnout countywide was dismal.  Exhibit A:

WL- 39.9% of registered voters went to the polls.

Platte County- 16.7%

Parkville- 21.5%

Riverside- 20,7%

Waukomis- 17%

Do people really get the government they deserve?

Status Quo

The next BOA meeting will have the same cast of characters as WL voters returned all the incumbents to the Board and Mayor positions.  Unofficial results from the Board of Elections:

Botbyl - 339
York - 263

Finn - 162
Surma - 137

Clark - 168
McLaughlin - 130

The minority of registered WL voters ruled the day, with 41% of the eligible 1,466  voters going to the polls.  The winners, like Botbyl, effectively had around 23% of the voters...same held true for the aldermen races.  It was a bruising campaign towards the end for all the candidates, it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the coming months.

Election Protection

Hopefully you are voting today...of course you are, after all only the most informed, sophisticated Wetherbeans read the blog (okay, there are a few exceptions).

As you walk through the door to the CC you will see many familiar faces assisting voters, some supporting the elections for years as election workers.  Stop, give them a smile and a word of thanks. The vote in WL is quick, efficient and hassle free.  Great, isn't it?

Our Choices Tomorrow

You may have your mind made up regarding tomorrow's choices for the WL races...in which case you might want to skip this post today.  Or you can read on and confirm that choice.  Or you can take one last shot at being an undecided as you drive to the Community Center to vote.  (An aside, remember when we used to vote at City Hall?..yipes, especially during contested elections it could be a challenge to navigate and park.)

Mayor
Alan York has served the community twice as Mayor, both times stuck with cleaning up messes.  The first time was serving as Mayor, elected by his fellow aldermen, after the resignation of Pauli Kendrick.  The City budget was left hanging and Alan got the job done.  Two and a half years later, he beat Mike Henderson handily and again had to get the City back on track.  One of his hallmarks was communication with the aldermen.  There were no surprises at Board meetings, information was disseminated clearly.  There was clear direction to the Public Safety and Public Works Departments.  Alan was available, accessible, present.  He has been an alderman, on the Planning Commission in addition to being Mayor.  His background in Finance gives the City another pair of trained eyes we currently do not have.  A long time Platte County resident, Alan continues to have contacts throughout the county, something we have lost over the last two mayors.  It is time to re-engage beyond our city limits, there is too much development, too much activity beyond our city limits to ignore.  If you know Alan at all you know how passionate he is when it comes to preserving our lake...after all we are Weatherby Lake.  Development inside and outside our City will continue to be a challenge, and City government has a role up to the waters edge.  I know Alan is committed to working with the WLIC to continue their role in protecting the watershed was well.  It doesn't happen very often but here is an election where the challenger is truly an upgrade for the office, an upgrade for the City.

Aldermen East and West
Both Tanya Finn and Steve Clark represent years of service to the City, both as aldermen and volunteers outside their roles of aldermen.  As Jerry Bos says, "good men(women) are hard to find".  Voters on both sides of the lake can return two stalwarts who take their elected roles seriously, which means they do not "mail it in".  Both aren't afraid to ask questions of the Mayor when information is absent or unclear (and there has been plenty of that).  If you compare, really compare, the opponents to Finn and Clark, whether it is at the Forum or information published, it is no contest, in my opinion.  Regardless of who wins the mayoral race, both incumbent aldermen should be re-elected to continue the good work they have done.

So there you have it, my votes tomorrow, and hopefully yours.  York/Clark/Finn.
And that is As I See It.

"Good men are hard to find"

quote from email exchange between Jerry Bos and Steve Clark

Steve was kind enough to share emails from Jerry in regards to the upcoming election.  I am sure Steve would share the entire email endorsement by Jerry if you asked, I will give you some direct quotes from the correspondence:

From Jerry Bos:

"I want to put in a good word for you...I found you to be a good representative for the Westside and a person who was honest and easy to work with.  There were a few times when we did not agree but I always found you to be honest, above board...you were a good steward of the City's resources not wanting to spend money in a foolish way...You were a good sounding board for me...The City needs honest, hardworking and unbiased leaders.  You are able to be everyones Alderman, not just a select group."

I think Jerry captured the essence of Steve and the larger issue of this election.  We need a mayor who respects and values opinions different than his own.  We need an alderman who is honest, sticks to his/her principles and is everyone's Alderman.

Aimless

KC Star Election Guide, March 30

Current WL Mayor Botbyl
Question:  What would you like to see change?

Answer: "I believe that things are going well at this point within our city and would not want to make any changes.."

Pardon the interruption but is that a vision statement you would expect from a mayor?  Would you accept status quo from a city that has no written plans for roads, sewer, water.  In this past year the water bill fiasco, and lack of response to the FEMA problem both lead back to the mayor.  Does the city have a succession plan for two critical positions, Chief of Police and Director of Public Works?  (think about that one for a moment...Gary and George won't be here forever).  As I have pointed out, as have others, the City web site, one of the primary means of information of the city continues to be not fully functional and out of date.  No changes.  I don't think we can afford to float along any more.

Answer continued:
"except to see new energy and skills to the Board of Aldermen"

Allow me to translate for you if you have not been following city politics. I have mentioned the acrimony between East Ward Alderman Stevenson and Aldermen Finn and Clark.  The issue is Stevenson's pursuit of property at WL and Finn and Clark's votes in regards to the Planning Commission's recommendation on Stevenson's request.  Botbyl has taken a position of supporting Stevenson.  In a pure act of political payback two candidates have been promoted to oust Clark and Finn.  Additionally Clark and Finn have been active challengers to the Mayor on a number of other issues.  Solution?  Opt for "new energy" on the Board.  An example of this is Surma's comments in the Star about "improprieties".  This was in response to the question of change.  What?  This parrots the squawking of Stevenson and his crew (refer to his email to Don Coleman).

So you have a mayor who is disengaged from the Board of Aldermen, except to be involved in a property issue of one of the aldermen, honestly has no vision for the future of our City and would love to have a rubber stamp board to make the 3 hours he spends in City Hall a bit easier.

Is that what you want?

The Check Is In The Mail (This is NOT an April Fool's Joke)

Get a load of this one.  A Weatherby Lake citizen made a generous donation by check to the City with two conditions.  First, the money was to be used for specific technology in the Police Department (this equipment would probably not be a budget item next year or beyond).  Secondly, the donation would have to be anonymous.  He dropped the note in the mail, with the check.  Shortly thereafter he received the check back in the mail in a letter signed by the Mayor...thanks but no thanks.  No phone call from the mayor, nothing. You would think a little discussion about the situation with the aldermen would be in order.  No.  This is symptomatic of Mr Botbyl during his term of office.  Lack of communication with the Board, unilateral decisions which really aren't his to make...in my opinion.  April Fools?

Well it is April, I will let you decide who the Fool is.  

Parkville Announces Annexation Bid for WL

KC Star Today's Edition, Page 3

"Parkville City Attorney William Mosby held a press conference last evening after a special session of the Parville City Council to give the details of a proposal of annexation of neighboring Weatherby Lake.  The declaration of annexation took Weatherby Lake by surprise.  City officials from Weatherby Lake were not available for comment, but blogger Mike Moratz did offer his comments.  "A few years ago there were rumors about something like this, Parkville always lusted after the lake.  Maybe this will mean better roads for the City"  Mosby indicated part of the proposal includes the expansion of the National Golf Club over much of what now is Weatherby Lake.  He did not indicate if this included the use of golf carts on City Streets.  Annexation is due to be complete with a vote by both entities this coming November."

I can't imagine the citizens of WL not putting up a big stink, possibly opening up the spigot on U Cove.  Remains to be seen.  Have no fear, I am on it.









You really didn't believe this?  April Fools of course!!!!!