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2005
Implementation of the Main Street Corridor Plan
Moving Forward
Many of you reading this participated in two years
of meetings to help MainCor and the City of Kansas City
complete a document known as the Main Street Corridor
Land Use and Development Plan. In 2003 the City Council
approved the Plan making it a document that would be
recognized by developers and others wanting to bring
business to Main Street. MainCor was given the responsibility
to implement the Plan.
We knew as we wrote the Plan it was a long-term project.
Main Street was once a bustling corridor, a destination
for shoppers, employers and their employees and tourists.
We want to return the Corridor to that kind of an active
place.
In just two short years, we are seeing the fruits of
our labors. Those Saturday mornings that many of you
got up to walk block by block with City staff and others
is beginning to pay off!
Let me share with you some of what's happening right
now on Main Street.
Bus Rapid Transit - MAX. Most of the orange
markers currently on the corridor have to do with bus
rapid transit. We have worked for the last 18 months
with KCATA and the City to arrange for all infrastructure
work to be completed prior to the new sidewalks and
repaving of Main Street. As a result, EVERYONE seems
to be doing their thing right now. Sewers, gas lines,
storm water inlets, etc. are being repaired. Hopefully,
the paving will begin in the next couple of months.
MAX is scheduled to begin in July.
Trash Receptacles. MainCor has purchased 14
trash receptacles to replace those at the "local"
KCATA stops. KCATA agreed to purchase matching ones
for the new MAX stops. We will also pay for an additional
trash pick up each week, making a total of three. All
trash receptacles will be installed as the new shelters/signs
are installed for MAX.
PIAC Funding for Pedestrian Crosswalks. Some
of the work being done on Main at 39th Street and at
Westport Road has to do with the new pedestrian crosswalks.
They will be 10 feet wide, made of tinted concrete,
smooth in the center for ADA accessibility and pressed
to look like bricks on the outer 3 feet, with white
reflective paint on the outside edges. We chose a fairly
dark tint because we know it will fade over time and
we want it to be noticeable. These should be completed
prior to the start-up date for MAX.
43rd Street Streetscape Plan. Money from the
43rd Street TIF is being used for a streetscape plan
on 43rd Street from JC Nichols to Oak. This will include
a new crosswalk (similar to the one described above)
at the Main St. intersection as well as sidewalks, streetlights
and perhaps artwork. A final plan has not been completed.
Southmoreland Neighborhood, MainCor and the 43rd Street
TIF Advisory Council are working on this project.
Yes, a lot is happening on Main Street right now. Unfortunately,
the City has determined it to be a good time to cut
MainCor’s funding. We asked for $160,000 to use
to implement the Corridor Plan (a plan which City Council
approved in 2003 and gave MainCor the responsibility
to implement). Nearly every local non-profit took a
cut in funding this year but MainCor along with a few
others were completely left out of the CDBG budget.
Thanks to Councilwoman Deb Hermann, chair of the Neighborhood
Development and Housing Committee, we will receive $60,000
this year from CDBG as transition money. This means
we will receive no more money after May 2006.
Nevertheless, the MainCor Board of Directors and staff
are very proud of the work currently being done to make
Main Street the very best corridor it can be. We hope
you are as well.
If you have never taken the opportunity to become a
member of MainCor, this would be a great time. Not only
can the organization use your financial support, it
would be good to know our constituents appreciate the
work being done on their behalf.
Please consider becoming a member by using the form
printed below. What category do you fall in? We leave
that up to you. We think it depends on what impact you
think having great surroundings has on your business
as well as your ability to pay.
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Volume 10, Issue 2
New Look for Major Murray Davis Memorial Park
You are probably asking yourself who is Major Murray
Davis and where is his memorial park?
Major Murray Davis was from Burlingame, Kansas, and
moved to Kansas City in 1899. He was an attorney and
records show he was the President of Mercantile Bank
of Kansas City. He went to France during World War
I as part of the 140th Infantry, 35th Division. He
was killed in action at Kiermont, France on September
29, 1918.
A monument in his honor has the following inscription,
“A kindly just and beloved officer, wise in counsel,
resolute in action, courageous unto death.” The
other side is inscribed, “Seriously wounded he
refused to relinquish his command until fatally wounded
he fell sending his comrades to victory. His last
words “Take care of my men.”
The monument is located in the .09 acre park at 40th
and Main which was dedicated in 1928. Over the years
it had been somewhat forgotten, mostly a place for
people to wait for the Country Club bus.
That is, until MainCor’s Aesthetic and Identity
Committee determined the park needed a facelift. They
contacted Kansas City Parks and Recreation and together
an amazing transformation is taking place.
Tired, old bushes were taken out and will soon be
replaced with new plantings, two new trees and urns
planted with seasonal flowers. There will also be
new lighting so the memorial inscription can be read.
MainCor will host a rededication of the Major Murray
Davis Memorial Park on May 27 at 11:30 a.m. to remind
the community of this local hero and leader while
thanking those who helped restore its beauty. Those
people include Steve Lampone and his staff at KC Parks
and Recreation Department, Kansas City Art Statuary,
and members of the MainCor Aesthetics and Identity
Committee, Kate Corwin, Chair; Marion Broderick, Cal
Cohen, Pam Hoelzel, Arlene and Steve Whitacre and
Diane Burnette.
Please plan to join us on May 27.
Federal Reserve Bank - Groundbreaking Celebration
On behalf of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City,
Bank President Tom Hoenig invites MainCor members,
Main Street property/business owners and area neighborhood
residents to attend a groundbreaking celebration on
Tuesday, June 7, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the new
building site.
The official ceremony is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
Guests are invited to see the detailed model of the
b9ilding and grounds, and enjoy the view from the
top of the hill. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, call the MainCor office at
753-3820.
- May 4, 8 a.m., Coffee Klatsch.
- May 19, 11:30 a.m., MainCor Business Lunch;
please RSVP by May 17.
- May 27, 11:30 a.m., Major Murray Davis Memorial
Park Rededication ceremony.
- June 1, 8 a.m. Coffee Klatsch
- June 7, 4:30 p.m. Groundbreaking Celebration,
Federal Reserve Bank site.
- June 16, 11:30 a.m., MainCor Business Lunch;
please RSVP by June 14.
Coffee Klatsch and
Business Lunches are held at the MainCor office,
3215 Main. If you would like a reminder by
e-mail or fax, call the office at 753-3820.
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