Council Members' Persistence
on Northland Roads Paying Off
Press Release
August 28, 20087
Contact:
Jim Rice
816-454-2000
Since February of 2008, Kansas City Council members Deb Hermann and Bill Skaggs have conducted monthly meetings at Northland Neighborhoods, Inc. (NNI) to spur progress on Northland road and parkway projects. The meetings are paying off for Northland residents. The meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 8:30 a.m. at the NNI offices at 3015 NE Vivion Road and generally last 1 hour.
Key to the success of this "road show" is the presence of high-level City staff at the meetings. The staff members have learned that residents who attend the meetings regularly expect to hear about progress. Councilwoman Hermann sees a dual benefit from the monthly staff updates. "The meetings bring the staff face to face with concerned residents who expect-and sometimes demand-accountability. Accountability triggers action. And the professional staff gets real satisfaction from reporting real progress. It's a win-win," Hermann says.
North Brighton, Chouteau Parkway, Searcy Creek Parkway, and Shoal Creek Parkway top the list of frequently discussed projects. Delays on the North Brighton project have been a major source of irritation for Hermann, Skaggs and impacted residents. While the project is still not complete, the update meetings have kept the City's Capital Improvements Management Office (CIMO) on its toes. CIMO has provided a timeline for project completion, a timeline that gets reviewed and discussed every month in full view of the Council representatives and the people they represent. The Parks and Recreation Department bought into the update meetings from the beginning, bringing timelines and cost breakdowns for each project.
NNI C.E.O. Jim Rice says the update meetings also provide an education In "Infrastructure 101." "When projects are not moving, it is important for residents to know why. The meetings shine a bright light on bureaucratic bungling, but they also allow the staff to explain legitimate delays. Good communication is sometimes worth more than brick and mortar." Needs for new capital or maintenance projects have also surfaced during the seven update meetings held since February 2008:
- A flashing traffic signal was installed at 72nd and North Brighton after residents reported problems at one of the meetings.
- Faulty street lights on North Brighton are now being fixed.
- Need for better bus service in neighborhoods was raised. Council members Hermann and Skaggs asked the Area Transportation Authority (ATA) to start sending staff to every meeting.
Infrastructure always makes the short list of Northland priorities. The Hermann-Skaggs road update meetings giving order to what has too often been a chaotic capital improvement process in the Northland. So far both residents and staff like the process and the results they have already seen. As Councilwoman Hermann is fond of saying, "If you take the time to build transparency and accountability, results won't be far behind."
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