WWW.BLUESPRINGSGOV.COM City of Blue Springs Presorted Standard 903 West Main Street U.S. Postage Blue Springs, MO 64015 PAID Blue Springs, MO 64015 Permit #11 “My Blue Springs” Photo Contest winners Contest Photo Springs” Blue “My Winter Resources Winter 2013 Year in Review in Year 2013 Community Issue Community MAGAZINE Informing Residents, Embracing Community, Improving the Quality of Life of Quality the Improving Community, Embracing Residents, Informing Winter/Spring 2014 Winter/Spring Contents Year End Review Mayor’s Opening Letter 2 I invite all of you to join me for my State of the Development Services Survey City Address on Thursday, February 20, 2014, 11:30 3 a.m. at the Adams Pointe Conference Center. The By the Numbers ‘Community Issue - 2013 Year in Review’ of the 4 Downtown Alive! Update Blue Springs Magazine is a sneak preview of my presentation. 5 Winter Resources If you are unable to attend this year’s State of the City 6 Fiscal Fitness Address, the presentation and video will be available in 2013 Year in Review late February at www.bluespringsgov.com/stateofthecity. Parks & Recreation 7 In 2013, we have made major strides in Public Safety and Infrastructure 2013 Year in Review issues here in Blue Springs. Significant progress has been made on the 8 Community Development implementation of the dedicated Public Safety Sales Tax initiative goals, and we celebrated the successful completion of the Sni-A-Bar Wastewater 2013 Year in Review Treatment Plant and Phase I of the Woods Chapel Road reconstruction 10 Public Works project. There is still much work to be done to enhance our community, but 2013 Year in Review I look forward to the challenge. Police Department 12 Throughout this edition of the magazine, you’ll read how we seek resident 2013 Year in Review input, engage elected officials and strengthen local and regional partnerships 14 Economic Development to achieve exciting things in our near and long term future. Blue Springs I invite you to keep up with all the great news here in Blue Springs by 15 Chamber of Commerce signing up for my e-newsletter, joining us on Facebook or following us on Twitter. Central Jackson County 20 Fire Protection District Gratefully in your service, Blue Springs School District 21 Mayor Carson Ross ‘My Blue Springs’ Photo Contest Winners 23 City Officials Let’s Move! Saturdays! Carson Ross, Mayor 24 Calendar Eric Johnson, City Administrator Community Calendar Contact Information 25 Contact Numbers City of Blue Springs District 1 903 West Main Street Dale Carter (816) 809-4874 Blue Springs, MO 64015 Jeff Quibell (816) 223-2865 (816) 228-0110 District 2 www.bluespringsgov.com Kent Edmondson (816) 228-7181 Chris Lievsay (816) 674-5108 Kim Nakahodo, editor [email protected] District 3 “My Blue Springs” Susan Culpepper (816) 916-5696 Photo Contest Over All Winner, Ron Fowler (816) 228-1568 Kristi Branstetter 2 Winter/Spring 2014 • www.bluespringsgov.com Development Services Survey During the summer of 2013, the City Council commissioned • Ratings of the City’s Public Works, Utility and ETC Institute to administer a survey to customers who had Engineering Staff. used the City’s development services. The purpose of the Of the customers who had worked with the City’s Public survey was to gather feedback to improve the overall quality Works, Utilities and Engineering staff, 93% or more of of development services provided by the City. the customers agreed with all of the positive statements they were asked to rate about the department’s staff. “This year’s results are amazing; you have double-digit improvements in almost every category surveyed. Blue Springs is now perceived as one of the best government organizations around for development services.” – Chris Tatham, Vice President, ETC Institute. Major findings include: • Ratings of the Blue Springs Development Review Process Compared to other cities. All of the customers surveyed felt the City’s Development Review process was better or the same compared to Gladstone, Liberty and Raytown; 92% compared to Independence; 85% compared to Kansas City and 72% compared to Lee’s Summit. • Ratings of the City’s Code Administration Staff. Of the customers who had worked with the City’s Code • Ratings of the City’s Planning and Development Staff. Administration staff, 70% or more of the customers Of the customers who had worked with the City’s agreed with all of the positive statements they were asked Planning and Development staff, 50% or more of the to rate about the department’s staff. customers agreed with all of the positive statements they were asked to rate about the department’s staff. “I want to personally thank City staff for their hard work and determination to improve our development services. I’m proud to say we have created a culture of constantly examining our processes and improving our customer service.” – City Administrator Eric Johnson. To see the 2013 Community Developer Survey Final Report, visit www.bluespringsgov.com. Informing Residents, Embracing Community, Improving the Quality of Life 3 Department Spotlight: By the Numbers Public Works (from Oct. 2012 to Sept. 2013) Update original brick Manhole30 Repairs exterior and installing new windows and doors to transform the Water Main67 Breaks Repaired building back to its historic design. Downtown America’s Community Bank Banners Restoration Project Miles of Paved252 Streets Maintained New Downtown The America’s Community Bank Alive! banners building, located at 1100 W. Main were installed Street, was originally constructed along Main around 1890 and the aluminum façade Street this fall. Feet of Water864 Mains Replaced was installed over the original brick The brightly exterior in the late 1960’s. colored banners The building restoration and renovation welcome visitors project includes the removal of the to the downtown Fleet Repairs2,461 by Fleet Maintenance aluminum façade, restoration of the corridor. A Blue Springs Downtown Alive! Presents Water &8,759 Sewer Utility Locates HOLLYWOOD air 11,008Potholes Repaired ffair AThe First Annual Piccadilly Gala Thursday, March 6, 2014 | Adams Pointe Conference Center Square1,008,396 Yards of Pavement A Hollywood Affair Piccadilly Quarter Auction Crack Sealed The Piccadilly Gala is a Ladies Night Out Piccadilly is a high-energy auction where and auction benefit for Downtown Alive!, you could win hundreds of dollars of gifts a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated for only a few quarters! Catered dinner, to the preservation and revitalization of cash bar, silent auction, live Piccadilly 1,558,840,000Gallons of Water Treated at the Downtown Blue Springs. auction and more! Sni-A-Bar Waste Water Treatment Plant Tickets are $50 | (816) 228-2300 | www.downtownbluesprings.com 4 Winter/Spring 2014 • www.bluespringsgov.com Snow Removal in Blue Springs Blue Springs employs many of the third priority routes, hilly roads and best operators in the Midwest. The residential streets. Snow Removal Team consists of Phase III - Heavy Snow Public Works and Parks Department If snowfall accumulation continues employees which serve as the City’s and reaches a depth of at least four first responders for snow emergencies. inches, crews will continue plowing all The Plowing Process roadways curb to curb. Phase I - First Response When it first starts to snow, eight primary trucks with spreaders begin clearing snow and ice from heavily Snow Removal Maps traveled and hilly roadways, while also Visit www.bluespringsgov.com to view spreading deicing chemicals. snow removal route maps that indicate Phase II - More Snow, More Resources how Blue Springs’ streets are prioritized When snowfall depth on the street and cleared during the City’s snow accumulates to two inches, seven removal process. additional plows join the eight first response plows. Depending on the Help us help you! Working Around the Clock forecast and current road conditions, Please move vehicles off the street Snow removal is a dangerous, stressful, the plows may team up and tandem whenever possible. and time-consuming job. Our crews plow the primary roads before breaking Parked cars pose an obstruction to work around the clock in extreme con- off into residential streets. Once the snow removal operations during the ditions to keep motorists safe and to primary and secondary roadways storm and then leave snow packed ensure that emergency responders can are cleared, crews begin working areas after they are moved. get to those in need. WinterSnow Removal Resources 0291 and leave the exact location of the hole, the nearest The Blue Springs Snow Removal Team maintains a 24-hour cross street, your name and phone number so we may contact state of readiness from mid-November to mid-April for you if we have difficulties locating the pothole. inclement weather. The Snow Removal Hotline number is (816) 228-0295. Power Outages Winter storms can also cause power outages in the Blue Potholes Springs community. KCP&L would like to remind During the winter, the water under the pavement freezes, customers that safety is the number one priority for our then thaws (contracting and expanding.) This freeze/thaw crews and customers. Please remember to stay away from cycle causes the pavement to crack so that it deteriorates downed trees and power lines. Always assume a downed line quickly under the weight of traffic, and streets can seem to is energized. If you are experiencing a power outage in your break out in potholes overnight. area, call 1 (888) 544-4852 or visit the KCP&L Web site at www.kcpl.com. To report a pothole, call the Pothole Hotline at (816) 228- Informing Residents, Embracing Community, Improving the Quality of Life 5 Blue Springs Understanding the 2013-14Fiscal Fiscal Year Budget Fitness Other Cash Reserves $461,825 $4,325,203 The 2013-14 budget is the Property Tax City of Blue Springs’ fiscal plan $5,471,288 for the next year.