It's all bad news when it comes to the topic Kansas City's Water infrastructure.
Sadly, Mayor Funky is busy thinking about regional light rail and hasn't done much regarding this issue during his first year in office. Most of the Council is content to pass on the cost to consumers . . . Not a single politico in this town has the guts to admit what Kansas City really needs when it comes to Water Infrastructure is A MASSIVE FEDERAL BAILOUT . . . Because doing so would be a major mark against the career of anybody who tried.
Still, this talk of forcing only consumers and taxpayers to foot the bill is misguided and unfair given that the fault for this sorry situation falls upon this town's political establishment over decades.
For me, the Mayor's lack of leadership on this issue is a clear sign that his promises were empty in light of his faux infrastructure concern at the outset of his campaign . . . Nowadays most of his thought seems to go toward defending his wife's feet, talking about an unworkable regional light rail idea or planning his trip to China.
Meanwhile, Kansas City's rusty pipes and sewers grow worse every day and it's a problem that is so complicated, unglamorous and dirty that most politicos ignore the oncoming shitstorm at all costs.
Nice dress.
ReplyDeletethe last 2 mayors knew about this ongoing problem and they choose to do nothing so now its all funky fault. come on tony put the blame where it belongs. on the last 2 adminstrations
ReplyDeletethe last 2 mayors knew about this ongoing problem and they choose to do nothing so now its all funky fault. come on tony put the blame where it belongs. on the last 2 adminstrations
ReplyDeleteThey won't stick me with this. I'll be out of KC by then.
ReplyDeleteMASSIVE FEDERAL BAILOUT
ReplyDeleteQueen Kay and her merry court of thieves legacy.
It's not like Mayor Funky didn't know this was a problem, him being auditor for so long. It's not like he didn't know the Water Dept. is a disaster even without their current infrastracture failure. Nobody forced him to run for mayor. But he did and he won. NOW it's his problem. NOW he's got a take a stab at fixing it. Did he not have a plan for this when he took on the office of mayor? Guess not. Guess he's not all that forward thinking after all. Sounds like he wants to whine that "past mayors" got a pass on this issue (they don't) but he better suck it up and decide what to do with a department that is so disfunctional and pipes rotting in the ground as we speak.
ReplyDeleteat Anon 10:21
ReplyDeleteYou talk as if the mayor is the one bitching that its the last two administrations fault. Its just the people commenting on these blogs. Dont put words in his mouth.
THE LAKES
ReplyDeleteTHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
It was the saddest time in Johnson County’s history
By Tom Leathers
The Squire—November 2004
The heavy rain recently brought out a full force of firefighters to rescue more than 50 people stuck in high water in the streets of Kansas City. “It was horrible” the fire chief said. And there was considerable damage to flooded homes. But the flood then and in the past decade didn’t have to happen. Before that there was not too many years ago when 12 people died in a flood in Kansas City. And a few years before, that several other bad floods. With each one, the folly of the rejection of three reservoirs out here has been shown. Where there could have been great holding basins south of College Boulevard instead are miles of concrete and asphalt that increase the flow when heavy rains fall. Because of the failure to build the lakes, areas hit so hard owe Johnson Countians a lot of the blame.
And many of homeowners living in flood plains in this area have reason to be worried about the future. As last month showed the threat of flooding is greater than many think.
Johnson County officials know it. Tomahawk Creek – that runs near Hawthorne Plaza, Camelot Court and on east --- has the potential to get out of hand. And in a big way.
A study was undertaken, at a cost $2 to $3 million a year for to determine the flooding potential. That’s how serious it was taken. The study produced some startling news: that there’s still lots of reason to be concerned --- right here south of I-435.
It’s not news to some people. For instance, the homes within the Hawthorne Valley subdivision were originally shown to be outside the flood plain. But now it’s been determined they are in it.
The fact is that all the development in the area south of I-435 has increased in potential greatly. Where there was grass, there now are buildings and concrete and asphalt. That not only means little room for absorption, but the production of huge areas of run-off.
Some developers have been using maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the ones that established the flood plain boundaries. But now it seems that shocked officials are finding the maps failed to account for development upstream. And that’s been enormous.
It has caused Leawood officials to be concerned. They had land east of the City Hall that was their original choice for their city hall. But The Squire and others discovered that site on 115th was in the flood plain. And along came a heavy rain to swamp the site. So Leawood reluctantly went on up the hill with its plans. In its place, it left some new areas with a water potential.
But most everyone building out south of 115th there should be aware of the flooding potential. The reservoir projects that failed to be approved by the Johnson County voters would have protected this area, plus the Missouri side all the way into the Country Club Plaza and on north.
And it almost happened. In fact, every time there’s a hard rain like last month, Overland Park banker and civic leader Ben Craig thinks about what could have been.
“It makes me heartsick to realize that we had the opportunity to do something … and didn’t,” he said.
Each time the flood waters rush out of Indian Creek, Tomahawk Creek, the Blue River and the tributaries --- causing property losses, other Johnson Countians, too, are especially unhappy --- and very angry.
“It didn’t have to happen,” former Lt. Governor Jack Walker of Kansas said sadly of the end of the reservoirs.
“It could have been avoided.” Former City Manager Don Pipes of Overland Park said.
And a former Kansas City councilman not only agreed, but was even stronger in his comments:
“Greedy Johnson County developers were the cause,” Bob Lewellen said. “They didn’t want to see flood control lakes on their land --- and they killed it.”
All four are correct. In the early 1970s, a handful of land developers ---- aided by Congressman Larry Winn, Jr. --- blocked creation of three major reservoirs in Johnson County. Called Tomahawk, Indian Creek and Wolf-Coffee, the trio would have served as the receptacle for much of the overflow that three times in 20 years inundated vast areas. It was a small, but powerful, group that led the opposition that killed the lakes. And in doing so wiped out forever the opportunity to control the flood waters that have ravaged parts of the community and will again. Unless, of course multi-millions are spent to stem the flow.
The fact is that when it rains hard in Johnson County, it’s felt on the Missouri side of Sate Line. That’s because of the lay of the land and river basins. And if it’s a very heavy rain, it can cause severe flooding.
As we said, in the ‘70s, Johnson County had the solution right in the palm of its hand. And even more important, the federal government was ready to pay the bulk of the money.
But it was lost and with it went flood control.
It was also costly in other ways:
The lakes --- stretching from about 112th Street and Roe to as far south as 191st and Quivira --- would have turned Johnson County into a premiere area for recreation. And if they’d been constructed, all the development that is now in place would have been instead centered four-six miles farther south.
They would have provided a secure water supply for Johnson County well past the next century.
At the time, Dr. Walker was mayor of Overland Park. He puts it this way:
“It was the greatest mistake in the history of Johnson County.”
He, along with banker Craig and other business people, led the fight for the lakes. But many years of struggling ended with defeat of a referendum that would have authorized a small share of the cost. It seems that Congressman Winn and others pointed out that the negative vote by Johnson Countians was an indication that public support was lacking. And Congress --- which for a long time was eager to fund the project --- backed away. There were plenty of other areas courting those millions of dollars in public works funds --- without worrying about one small piece of Kansas.
“We lost to several major developers and one Congressman,” Dr. Walker said.
The tactics used by some of the opponents may be difficult to understand these days. But the late ‘60s and the early ‘70s were especially tumultuous in the area of race relations. Kansas City had gone through its race riots in 1968. Johnson County was preparing for what seemed inevitable: an influx of black families seeking the quality homes and quality lifestyle of the suburbs. And a Fair Housing petition campaign sponsored by the churches and other was termed “successful.” But many of those signing were fearful of repercussions. And some business people who signed it were threatened with boycott.
It wasn’t that Johnson County was necessarily racist. But many were fearful of intergration and of what might happen --- and its effect on the real estate. And if you wanted to cause confusion and opposition to an issue, you could by finding a racial tie-in.
That’s what some opponents used effectively to block the three lakes. The threat was that if the lakes were built, blacks would not be far behind. "And you know what that means,” would be said with no other words apparently necessary. The impression was left that blacks in great numbers would use the lakes. ‘Vote for the reservoirs and you’re opening up Johnson County to an influx of minorities who would be attracted by them.”
Sometimes it wasn’t that blatant --- just implied. At a meeting of the Leawood City Council in the late ‘60s, I sat through discussions of the project. At first, the city government seemed in support of the measure. Council people saw it as a real plus for the community. The Tomahawk Lake could add to the attractiveness of the city and the “Leawood Way of Life,” as they called it.
But then the real estate forces stepped in. And their power was total. Kroh Bros. had developed Leawood. Ad whatever Kroh wanted, Kroh got. One of the partners, Gene Kroh seldom missed a meeting --- and you could usually tell by his face and comments how the voting would go. If Gene talked for a project or even smiled at its mention, it likely was a “yes” vote. But Gene was against it, the chances were slim.
In the matter of the lakes, the Kroh Bros. Influence was strong. But there was a second Kroh force. Gene Kroh, in the midst of all this, split brother John, and formed a partnership with Kroh’s long-time sales manager, John Moffitt, Sr. They left Kroh Bros. To literally go south --- and to develop Leawood south --- and to develop Leawood South. And one corner of that project would have been touched by the land set aside for the proposed Tomahawk reservoir. That’s what what they feared.
One night at a council meeting I was hacked to see an abrupt change in the thinking about Tomahawk. As I said, up until then. Leawood seemed accepting of the plan. Then, the Kroh-Moffitt people went to work. And before the discussion was over, some of the councilmen were vocal on the subject of what evils it would do to Leawood --- if the lakes were built.
“On Sundays, we’ll have them streaming into Leawood in their trucks to fish,” one councilman said. “And our homes and families won’t be safe.”
There was a round of concerned nods of agreement by the council people.
In a way, it was hard to believe what was happening. Yet in those difficult racial times, the tactic had been used before.
After the meeting, I confronted the representatives of Kroh-Moffitt on the steps of the city hall.
“Why would you oppose such a significant project?” I asked the developers.
“Very simple,” they said. “If Tomahawk reservoir is built, we’ll lose two lots off our Leawood South project.”
I couldn’t believe it, and I told them so. But from that point on, the battle began, one that eventually led to the death of the reservoirs. The real estate people were small in numbers, but they had some powerful allies. Many builders were significant contributors to Congressman Winn. And Larry was builder by trade (Winn-Rau, etc.). So he was an ally all the way.
Yet publicly, he had top appear to support the project. Larry knew that some important people --- Ben Craig, then Overland Park Mayor Walker, and a few other key Republicans were leading the way for the project. So every so often, he’d issue a less-than-warm statement supporting things.
But in the cloakrooms and elsewhere in private, Larry stood with his fellow builders. After all, they’d all gotten rich together, buying and developing Johnson County land. So when a project came along to put some of the key undeveloped property under water, they saw diminishing bucks in front of their eyes.
It wasn’t only those who were the prime developers in Leawood --- like Kroh Bros. or Kroh-Moffitt. Other members of the Home Builders Association --- like the J.C. Nichols Co. --- fell right in line with their builder brothers. When the time came that big money was needed to support the anti-reservoir struggle, the dollars flowed in from developers like water they were opposing.
And to spearhead things, they went to someone who knew the lay of the land --- Leawood land, that is.
V.M. “Doc” Dostal, a former mayor and chairman of the planning commission, went almost full time into the fray employed by the developers. He and his wife, Margaret, knew everyone Republican, thanks to Margaret’s long-time role as the key official for the Johnson County Republican party.
Doc not only had the time, but even more he had a fierce determination toward seeing the project killed. He tackled the job with fierceness and persistence that flattened most anything that got in his way. And he knew the Leawood people and their sensitivities. They knew him, too, and generally liked him for his work as their mayor. And Doc and Margaret played them and their fears like Vladmir Horowitz played the violin.
Jack Walker looks back at the Dostals as unusually tough opponents.
“And they were angry at me for being on the other side,” he said.
With all the development that has sprung up in the decades that followed the demise of the reservoirs, the chances of more flood control in the area today are held back by the enormous cost because of the build-up of buildings, shops, etc. The portion that would have included the lakes now included the prime office and residential areas of Johnson County.
“Unfortunately, without the reservoirs, the flooding could go on forever,” former Overland Park City Manager Pipes said. “ What Overland Park did with Indian Creek helped some sections of our city. But reservoirs would have protected much greater areas, including the Missouri side.”
Ex-Councilman Lewellen said that the three reservoirs were lost would have held enough rain water to prevent the Blue River flooding.
“Watts Mill, the Plaza and other areas would never have been under water with the reservoirs,” he said. “There is no way now to solve the flooding from Johnson County. What a tragedy.”
Ben Craig says it makes him sick to even think about it.
“I put seven years into it,” he said. “And I flew to Washington, D.C. once or twice a year at my expense --- to try and get the reservoirs accomplished. And then we lost it on a referendum.”
The referendum he was talking about was defeated at the polls, after a well-financed campaign to stop it by the group officially the Leawood Economic Development Advisory Committee.
According to federal law at the time, areas that benefit from flood control projects had to provide a portion of the cost. In this case, the vote was to provide one-half of the dollars for the recreational benefits.
It was a small amount compared to the overall cost. And one study showed the dollars from the tax would be offset by the income from fees received from boating, docking and swimming.
But the anti-reservoir opposition financed largely by the developers was fierce. And the city of Leawood joined in. It did everything it could to show the Tomahawk Lake would take valuable ground that they contended would include a major hospital (it never came). Yet the biggest obstacle to a “yes” vote was the undercurrent of unrest over the racial issue.
“ What do you want to do --- build mud flats for n******?” Ben Craig said he was asked by people in opposition.
Speaking of mud flats, the reservoir opponents got help from the late State Senator C.Y. Thomas, an engineer by training. He went around the county proclaiming that the lakes would slit up in 50 years and be mud flats.
But privately C.Y. told Ben that he’d take Tomahawk out of the proposal, the senator would be in favor. Tomahawk was the lake lying largely in Leawood --- and the reason for developers’ opposition. They wanted the land for home sites and offices.
And Ben said he got the same story from one of Congressman Winn’s associates.
“If you’ll forget Tomahawk, it will be a different story.” Ben was told.
But Ben said his group --- the Johnson County Resources Association --- couldn’t do that. Without Tomahawk, flood control would be ineffective, according to the Corps of Engineers.
The reservoirs were also hurt by the lack of leadership of Olathe. That city had been feuding with Johnson County Parks and Recreation. And no one from Olathe wanted to be a part of the committee working for the reservoirs.
The voting was held, and the tally was 38,000 for reservoirs, but 50,000 against. Lost forever was flood control, recreation and water supply.
“The irony is that the county through Water District No. 1 has spent more on water pipes to the Missouri and Kaw than the whole cost of the recreational benefits,” Ben said.
But even more ironical was what happened to Leawood.
It seems that the city first decided to locate its new city hall on 115th Street and Roe --- the building now south a few blocks from there. And in preparation for construction, it put in $100,000 in trees, shrubs and other plantings.
But along came a flood. Roads leading into the potential site --- and the site itself --- were under water. The plantings floated away. And under pressure from The Squire, its residents and Councilman Louis Rasmussen, Leawood reconsidered.
“Is it wise to spend millions on building in the flood plain?” they were asked. So the city moved it south and west to the current site.
And ironically, the very waters that could have been stopped by the reservoirs sunk their own city hall. The city’s business center was declared too risky. And the Justice aspects were combined in the big building constructed. There, they figure that water will never get that high up there. And they likely will be right. Or will they?
FLOOD DAMAGE
Leawood is spending $1.1 million because of flooding along
Tomahawk Creek. The bank was eroded by the July 24 flood.
The money will help reconstruct 400 feet of park trail.
Funk's contribution to this debacle was to be his understanding of the problem and to figure out how to smartly handle the water department. He certainly knew the scam that Kay Barnes, Cauthen and the other council people perpetrated on us. He seems nowhere to be found... And meanwhile, the only people who get a free lunch are people that those putrid souls (for fun, look at David Martins piece on the double dipping CM Terry Riley in the Pitch).
ReplyDeleteYou know the old saying of can't get better without getting worse first. Thanks Kay
ReplyDelete