America’s PrepareAthon! 2016

Each year, emergencies and natural disasters test our readiness and challenge our resolve.  However, with careful planning and preparedness you can significantly improve you and your family’s chances for staying safe in an emergency.

During April and May 2016, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and USDA invite you to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! to better prepare for emergencies that could strike in our communities.  This year’s PrepareAthon! highlights flood, tornado, and wildfire preparedness along with awareness for hurricanes and extreme heat.  On Saturday, April 30, 2016, individuals and communities are encouraged to participate in the National Day of Action by building a disaster supply kit, practicing their family communication plans, and talking with neighbors about preparedness.
    
For information on the PrepareAthon! go to FEMA’s website: https://www.ready.gov/prepare

For information on how to build a disaster supply kit go to FEMA’s website: https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
          
Later this year, in September, we will continue to encourage preparedness by highlighting readiness procedures and by testing and exercising of emergency plans during National Preparedness Month.  While we formally recognize preparedness in April and September, we urge all employees to remain current in their preparedness plans.  Let us honor the strength we show in times of adversity by preparing ourselves, our neighbors, our schools, and our workplaces before disaster strikes.

Kansas City Streetcar grand opening celebration!

Public invited to street parties to celebrate the opening of the KC Streetcar May 6 & 7

The City of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Streetcar Authority invite the public to celebrate the start of KC Streetcar operations while visiting downtown Kansas City neighborhoods to witness the transformative effect the streetcar is having on our city. The public celebration starts at 10:00 a.m. Friday, May 6, outside of Union Station with a grand opening ceremony featuring Kansas City Mayor Sly James, Federal Transit Administration members, Kansas City Streetcar Authority Chairman Mike Hagedorn and other local dignitaries and elected officials.  The ceremony will be followed by an inaugural first ride for those dignitaries and the opening of public streetcar service and community-wide parties and activities. Mayor Sly James said the grand opening of the KC Streetcar is more than a celebration of a new transit option for Kansas Citians.  “This is the first step of what I believe will be a truly historic transformation of the entire city,” James said. “Building owners and developers have completed, started or announced more than $1.7 billion in construction in the downtown KC Streetcar district since the route was announced. I’m confident the entire city will find new momentum as the KC Streetcar energizes the heart of our community.” The KC Streetcar grand opening ceremony kicks off a weekend long celebration along the entire two-mile streetcar route. Many special streetcar-related events are planned in downtown Kansas City, in conjunction with other festivities such as First Friday (and Saturday this time) in the Crossroads Arts District, a family-friendly festival with carnival rides at Union Station, fireworks both Friday and Saturday nights from Liberty Memorial, Smart City Village in the downtown business district, Middle of the Map Fest in the KC Power & Light District, movie in the park in the City Market, and a busy spring weekend in the River Market. The public is encouraged to enjoy and explore the many restaurants, boutique shops and other retail business along the streetcar route. There will also be a stationary streetcar parked at Union Station near Pershing Road for your chance to take a selfie with the streetcar. For complete information about KC Streetcar grand opening activities, including transit options and parking, please go to www.timetoridekc.org.  An endeavor of this magnitude would not be possible without the involvement and support of so many partners”, said Tom Gerend, executive director of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority. “For a project to go from the drawing board to completion in this timeframe is record setting and only possible with the strong and visionary leadership from the City of Kansas City, and tremendous support from the Federal Transit Administration, the KC Area Transportation Authority, downtown businesses, our contract operator, Herzog Transit, and many others. This milestone represents years of effort by many and a new and exciting era for the region’s RideKC public transit partnership.” Many thanks to the Grand Opening Celebration sponsors: The City of Kansas City, Missouri, The Kansas City Streetcar Authority, KC Streetcar Constructors, Sprint, CAF, UMB, HDR, Burns & McDonnell, KCATA, Port KC, Lewis Rice, Dimensional Innovations, KCP&L, SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit, BNIM, Commerce Tower on Main, Central States, J. Reiger Co, Boulevard Brewing Company,  HINT, HNTB, Thomas McGee, LTK, Centric Projects, Sprint Center, Commerce Bank, JE Dunn, Jackson County, Mark One Electric and the KC Chamber of Commerce. The KC Streetcar grand opening celebration planning team was led by the Kansas City Streetcar Authority and O'Neill Marketing & Events Management, with assistance from many City of Kansas City departments, including Public Works, Kansas City Police Department, Kansas City Fire Department, and the City Manager’s Office. We’d also like to thank our downtown partners including the Downtown Council, the City Market, Union Station, Kansas City Power & Light District, Visit KC, KC Crossroads Community Association, and the River Market neighborhood association. Celebration Information: Watch the ceremony in front of Union Station. Then enjoy activities in all downtown neighborhoods along the route. Please do not expect to ride the streetcar’s entire route continuously. Plan to exit at stops along the way to explore neighborhood activities. Transportation & Parking: FREE RideKC bus service is being offered on all local, express and shuttle service that connects to downtown. There will also be additional RideKC Max bus service on Main Street the weekend of May 6 & 7. Main Street between 20th and Pershing Road will be closed to traffic. Union Station parking and Crown Center parking via Grand Blvd. will remain accessible. A full map of local parking locations is posted onwww.timetoridekc.org Main Street north of 20th will remain open to traffic, however, no street parking will be allowed on Main Street or on the south side of 5th Street between Main and Walnut on May 6 & 7.  Streetcar information: The KC Streetcar will operate seven days a week, with service running from 6 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays; 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays; 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays; and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays, and it is free to ride.

City hosts 8th annual Civil Rights & Fair Housing Summit

April 22 Summit will feature Gustavo F. Velasquez, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD

On Friday, April 22nd, the Civil Rights Division of the Kansas City’s Human Relations Department will hold its 8th Annual Civil Rights/Fair Housing Summit. The Summit will be held at the Sheraton Hotel, 2345 McGee St. in Kansas City, MO.  The event, which is held annually in April in commemoration of National Fair Housing Month, will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will end at 2:30 p.m. The theme of this years’ Summit is “Are There Really 2 Sides of Justice?”.  The Summit will examine how disparities in laws between urban and suburban areas affect the lives and livelihoods of those living within the urban core.  The Employment Law ADA workshop looks at the employment rights of persons with disabilities. Our hope is to focus attention on steps to take that will change outcomes in the future. The keynote speaker for the event is Gustavo F. Velasquez, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD. Gustavo Velasquez was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate to become Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Prior to his nomination, Velasquez was Executive Director of the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), a non-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC dedicated to serve thousands of Latinos and other immigrants and underserved populations gain the necessary skills and capital to start and maintain their own businesses. Workshop issues to be addressed at the Summit include Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing: Effects of Residential Segregation, Employment Law ADA, Education – Equal/Unequal Treatment and Environmental Justice & Urban Core. The Summit is free and open to the public.  Free parking will also be provided.  Lunch will be served.  To preregister and for more information, call 816-513-1888 or register on line at www.kcmo.gov/civilrights. Any persons requiring special accommodations please call TTY or 711.

City celebrates Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday April 19-25

During the week of April 19-25, Kansas City, Mo. residents can help save money, conserve energy and stimulate the economy by participating in Missouri’s Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday!

During this week, ENERGY STAR®-qualified appliances purchased within Kansas City, Mo., located in Jackson County will be exempt from state and city sales tax. In addition, purchases made in the portions of Kansas City, Mo., located in Clay, Platte, Jackson and Cass counties will be exempt from city, state and county sales tax.

The Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday exempts state sales tax on retail sales of qualifying energy star certified new appliances, up to one thousand five hundred dollars per appliance, during a seven-day period beginning at 12:01 a.m. on April nineteenth and ending at midnight on April twenty-fifth.

The following energy star certified appliances qualify for the holiday:

• Clothes washers
• Clothes dryers
• Water heaters
• Trash compactors*
• Dishwashers
• Conventional ovens*
• Ranges*
• Stoves*
• Air conditioners
• Furnaces
• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Heat pumps

(*According to the Energy Star Website, trash compactors, conventional ovens, ranges and stoves do not receive an energy star rating. Therefore, although the statute anticipates that someday they may receive the energy star rating, tax will continue to apply to purchases of these items during the upcoming Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday.)

For more information, please contact the State of Missouri Department of Revenue website:http://dor.mo.gov/business/sales/taxholiday/green/consumers.php

Updates from the Nelson Atkins Museum

Two updates from the Nelson-Atkins:

First, we are expecting a large crowd of visitors this Sunday, April 3, for Passport to India. Please know that a shuttle will run from the Kauffman Foundation and Gardens throughout the day, and we encourage visitors to park in those lots. Please join us for the event!

Second, the vibrant sculptures by Philip Haas, Four Seasons, which have been in place on the south lawn of the museum for four seasons, are scheduled to be deinstalled this month. We wanted you to be aware, because this will involve heavy equipment and the closure of one lane of Oak Street for one week. Here is the expected schedule:

Monday, April 11: Offloading crating materials from the circle drive off Oak Street.

Friday, April 15: Delivery of equipment, including a spydercrane, crawler boom lift, telehandler and forklift.

Sunday, April 17: Local traffic control firm Gun-Ko will consolidate northbound traffic on Oak Street to a single lane; 95% of curbside northbound lane between Cleaver II and the museum West Lot will be closed to traffic including school buses. The closed lane will be needed for the transfer of sculpture components via fork lift to the West Lot for crating, transfer and staging of packed crates south along the curb, and eventual loading of four full-length tractor-trailers.

Monday, April 18 through Friday, April 22: Deinstallation takes place, with no visitor/public access to the South Terrace. We anticipate this to require five days, through Friday, April 22. Oak Street traffic should return to normal by Saturday, April 23.

Visit southmoreland.org for more information, and to become a member.