Over the next few years, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, will invest more than $45 million to upgrade basic infrastructure in the Waldo neighborhood. This includes a total reconstruction of Wornall Road from 74th to 79th Streets. Expect a major reconfiguration at the intersection of 75th Street and Wornall Road to improve traffic flow, as well as safety and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Spire Energy is currently installing a new gas line along Wornall Road. The city will also do water main replacement and sewer separation work. Construction of the roadway improvements is anticipated to start in early 2019 and finish in the fall of 2020.
Learn more about the plans and construction timeline:
We are looking for door prizes to give away to adults and kids at the annual Ward Parkway Homes Association 4th of July Picnic. Can you help? Do you have connections to a KC business you’d be willing to tap (especially in the Waldo area)? The prize could be a coupon, a product, a service, etc. Get creative, and let us know what you come up with.
Thirty-five declining ash trees were slated for removal from the city right of way in our neighborhood from January to April 2018. You’ve probably noticed the tree stumps. The streets most heavily impacted include Belleview Avenue (Gregory Boulevard to 75th Street), Jarboe Street (7200 and 7400 blocks), Summit Street (7100 block) and 74th Street (Ward Parkway to Summit Street).
The trees are dying as a result of the invasive emerald ash borer beetle. While the City of Kansas City, Missouri, continues to treat street trees it deems in “good” condition, foresters expect to see large numbers of ash trees declining quickly this year and in the coming years.
Note that each ash tree removed will be replaced by the end of the next planting season, provided that there is a location that meets the city’s planting specifications. If you want to purchase your own tree and plant it in the right of way, you must obtain a free tree permit. Contact the 311 Call Center (dial 311, email 3-1-1.Call.Center@kcmo.org or visit www.kcmo.gov/311).
Emerald ash borer plans for 2018 (pdf)
The City of Kansas City, Missouri, has affixed a metal tag with a number on each ash street tree in our neighborhood to keep track of the tree’s condition.
The Trolley Run is one of the largest timed 4-mile road races in the country, and the start line happens to be on Wornall Road at the eastern edge of our neighborhood. Be prepared for some road closures on Sunday, April 29, 2018, from approximately 7–11 a.m. If you need to be out and about during those hours, allow some extra travel time.
The annual Ward Parkway Homes Association Neighborhood Garage Sale weekend will be Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, 2018. Whether you want to do some decluttering or score a great new find, plan to do it on this weekend.
While we don’t coordinate an official list or map of sales in our neighborhood, we’ll advertise on various community websites. You can help increase traffic by inviting your friends!
The Ward Parkway Homes Association collected 1,987 pounds of donations to benefit Harvesters Community Food Network in November 2017 — our highest total since 2010! Thanks to everyone who donated food and cash, and to all the volunteers who helped collect and deliver it.
More construction work is planned to rehabilitate aging sewers in our area. It’s part of federal requirements Kansas City must meet to improve water quality by reducing the frequency and volume of sewer overflows.
The Inflow and Infiltration Reduction: Brush Creak Area 2 project will restore sewer mains, service lateral connections and manholes. This will result in more reliable service, and less frequent sewer overflows and basement backups.
The southern end of the project area includes approximately part of the Ward Parkway Homes Association, from Gregory Boulevard to 74th Street and State Line Road to Pennsylvania Avenue. Affected residents were sent postcards and invited to a public meeting on March 8 to learn about the plans.
Construction is expected to start soon and will be completed by September 2019. Though the project will not reach our neighborhood for a while, it is important to know what will happen when it does arrive. Some WPHA residents have backyard sewer lines that could be impacted, and our understanding is that those residents will be contacted directly.
To get a better understanding of whether or how your property may be affected by the sewer work, we recommend that you talk with the project team before construction moves into our area. Contact Project Manager Rachelle Lowe at 816-822-4276.
This holiday season, don’t let the spirit of giving lull you into giving burglars and thieves a better chance to do their dirty work. Here are some ways to protect your home and keep it secure during the holidays.
Sources:
Winter Holiday Safety Tips (Metropolitan Police Department)
Security for the Holidays: Keeping Your Home Safe from Christmas Burglars (SafeWise.com)
Congratulations to the following residents who have been elected to serve as WPHA board members for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. We look forward to their ideas and leadership for the neighborhood.
The Board of Directors will elect officers at its Nov. 7 meeting. Officers will serve a one-year term.
Volunteers like these are so important to our neighborhood association. We could use your help too!
Ash trees are declining throughout Kansas City — and in our neighborhood — as a result of the invasive emerald ash borer beetle. Healthy trees that weren’t treated with systemic insecticide this year probably won’t live more than a few years. City Forester Kevin Lapointe estimates that many ash trees will be 70-80 percent dead by next summer. Several streets in the Ward Parkway Homes Association are heavily planted with ash trees and will be significantly impacted.
KCMO plans to remove more city-owned ash trees in poor, critical and dead condition this fall and winter. Lapointe has confirmed that there are currently 48 ash street trees slated for removal in our neighborhood between late November 2017 and March 2018. The majority of them are located on the following streets:
Expect to see notification via door hangers a few weeks before any tree is scheduled for removal. Trees that are removed will ultimately be replaced — at no cost to the homeowner — with small specimens from an approved list.
The City of Kansas City, Missouri, has affixed a metal tag with a number on each ash street tree in our neighborhood to keep track of the tree’s condition. Look for tags at eye level facing the street.