Trisha Pitts has called Washington Street home for the last 21 years. In fact, she is now the longest-tenured resident on the block! This bridge-playing seasoned traveler is keeping plenty busy during retirement.
Why did you choose to live in this neighborhood? When I came back to this area 21 years ago, I thought I would rent first, but a realtor showed me this property after showing me a number of rentals. I realized I would pay more in rent than in a mortgage payment. I decided to buy this house and then sell it after I decided where I really wanted to live. I have never moved. I just love the area.
Occupation (past or present)? I am a CPA by training, and my last position was Director of International Finances for Unbound,a nonprofit headquartered here in Kansas City. I have been retired for four years.
How do you like to spend your free time? I do volunteer work, and am a competitive duplicate bridge fanatic.
What is at the top of your bucket list? Maybe visiting Ireland and Scotland.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I was part of the first group of Peace Corps volunteers to go into Armenia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. I have lived, worked or traveled in 42 countries.
What’s the most interesting feature of, or story about, your house? It is an aggravating feature — the dip in my driveway. When the house was built in 1924, the garage was in the basement. Later, a freestanding garage was put in the back, and the driveway extended. It should have been filled in and leveled, but no.
What is your favorite event or memory of the neighborhood? Shortly after I moved in, the neighbors had a block party. I got to meet most of my neighbors, which was such a wonderful thing. We did another block party this past summer for our new neighbors.
What is your favorite area business/restaurant/meal/drink/service? Waldo Pizza.
Is there anything you would change about the neighborhood? It might be a good idea to revisit parking on the streets. The corner of 73rd and Washington Street is pretty dangerous because cars park so close to the corner, making it difficult to see if cars are coming down 73rd.
Trisha Pitts flanked by her daughter and grandson
The 2020 membership drive is off to a successful start! We had 200 homes renew or join the Ward Parkway Homes Association during the first month of the drive in October. Of those, a record number of residents signed up for the KCPD security patrol this early in the fiscal year. Several residents became members at Neighborhood Night Out held at The District in late September. It was the first time we offered a convenient online payment station at that event. The WPHA Board is excited about the momentum and enthusiasm shown by our neighbors. Thank you to all who have paid dues for the 2020 fiscal year so far!
We live in one of the safest neighborhoods in Kansas City, and we know that deterring property crime ranks high among our residents’ feedback about what they want to see from WPHA. That’s why we need you to join WPHA as a Platinum member, to ensure we are able to maintain the KCPD security patrol for our neighborhood. We only need 100 more homes to sign up for the KCPD security patrol to guarantee WPHA can continue to provide this valuable service for our entire neighborhood. Should we have to cancel it in the future, the WPHA would go to the bottom of the waiting list KCPD maintain of other neighborhoods that want to provide this service to their residents. The waiting list is long and we would likely wait many years to get the service back. You can ensure that doesn’t happen. You can ensure KCPD security patrol continues to be part of our vibrant neighborhood.
In addition to the KCPD security patrol benefit, there are also other benefits included in your membership:
Cindy Latimer has lived on the west side of the Ward Parkway Homes Association for eight years. Here’s how she answered our resident profile questions:
What street do you live on? Mercier Street
Do any family members or pets live with you? One cat, one dog, and rotating foster pets (currently have 3 kittens).
Occupation (past or present)? IT manager covering multiple sites across North America.
How do you like to spend your free time? Sleeping! Otherwise, I am a big live theater fan, and also can be found working on the house/yard while listening to an audiobook.
What is at the top of your bucket list? Working on it now — in classes to foster children.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I have a degree in computer science with minors in math and theater.
What’s the most interesting feature of, or story about, your house? The house has been remodeled so many times that there are about five layers of wall, and I think all the rooms have been moved throughout the years.
What is your favorite event or memory of the neighborhood? Living in a very close block of neighbors. Neighborhood progressive dinners, wine tastings, pool parties, etc.
What is your favorite area business/restaurant/meal/drink/service? Summit Grill! Great happy hour menu.
Is there anything you would change about the neighborhood? I wish the sidewalks were repaired, it can get rough and kids can’t bike/skateboard on sidewalk — which puts them in the street.
Cindy Latimer
September is the time of year when the Ward Parkway Homes Association sends out our yearly membership mailing. The mailing includes lots of important information about the coming year. This year is no exception. You should receive your mailing by mid-September. Check your mail for this important information.
While the WPHA sends the membership mailing information every year, this year we are taking a little different approach. First, we are formalizing all new and renewing membership activities into a more organized 2020 WPHA Membership Drive!
The Membership Drive kicks off with the mailing. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
The second part of the 2020 WPHA Membership Drive is our involvement in the Waldo Fall Festival on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. Members of the WPHA Board of Directors as well as volunteers will staff a booth all day. We will be there to any questions you may have about the Ward Parkway Homes Association. Stop by and say hi!
Finally, the Membership Drive culminates at our fall WPHA Neighborhood Night Out on Sunday, Sept. 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. at District. Pour House + Kitchen. As always, beverages and nibbles will be provided, along with door prizes. Watch for a flyer delivered to your door with all the details.
The WPHA hopes to continue to provide the level of interaction and community engagement requested by our residents. A survey was conducted in 2018 and we took your feedback to heart. The WPHA strives to provide the right level of family-friendly activities alongside activities for grownups only. We can’t wait to show you what we have in store for 2020!
Due to the increase of suspicious activity in our area in late August, our KCPD security patrol added a few extra shifts to offer more coverage.
The security patrol has also begun a month-long traffic enforcement effort several times a week at different locations where we have complaints. During the first day, the officer stopped seven cars and issued 10 tickets and one warning.
Also during August, a KCPD security patrol officer observed the back door ajar on a house where the resident had requested our vacation house watch service. Two officers checked the house to make sure everything was normal. Upon being contacted afterwards by the security patrol, here’s what the homeowner had to say:
“Thank you! The alarm company called me because the alarm went off when the door was opened. After the door was closed, I remotely locked it and re-secured the alarm system. I appreciate the heads up!”
Many Jackson County residents are facing dramatic increases in property tax assessments this year, including in the Ward Parkway Homes Association. Thousands of people have filed formal appeals of their assessments, and thousands more requested informal reviews.
On behalf of our residents, the Ward Parkway Homes Association sent a letter to the following local leaders on Aug. 8, 2019, expressing serious concerns about the property reassessment process.
The WPHA will share with our residents any feedback we receive.
Gaye Tillotson is a long-serving Ward Parkway Homes Association Board member and treasurer. Here’s what she has to say about her 40 years in the neighborhood:
“My husband, Terry, and I have lived on West 72nd Street since October of 1979. We fell in love with the neighborhood and the house and enjoyed raising our son in this family-oriented area. I didn’t work until he was two and then only at night so I was home with him during the day. There were lots of mothers at home on the block, so regardless of where he landed, someone was always watching. My son never lacked for a playmate and his Dad spent lots of time playing catch with all the neighborhood kids. Our neighbors were our friends.
Our home was built by Napoleon Dible (around 1940), as were lots of homes in this area. We have done all the usual projects involving “upkeep” and “improvements” externally and internally. When we moved in, we were the youngsters on the block, and now we are the oldsters. We love our home and still love the neighborhood.
My husband is now retired from the federal government and I am still working but only part time. Terry spends his time in the yard, doing projects around the house or playing golf. I love to read, paint and do handwork. We both love to watch our Royals!”
Gaye and Terry Tillotson
Over the next year, KC Water is planning to replace some deteriorating water mains that impact our neighborhood, including a transmission main along 75th Street from State Line Road to Troost Avenue and a section of 73rd Street near State Line Road. There will also be work along 73rd Street from State Line Road to Terrace Street.
The water mains will be replaced with pipes that have a larger diameter and are more durable. These infrastructure improvements will ultimately reduce service interruptions due to breaks, reduce costs, and increase capacity and fire protection.
Construction on the project will start later this month, weather permitting, and should last 12 months overall. First up is 75th Street near Wornall Road, which will be under construction through October.
Join the Waldo Area Improvements Facebook group to get the latest project updates.
Alex Gill has lived on Jefferson Street for the last five years and serves on the WPHA Membership Committee. Here’s how he answered our resident profile questions:
Why did you choose to live in this neighborhood? My wife and I were living in an apartment on the Plaza and wanted to start a family. We knew we wanted to stay within KCMO city limits, and this area of town just spoke to us!
Do any family members or pets live with you? My wife, Caroline, our 18-month-old daughter, Lily, and our dog, Trudy.
Occupation (past or present)? Both Caroline and I work at Children’s Mercy (Hospital Hill) and love it!
How do you like to spend your free time? We truly enjoy staying local….like taking Lily and Trudy on neighborhood walks and taking part in local experiences like long lines at Betty Rae’s on nice summer evenings!
What’s the most interesting feature of, or story about, your house? The previous owner of our home worked for NASA, which I think has to be pretty rare!
What is your favorite area business/restaurant/meal/drink/service? Betty Rae’s! Both Caroline and I went to Mizzou, and the owner of Betty Rae’s used to work for Sparky’s Ice Cream Shop in Columbia! So, naturally, I feel a connection. Caroline jokes with our friends that I single-handedly made sure that Betty Rae’s made it through the first month by going every single night!
What Waldo hidden gem would you recommend to neighbors and why? F3 Fitness (75th Street across from CVS). Andre is the owner/operator and is tough, but fair. He provides a quality service at a fair price. If you’re thinking about improving your personal fitness then I recommend you go talk to him.
Is there anything you would change about the neighborhood? We love the neighborhood! If I could change one thing it would be the level of involvement. I would love to see more people in the neighborhood involved in the association!
Caroline and Alex Gill
Guest post by WPHA resident Jim Anderson
The picture above from our Ring camera shows the police checking on our house while we were out of town. I always request the Ward Parkway Homes Association’s vacation house watch service every time we are gone more than just a couple days.
You can get access to this protection by becoming a member of our homes association and supporting the KCPD security patrol service. It is a wonderful thing to know your home is being watched by the “good guys.”
When I am home working in my office, I frequently look out the window and see marked or unmarked police cruisers going down our street. Our neighborhood takes security seriously enough to pay for off-duty officers to spend hours each week patroling our streets to watch for patterns and deter property crimes. A regular police presence sends would-be criminals elsewhere to prey on easier targets. I love seeing officers in our neighborhood. And I value the benefit of having them monitor my home for suspicious activity when I’m away.
The concern I have is that there are not enough paying neighbors to continue our security patrol service. I would hate for the WPHA to lose out to other neighborhoods who are on the waiting list for a security patrol service. Please review the information consider joining. Our KCPD security patrol is covered through the end of the year and can continue if we get enough paying members.
If you are a already a WPHA member, thank you so much. If you are a member but have not not opted to support the security patrol in the past, please join me and others in helping to keep our homes safe and protected.
The WPHA’s security patrol service ensures that we have a regular police presence than the understaffed Kansas City Police Department can otherwise provide in such a large city. This service, when combined with personal security cameras and watchful neighbors, helps keep property crimes in our neighborhood among the lowest in the city. And that’s the way we want to keep it!
