point of view

Monday, noon - Hospital Board of Trustees; 6pm - Planning & Zoning Commission

Tuesday, 4pm - Community Center Advisory Board; 6pm - Parks & Recreation Board; 6pm - Annexation Community Forum

Wednesday - Farmer's Market

Thursday, 10am - Housing Authority

Friday, 7:30am - Council Worksession; 4pm - Downtown Trick or Treat

Saturday, Community Center Fall Festival

Planning & Zoning Commission will hold public hearings regarding the following requests

• Rezone 932 & 934 Dunbar from R-1 to R-3 to build duplexes on each property;
• Rezone 27 acres @ 2200 Wornall Road to a planned R-1 & R-3 zoning district & submit a preliminary plat showing the proposed subdivision to accommodate the development of the property, to be known as Woodland Meadows. The proposed development seeks to construct 61 senior living townhomes in phase one & 37 single family homes in phase two;
• Rezone NE corner of Crownhill Road & US-69 from R-1 to C-2 & submit a preliminary plat for the purpose of constructing a new Masonic Lodge facility.

Parks & Recreation Board will consider financial reports, staff reports & update on Parks Foundation & Boundless BackYard

Public Forum - Annexation: Tuesday, October 28, 6-8pm, Excelsior Springs Mid-Continent Public Library, featuring an open discussion with City of Excelsior Springs officials & residents from the area proposed for annexation into ES. Perspectives from both sides can be heard before the election on November 4th. The forum is hosted by the Excelsior Citizen & The Chamber & will be livestreamed.

Farmer's Market @ VFW Parking lot, Wednesday 4-7pm. This is the last Farmer's Market for the season.

City Council items under development include recommendations from Planning & Zoning, catering bid for Meals & Visit Program, & purchase of police cars.

Downtown Trick or Treat - Bring the kids for a safe, fun & candy-filled trick or treat experience in the heart of ES. The streets come alive with costumes, laughter, & Halloween Spirit.

Celebrating work anniversaries this week - David Stalder, Building Monitor - 8 years; Preston Washburn, Utilities Foreman Assistant - 6 years.

MO Municipal League (MML) 2025 West Gate Civic Leadership Banquet was held this week in Blue Springs recognizing civic leaders nominated for this honor by their municipality as a tribute to the exceptional leadership & contributions they have made to the community. Kristen DeHart was recognized for her Civic Leadership & contributions made to the ES community. We appreciate Kristen's leadership in navigating the ever-changing healthcare environment to keep our hospital a big part of the community.

• The Golf Course is finishing their Wee Links Course, a smaller, beginner-friendly, par 3 course designed for all skill levels. The smaller course is ideal for families, junior golfers and practicing your short game. The course shares the area also designated for the range. The course was funded from donations made to the Community Foundation. We are already hearing that it is perfect for our very young golfers.
• The fence that was damaged from cars hitting the VFW needs 7 panels to be replaced. The panels were ordered shortly after the damage occurred, we expect the panels will be received soon.
• The pool pak at the community center has been exchanged. Out with the old and in with the new. Renovations to the interior are underway. This week we expect to sandblast the peeling paint from the ductwork above the pool. Next up is the tile repair & removal of window tint. With the proper settings on the pool pak, future corrosive damage to the finishes in the natortorium should be minimized.
• City & DEP are working to make application for a grant to assist downtown property owners with fascade renovations such as windows, tuckpointing, signage, etc. DEP/City architect is making the rounds to meet with property owners to confirm the scope of work.
• Volunteers are hard at work building the Singletrack. Funds were raised for the trails by the Opal Wapoo Gravel Experience. Singletrack is a narrow, off-road path for mountain bikes, typically only about as wide as the bike itself. The purpose is to provide a more immersive & challenging experience in nature, separating riders from wider roads & vehicle traffic.

I am grateful for the large amount of art in our community & the support our people give to keep it around! Love our dog park & golf course. Great places to work. Thankful for the community center & the classes! Community support. Everyone who comes to the farmers market & supports all the local vendors. Mid-Continent Public Library - amazing resource with amazing librarians & staff. I am grateful for the community center & our police & fire staff. My life...we moved here just 3 years ago, & we have never been happier than we are now. We're in our 60s & retired. We should have done this years ago. We know it isn't perfect, no place is. But it's perfect for us. We think it's a slice of heaven. Read it on FB.