The City of Parkville is pleased to announce that it has achieved the Communities for All Ages Bronze Level Recognition. Parkville will be one of four cities that will be recognized at an event on January 17.

The City is participating in a regional initiative to make communities more age-friendly. Studies have shown that the senior population will greatly increase over the next 20 years. The initiative will help the City plan for this shift in demographics, better prepare for the future, continue serving resident’s needs and promote healthy living for residents of all ages.

The targeted topic areas that the City wishes to enhance for residents of all ages include:

• Public outdoor spaces and buildings
• Housing and commercial development
• Transportation and mobility
• Social inclusion, communication and participation
• Civic participation and employment
• Community and health services

To earn the Bronze Level Recognition, Parkville adopted Resolution No. 18-005 and became a Community for All Ages (CFAA); presented the program to the Board of Aldermen, Planning & Zoning Commission and leadership staff; created a CFAA page on the City’s website to provide statistics on demographic changes; distributed information in the 2018 and 2019 summer newsletters; and surveyed residents on current and future livability in Parkville.

A community can earn each of the three levels of recognition representing the extent of its work in becoming a Community for All Ages. The three levels are Bronze (awareness), Silver (assessment) and Gold (implementation). The City plans on continued progression through these recognitions.

The Board of Aldermen has included goals for the Community of All Ages Program in its strategic plan and have incorporated the platform in its update to the Parkville Master Plan, which will occur during 2020. Extensive public engagement will be included in this effort.

For additional information, contact Management Analyst/Community Development Assistant Shakedra Knight at (816) 741-7676.

The City permits authorized fireworks to be discharged or exploded from 9:00 p.m. on December 31st until 1:00 a.m. on January 1st.

Authorized fireworks are: Ground devices as described in RSMo., 320.106(2), containing no more than fifty (50) mg of explosive composition, and classified as Class C explosives by the United States Department of Transportation. Class C aerial devices may be sold, offered for sale, exposed for sale or possessed, but may not be used, discharged or exploded within the City limits.

Please click the following link for the full ordinance: https://ecode360.com/27899998?highlight=fireworks#27899998

Parkville City Hall will be closed on Tuesday, December 24 and Wednesday, December 25 for Christmas. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, December 26 at 8 a.m.

City Hall will also be closed on Wednesday, January 1, 2020. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at 8 a.m.

The City of Parkville will host a groundbreaking ceremony with the U.S. Corps of Engineers for the Section 1135 wetlands project in Platte Landing Park. The event will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. and the public is invited to attend.

The City partnered with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to develop a Section 1135 project in the Parkville Bottoms located in Platte Landing Park. Platte County conveyed the park to the City in 2018. The Parkville Bottoms is a cornerstone project that will significantly improve habitats for a variety of wildlife. It aligns with recommendations from the Parks Master Plan and will complement recreational features in the riverfront parks, enhance the existing trail system, restore two wetland areas and the riparian corridor along Rush Creek, and improve the aesthetic value of the parks and downtown Parkville. All the areas will be planted with native vegetation that will help protect the source area for water supply wells and add floodplain storage space along the Missouri River. The overall restoration is approximately 23 acres of emergent wetlands, 14 acres of wet mesic bottomland prairie and 4.5 acres of riparian corridor.

For more information about the event, contact Public Works Director Alysen Abel at (816) 741-7676.

Parkville City Hall will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 for Thanksgiving. Regular hours will resume Monday, December 2 at 8 a.m.

On November 8, 2019, Parkville residents were mailed a letter from the City of Parkville concerning an initiative for a petition audit of the City. The letter explained to residents that the City has prepared information for residents to provide a greater understanding of its responsible practices as they pertain to finances, transparency, accountability, economic development and compliance with laws and ethics policies. This information is provided in a Fact Sheet found on the City’s web site at parkvillemo.gov/auditpetitioninfo. Residents are encouraged to review the Fact Sheet prior to considering signing the petition. The letter also alerted residents that if the audit is performed, the city, and its taxpayers, would be responsible for the cost of the audit. If the audit is performed, the City will fully cooperate.

The City of Parkville communicates with its residents in an open and transparent manner. The letter and the Fact Sheet are part of our effort to keep our citizens informed. For more information, residents are encouraged to visit the website or contact the City Administrator or one of their elected officials.

The City of Parkville is pleased to announce that Royals Charities will donate funds to help improve the ball fields in English Landing Park following the floods that occurred this spring and summer.

As part of the Royalty Fields Program, Royals Charities and Price Chopper will donate $25,000 for ball field improvements to Grigsby Field and Ball Field #3. The money will be used for new dugouts at Field #3 and a new bullpen at Grigsby Field, along with upgrades and repairs to the current scoreboard.

In 2018 prior to the flooding, Engaged Companies, a Parkville-based company, provided $18,000 worth of improvements to Grigsby Field. The work included improvements to the infield, rebuilding the pitching mound, adding infield material and improving the transition to the outfield with new sod.

Mayor Johnston said, “We truly appreciate the support of our community to improve our ball fields after the two devastating floods this year. We are fortunate to have organizations such as the Royals Charities and Engaged Companies and thank them for their commitment to the community.”

An event is scheduled for Friday, November 8, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. at Grigsby Field. A grand opening event will be held next spring to unveil the improvements.

For more information about the donation, contact the Royals Publicity Department at (816) 921-8000.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) announced that the City of Parkville received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the City’s 2019 annual budget. This is the fourth straight year the City has received the award for its annual budget. The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting.

In order to receive the budget award, the City had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:

• a policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications device

To receive the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, a budget document must rate proficient in all four categories, as well as rate proficient in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories. This is the fourth year that the City of Parkville achieved this award. The first award was received in 2016.

City Administrator Joe Parente said that “Parkville’s budget document clearly articulates to the public how the City proposes to spend their tax dollars. It is a user-friendly document and promotes enhanced transparency in government. I am proud of the commitment of the governing body and City staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting.”

The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of approximately 20,500 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. The GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting with over 1,600 participants. The award will be formally presented at the regular Board of Aldermen meeting on November 5, 2019.

To view a copy of Parkville’s 2019 Budget Document visit http://parkvillemo.gov/government/ financialdocuments/. For more information, contact City Administrator Joe Parente at (816) 741-7676.

The Parkville Nature Sanctuary will host its annual Ghost Stories Night on Saturday, October 26, 2019, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary located at Highway 9 and 12^th Street. Ghost Stories Night is a fundraiser and family event for kids of all ages.

Hot dogs and chips will be served – all tickets are $5. Guests can toast marshmallows and enjoy s’mores at the campfire, hike the haunted trail, listen to scary tales and enjoy music provided by the Shortleaf Band.

To help prepare for the event, the Nature Sanctuary is looking for high school aged and older volunteers to help carve Jack-O-Lanterns at English Landing Park on Thursday, October 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Cookies and cider will be provided. The pumpkins carved will be used to light the kids trail during Ghost Stories.

For more information about Ghost Stories, contact Nature Sanctuary Director Joe Ryan at (816) 741-7676.

The City of Parkville recognized a local Boy Scout for his hard work in helping to enhance the Parkville Nature Sanctuary through his Eagle Scout project. Avery Doggett from Boy Scout Troop 314 was presented with a certificate of recognition from Nature Sanctuary Director Joe Ryan and Nature Sanctuary liaison Marc Sportsman at the Board of Aldermen meeting on October 15^th.

Avery completed his Eagle Scout project on August 31, 2019. He and his crew hauled and spread gravel on a portion of the White Tail Trail. The former dirt path now offers cleaner travel for nature sanctuary visitors in wet weather.

Parkville Nature Sanctuary Director Joe Ryan said, “The Parkville Nature Sanctuary is grateful for the work Avery did to improve the White Tail Trail at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. Our staff and the hikers appreciate his efforts.”

Mayor Johnston said, “The Parkville Nature Sanctuary is a 115-acre natural area with 2.8 miles of trails that is maintained almost entirely by volunteers. We thank Avery for his work in helping improve our community.”

For more information about the Eagle Scout project or to volunteer, contact Nature Sanctuary Director Joe Ryan at (816) 741-7676.