The City of Parkville was ranked the 8^th Safest City in the state of Missouri, according to the SafeWise annual report released on July 9, 2018. Parkville ranked in the top 20 safest cities with a violent crime rate of less than one per 1,000 residents based on our commitment to community safety and crime prevention.

SafeWise, a safety advocacy website, compiled their report based on FBI crime statistics and population data. Each year, cities in every state are evaluated based on the number of reported violent crimes. Property crimes are also included in the evaluation to help break a tie. The rate of crimes was calculated per 1,000 residents in each city to make it easier to compare the likelihood of the crimes occurring in cities with vastly different populations.

According to the report, Parkville had low crime rates, including 0.31 violent crimes per 1,000 residents and 15.04 property crimes per 1,000 residents. 

Nearby cities in the list of the top 20 included Pleasant Hill and Peculiar.

Mayor Johnston said, “Parkville ranked as the 8^th Safest City in Missouri because of our hard working Police Department who is committed to community safety and crime prevention. Police services are an integral part of the City’s mission to provide an exceptional quality of life to our residents and visitors.”

Kansas City artist Mike Cornelius donated an impressionist painting to the City of Parkville titled “Mackay Hall.”

“Mackay Hall” is an acrylic painting of the Park University landmark made out of seashell fragments from Dolphin Island, Alabama. It is a 16” x 20” impressionist painting that will be installed at City Hall along with other artwork that the City purchased over the years through the annual Paint Parkville event.

Artist Mike Cornelius said “I am an aspiring local artist. I donated the painting to the City because I appreciated the Mayor’s interest in art and the city’s support for the art show and the use of the train depot as an art studio. Cornelius is associated with the Cathy Kline Art Gallery which is located in the train depot in downtown Parkville. The gallery is hosting the “International Society of Acrylic Artist” art show in July and August. Cornelius met Parkville Mayor Nan Johnston at a reception for the art show on July 6^th.

Mayor Nan Johnston said “We are honored to accept this beautiful painting. Thank you Mike Cornelius for the artwork and thank you Cathy Kline for bringing our local talent together in Parkville.”

Posted below is Parkville’s fireworks ordinance.  Section A details the types of fireworks that can be discharged and Section B details the days and times fireworks are allowed to be discharged within city limits.

SECTION 215.420:     FIREWORKS

A.     No person shall within the City sell, offer for sale, expose for sale, use, possess, discharge or explode any fireworks except those described as follows:

          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 of Parkville.

B.     No person shall within the City sell, offer for sale, expose for sale, use, possess, discharge or explode any fireworks of any class except on the following dates and times.  July first (1st), second (2nd), third (3rd) and fifth (5th) between 10:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M.  On July fourth (4th) between 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 A.M.  (Midnight).  In addition, authorized fireworks may be discharged or exploded from 9:00 P.M. on December thirty-first (31st) until 1:00 A.M. on January first (1st).

C.     Subsections A and B above shall not apply to the sale or use of fireworks for pyrotechnic displays presented by any civic group which has first obtained a permit for such display from the Board of Aldermen. This permit shall be granted subject to
the granting of a permit from the State Fire Marshall.

D.     No person shall possess, discharge or explode any kind of fireworks on all city-owned and managed property, unless specific permission has been granted by the Board of Aldermen or its designee.

E.     No person shall within the City sell, offer for sale, expose for sale any fireworks without first obtaining a business license as governed by Chapter 605 of this Code.

The City of Parkville proclaimed June 19, 2018, as “Stanley the Bulldog Day in Parkville” in honor of Stanley, an English bulldog born with several physical challenges whose mission is to help kids learn about acceptance and stop bullying. Mayor Nan Johnston presented the proclamation to Stanley and his family at the Board of Aldermen meeting on June 19^th.

Stanley was born with a cleft lip, a curved spine and deformities in his back legs. He uses his challenges to bring awareness and to help children born with clefts in the different countries receive surgery for free. The main goal is to teach children about acceptance of differences in hopes to stop bullying and suicide among youth and teens. Stanley also reaches out to the homeless, the elderly, the disabled, and the veterans to bring hope as he shows that everyone has a purpose.

Stanley has made hundreds of public appearances, partnering with many organizations helping promote awareness and bringing hope to their causes.

Mayor Johnston said, “We are honored to recognize Stanley and his family in their efforts to promote tolerance and understanding to children and others, teaching us to embrace our differences, not reject them, and to see imperfection with eyes of acceptance.”

Left to right: Kain Kneib, Megan Keating, Aedan Keating, Addi Keating, Deborah Pack, Mayor Nan Johnston, Ronald Pack and Stanley

Left to right: Mayor Nan Johnston, Stanley and Ronald Pack 

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. Daniel Cowley from Boy Scout Troop 1495 was presented with a certificate of recognition from Nature Sanctuary Director Joe Ryan and Mayor Nan Johnston at the Board of Aldermen meeting on June 19^th.

Following the lead of Project Monarch Watch, headquartered at the University of Kansas, Daniel Cowley completed his Eagle Scout project by establishing a Monarch Waystation at the northern end of the Bluebird Trail. The waystation is a key component of the Monarch Watch Program.

The Monarch Waystation addresses the issue of declining numbers in Monarch butterflies from the loss of habitats. It provides butterfly nectar sources and milkweeds for a food source for the emerging caterpillars. Dozens of native milkweed plants were planted in small groups in a two to three acre section of the sanctuary. In addition, seeds of nectar-producing flowers were incorporated into the planting areas. Daniel followed up planting with weeks of watering to monitor and establish each small area.

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 Daniel for his work in helping improve our community and look forward to seeing the results of the Monarch Waystation and the benefits to the Nature Sanctuary.”

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

 

The City of Parkville, 8880 Clark Avenue, Parkville MO 64152 Attn: Alysen Abel, Public Works Director, is accepting proposals until 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, 2018 for the preparation of a real property appraisal report to determine the fair market value of Platte Landing Park for the City to use when requesting LEERD (Land, Easements, Right-Of-Way, Relocation, and Disposal Areas) crediting. Proposals must include the organization’s name and contact person, a copy of the organization’s liability insurance certificate, proposed fee structure, dates and times fields will be used, and any proposed maintenance or improvements to be provided by the organization.

Request for Proposals (PDF link)

Sealed bids will be accepted by the City of Parkville, Missouri, 8880 Clark Avenue, Parkville Missouri, 64152, Attn: Alysen Abel, Public Works Director until 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 11, 2018. Deliveries shall be made to the reception desk at City Hall in a sealed envelope labeled “ON-CALL TREE TRIMMING & REMOVAL SERVICES”. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at approximately 10:05 a.m. in the Public Works Conference Room of City Hall. The work generally includes pruning tree limbs and branches and complete tree and/or stump removal on an emergency and/or non-emergency basis.

Bid Documents (PDF link)

With assistance from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) through its Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant program, the City of Parkville completed its plan to remove several dead, dying, broken and/or diseased Silver Maple trees and a large ash tree in English Landing Park. The City also planted 12 new flood tolerant trees around the playground to compensate for the trimming and removal of several of the major trees in the park.

To make the project possible, the City was awarded a $6,101 TRIM grant from the MDC. Parkville was one of 35 communities to receive a grant in 2017. With these grant funds, the City is able to provide a clean and safe park and yield the growth of new young trees that will establish a shady resting area, improve air quality and above all continue to provide beauty and comfort in the parks.

The TRIM grant program is a competitive cost-share tree care program administered by the MDC and the Missouri Community Forest Council. The program provides assistance for government agencies, public schools and non-profit groups with the management, improvement or conservation of trees on public lands. Projects eligible for TRIM grants include tree inventory and hazardous tree removal or pruning.

Mayor Nan Johnston said, “Because City staff continues to pursue grants, we are able to maintain the health of our tree stock as a top priority in our more than 200 acres of parks and over 100 acres of nature sanctuaries. We appreciate the assistance provided by the TRIM Program through the Missouri Department of Conservation.”

Parkville, designated as Tree City USA again in 2018 for the 28^th consecutive year, was awarded the TRIM grant last fall and greatly appreciates the support of the MDC who helped significantly offset project costs to make this plan possible.

The City of Parkville is pleased to announce that the partnership with Park University is growing. The University has teamed up with the City to use the sand volleyball courts in English Landing Park as their home court for their new collegiate beach volleyball team, beginning in early 2019.

Earlier this year, Park University Volleyball Coach Mike Talamantes approached the City about entering into a maintenance and use agreement for the three sand volleyball courts located in English Landing Park. As part of the agreement, the University will update the courts in exchange for use of the courts for practice and intercollegiate competition. The courts will be improved to certified beach volleyball standards, including replacing and increasing the depth of the sand, new poles and net systems and installing court volleyball lines. 

The beach volleyball season runs from January to May. The public may use the courts during times not reserved by Park University. The agreement will provide Park University with access to an improved beach volleyball facility in the picturesque English Landing Park, which sits on the Missouri River. The partnership will help the City with maintenance of the sand volleyball courts and the public will have access to official college beach volleyball courts for recreational play.  

The City hopes that the sport will bring more patrons to English Landing Park and downtown Parkville. Mayor Johnston said, “The City is looking forward to expanding our partnership with Park University through their new beach volleyball program. We are happy our parks provide a place where the university can play its new sport while helping us improve our parks.”

The University plans to start improvements this fall. They will be completed before the 2019 season.

For more information, contact Assistant to the City Administrator Anna Mitchell at (816) 741-7676.

The City of Parkville is pleased to announce that the Riss Lake Community Association recently adopted a 1.165 mile section of Highway 45 through the Missouri Adopt-A-Highway program. They join the more than 5,200 groups and 50,000 volunteers who focus on making Missouri’s roadways cleaner and more attractive.

Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman started the process following the association’s annual meeting. He communicated with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to set up initial conversations with the Riss Lake Community Association. An application was submitted to and approved by MoDOT for the association to adopt the section of Highway 45 from Klamm Road on the east to Route 9 on the west. The team’s lead for the volunteers is Cem Yildirim. The developer of Riss Lake is Don Julian.

The Missouri Adopt-A-Highway program began in 1987. More than 385,000 acres of right-of-way along 33,700 state highway miles are maintained by MoDOT. Adopters can pick up litter, mow, beautify the roadside through landscaping or grow native wildflowers and grasses along the roadside. The Riss Lake Community Association plans to pick up litter in their adopted section. As required in the agreement, one of the cleanups will be during the No MOre Trash! Bash in April.

Signs will be posted with the association’s name at each end of the adopted section. MoDOT will provide trash bags and will pick up and dispose of the bags of collected litter.

Volunteer cleanup work began on Saturday, May 5^th with a small group of Riss Lake residents who helped start the cleanup process. Residents included Judy and Randy Timmerman; Amy and Kent Barr; Frances Duffy; and NevAda, Banu and Cem Yildirim. The group will continue to meet and help keep the section of Highway 45 clean throughout the year.

Mayor Johnston said “Thank you to the Timmerman’s, Barr’s, Frances Duffy and the Yildirim’s. Their hard work helps make Parkville a more beautiful place to live, work and play. Volunteers are what make a good community great!”