The Parkville Nature Sanctuary will host its annual Ghost Stories Night on Saturday, October 28, 2017, from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary located at Highway 9 and 12^th Street. Ghost Stories Night is a family event for kids of all ages.

Hot dogs and chips will be served – adults are $7 and kids are $3. Guests can toast marshmallows and enjoy s’mores at the campfire, hike the haunted trail and listen to scary tales. Music will be provided by Mike Fraser and Tenley Hansen.

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 26 from 6-8 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 Fall 2017 Newsletter is now available on the City’s website. Check out Parkville news, events, pictures and more! To view the online version visit https://parkvillemo.gov/download/newsletters/Fall2017Newsletter.pdf.

A hard copy was be mailed to all Parkville residents and licensed businesses the week ending October 6, 2017.

The City of Parkville became the second in Platte County to adopt an ordinance to prohibit the sale of tobacco-related products to minors under the age of 21 years. The ordinance was adopted on October 2^nd and will become effective November 1^st.

The City previously adopted an ordinance prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors under the age of 18 years. As part of a regional initiative called Tobacco21|KC, dozens across the Kansas City region, led by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, have partnered with city and county governments to adopt regulations to increase the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, e-cigarettes, vapor products and related paraphernalia to 21 years. The initiative was launched in 2015 and to-date cities in the metro area, with a total population of nearly 1.5 million, have adopted the regulations.

The ordinance did not change the age for possession of tobacco products from the current state-imposed age of under 18 years old.

A principal objective of Tobacco 21|KC is that prohibiting the sale of tobacco-related products to minors under 21 will decrease exposure to the addictive properties of tobacco products. The group cites national data showing that 95% of adult smokers begin smoking before they turn 21. The ages between 18 and 21 are a critical period when many smokers move from experimental smoking to regular, daily use. By reducing exposure to tobacco products, there will be a drop in the number of long-time tobacco users which will result in improvements to health and lifespans of a greater number of people.

Mayor Johnston said, “Adoption of this ordinance will help ensure that healthy lifestyle habits are established in our youth; it has been proven that these lifestyles are carried into adulthood. I am pleased the initiative passed with unanimous support from the Board of Aldermen.”

The City will notify Parkville retailers that the sale or distribution of tobacco, alternative nicotine products and vapor products to minors under 21 years of age is prohibited starting November 1, 2017.

For more information about the Tobacco 21|KC initiative visit http://www.wearehealthykc.com/We-Are-Healthy-KC/Tobacco-Cessation.aspx.

The City of Parkville set an example at the Board of Aldermen meeting on September 19^th by receiving Hands-Only CPR from the Southern Platte Fire Protection District (SPFPD). The trainees are now ready to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) services through notifications from the PulsePoint app. Sudden cardiac arrest strikes about 350,000 people in the United States every year. When someone is in cardiac arrest, seconds count.

The life-saving PulsePoint app for smart phones provides mobile alerts to citizens trained in hands-only CPR when someone in a nearby public place suffers sudden cardiac arrest. Public safety communications centers send alerts through the app at the same time they dispatch first responders to the scene and users of the closest available automated external defibrillator (AED) so users can start CPR before an ambulance arrives.

Anyone with a smart phone can download the free PulsePoint app. Once installed users can select the agency serving the areas where they live and work to receive alerts. The app is available through three agencies that dispatch emergency medical services in all or part of six counties in the Kansas City metro, in both Kansas and Missouri. Richard Carrizzo, SPFPD Fire Chief and president of the Heart of America Fire Chiefs, said, “Combined, these areas have a population of over 1.3 million. This is the largest regional effort to simultaneously implement PulsePoint in the nation. Getting more people trained in #HandsOnlyCPR is a plus!”

The SPFPD invites businesses to schedule a 20 minute hands-only CPR training session to practice skills on manikins. There is not a certification associated with the training, but it is a skill that can enable citizens to save a life. The American Red Cross states that 27 percent of all citizens will have to provide CPR to someone. Businesses can contact Deputy Chief Ralph Nell at (816) 741-2900 or by e-mail to schedule Hands-Only CPR training at the workplace.

Employers can also schedule training for their employees through local fire or emergency medical service departments, the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association.

Mayor Johnston said “The City is proud to be part of the movement to train citizens in Hands-Only CPR. If this saves one life it will be worth it!”

For more information about the smart phone app, visit http://www.pulsepoint.org/download/. For questions about the Board’s training contact City Administrator Joe Parente at (816) 741-7676.

The City of Parkville will host the last electronics recycling and paper shredding events of 2017 at Parkville City Hall on Tuesday, October 10 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. or until the truck is full. There is no residency requirement for electronics recycling. Paper shredding is available to Parkville residents only.

The City of Parkville has partnered with the Parkville Commons and Midwest Recycling Center to collect essentially anything with a cord or battery (working or not) during electronics recycling events in the parking lot at City Hall. These events are open to anyone, not just Parkville residents – anyone can get rid of printers, cell phones, or other electronic items.

The fee structure is as follows:

• CRT Monitors – $5 each
• CRT TV’s 26 inches or less – $30 each
• CRT TV’s 27 inches or greater – $50 each
• Wood console and true big screen/projection TVs – $50 each
• LED/LCD/Plasma TV’s – $10 each
• Freon containing devices – $10 each
• All other electronic items are free

The City of Parkville also partners with the Parkville Commons and Midwest Shredding Service to provide secure document shredding. This event is being held in the parking lot at City Hall in conjunction with electronics recycling. Shredding service is free and only available to Parkville residents. Please bring proof of residency.

For more information about other recycling and waste disposal opportunities for Parkville residents call City Hall at (816) 741-7676 or visit http://parkvillemo.gov/residents/waste-disposal-opportunities/.

 

The City of Parkville is accepting sealed bids for a pre-engineered building system for storage in English Landing Park. Sealed bids will be received by the City of Parkville, Missouri, 8880 Clark Avenue, Parkville Missouri, 64152, Attn: Alysen Abel, Public Works Director until 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 17, 2017. Deliveries shall be made to Alysen Abel, Public Works Director at City Hall in a sealed envelope clearly labeled “ELP Parks Storage Building.” 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: providing and installing a pre-engineered building system including primary and secondary structural framing systems, roofing, siding, personnel doors, overhead doors, and accessories.

Bid Documents (PDF link)

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 2017 annual budget. This is the second 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 second year that the City of Parkville achieved this award. The first award was received in 2016.

City Administrator Joe Parente said that “Parkville has been working toward this goal for the past couple of years. The 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.”

Only 41 municipalities statewide received the award in 2016-17, putting Parkville among the top three percent of its peers for excellence in municipal budgeting. GFOA Technical Services Acting Director Todd Buikema states that, “Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America. Its attainment represents a significant achievement by your organization.”

The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of approximately 19,000 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. The award was formally presented at the regular Board of Aldermen meeting on September 19, 2017.

To view a copy of the Parkville’s 2017 Budget Document visit http://parkvillemo.gov/government/financialdocuments/. For more information, please contact City Administrator Joe Parente at (816) 741-7676.

The City of Parkville is pleased to announce that residents have several options to get rid of unwanted materials, yard waste, household hazardous waste and other recyclable materials this fall through events hosted by the City and in partnership with other entities.

On Saturday, October 14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the City will hold a fall cleanup event at the Damon Pursell lot at 6105 NW River Park Drive. Items collected include small limbs, leaves and grass (no plastic bags), used batteries, scrap metal, water heaters, auto parts, metal products, air conditioners without compressor, washers and dryers without motor, tires, furniture and household debris. Items not collected include paint, air conditioner compressors, washer/dryer motors and household hazardous waste (HHW) items, but residents have the opportunity to dispose of HHW items through the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) HHW program on October 28^th in Liberty.  Proof of residency is required.

On Monday, October 16 the City will provide curbside pickup of landscape waste and bulky waste. Acceptable items include anything that can be picked up and carried by one person (excluding refrigerators). Items must be placed at the curb by 7:00 a.m. Yard waste placed at the curb must be bagged and limbs must be bundled at a maximum length of four feet.

From Monday, October 16 through Friday, December 1 Parkville residents can drop off yard waste at no charge at 6105 NW River Park Drive any time Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Yard waste does not have to be bagged. Proof of residency is required.

Additional yard waste disposal is available to Parkville residents throughout the year at the Regional Brush/Yard Waste Recycle Facility in the Gladstone Public Works building located at 4000 NE 76th Street. The program is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to residential customers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Yard waste must be bagged and there is a charge per bag, truck and/or trailer. Proof of residency is required. The City of Parkville participates with Gladstone, Pleasant Valley, Liberty and Lake Waukomis to give residents the opportunity to drop off yard waste and brush year-round.

On Tuesday, October 10 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, residents may drop off electronics and paper for secure document shredding. Throughout the spring and summer, the City partners with the Parkville Commons and Midwest Recycling Center to collect essentially anything with a cord or battery (working or not) during electronics recycling events in the parking lot at City Hall. The electronic recycling events are open to anyone, not just Parkville residents – anyone can get rid of freezers, cell phones, or other electronic items for free but there is a charge to recycle some items. A list of fees is available online at http://mrcrecycling.net/recycling-fees. Secured document shredding is only available to Parkville residents and proof of residency is required.

On Saturday, October 28 from 8 a.m. until noon Parkville and Platte County residents may dispose of household hazardous waste products at a site sponsored by the MARC Solid Waste Management District. Items such as paint, automotive products, antifreeze, batteries, CFL light bulbs, fertilizers, hazardous cleaners, household cleaners, pool chemicals, used oil and thinners are collected by MARC at mobile collection events at various locations throughout the metro area. The next mobile event near Parkville will be held at the Liberty City Hall, located at the intersection of Kansas and Missouri streets. Visit http://www.recyclespot.org/ for more information.

Parkville residents may also deliver HHW accepted items on Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the year to the Household Hazardous Waste Center at 4707 Deramus Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Proof of residency is required.

Residents are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste whenever possible. The average person in the Kansas City metro still throws out about 7 pounds of waste per day. To learn more, visit RecycleSpot.org: greater Kansas City’s one-stop shop for recycling information. The website features a tool to allow visitors to search for instructions to recycle popular items based on zip code.

Visit http://parkvillemo.gov/residents/waste-disposal-opportunities/ for more information about all the waste disposal events available to Parkville residents.

The City of Parkville accepted the Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) challenge to join the Buckle Up-Phone Down movement to challenge everyone to buckle up safety belts when getting into a vehicle and putting cell phones down while driving.

The City’s personnel policy requires all employees driving a City-owned vehicle or operating equipment, driving on City business or performing similar duties to use a hands-free device in emergency situations or pull the car off the road and into a safe place before making or receiving a phone call or sending a text. The policy also requires that all City employees must wear seat belts when operating or riding in City vehicles or on City business.

MoDOT and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety have challenged Missouri businesses and private individuals to buckle up and put their cell phones down. The hope is to get private industries to openly support employee safety, either through internal safety campaigns or actually changing policy banning cellphone use in company vehicles and making safety belts mandatory. Statistics show that these two policy changes could have an impact on both incidents and highway fatalities. In 2016, 63 percent of vehicle fatalities in Missouri were because drivers and/or passengers were unbuckled.

Other agencies in Platte County that have already accepted the challenge include the cities of Platte Woods, Riverside and Platte City; the Gladstone Police Department; Platte County; Park University; and the Platte County Economic Development Council. The list continues to grow.

Mayor Nan Johnston said, “As the state of Missouri’s fatality rate continues to climb, it is important to endorse and encourage safe driving practices. Parkville fully supports the MoDOT safe driving initiative.”

Parkville is listed on MoDOT’s wall of fame among a long list of other governments, organizations and businesses. For more information about the campaign, visit http://www.modot.org/BuckleUpPhoneDown/.

The City of Parkville Police Department hosted its 2^nd Annual Back to School Program to provide school supplies, backpacks and other essentials to area Parkville children in need and to help foster positive relationships between youth and the Police. Eight children were provided with supplies to help them start off the new school year.

The idea for the Back to School Program came from the City’s “Shop with a Cop” program that began in 2010 to assist children and families in need during the Christmas season. “Shop with a Cop” grew into the Parkville Police Community Assistance Fund which continues to grow with citizen participation and increased donations annually. While the main benefactor of the fund is the “Shop with a Cop” program, the fund is used for similar assistance programs at the discretion of the Chief of Police. All of the donations received are given back to the community.

The Parkville Police Department began the Back to School Program in 2016 to help fill a need in the community for elementary school-aged children. Sergeant Laura Shadid coordinated the event for the second year in a row. Families in the Park Hill School District were interviewed and eight were chosen to receive school supplies and other essentials. The Police Department hopes that the program will help kids appreciate law enforcement while it gives back to the community it serves.

Police Chief Kevin Chrisman said, “It is always a great day when we can put smiles on the faces of children and help them start the school year in a positive way.”

For more information about the program, contact the Parkville Police Department at (816) 741-4454.