Kansas City Needs a Philanthropist Savior Just Now

I've been thinking of this for the last week since I heard this report.

Pandemic prompts Nelson-Atkins Museum layoffs

From the article.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art plans to lay off 36 employees because of fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The museum announced the layoffs in a Wednesday news release. It also said it planned to cut its budget by 25% to about $26 million, KCUR reports.

“Today’s decision comes after analyzing, trying to fundraise,” CEO and Director Julián Zugazagoitia told KCUR, “and also seeing that this pandemic is going to be lasting for many, many months to come.”

So that, last week, led to this, now.

Kansas City Curator Who Built The Nelson-Atkins' World-Class Photography Collection Resigns In Protest

In 2005, Keith Davis brought the Hallmark Photographic Collection to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and founded the museum's photography department. Now, he's leaving after another curator lost her job.

Last month, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art announced it was cutting its budget by 25 percent and laying off 36 staffers to cope with financial challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It does cut across all (of) the museum," said CEO and director Julián Zugazagoitia at the time, and suggested that "recalibrating and restructuring" was ahead.

National arts writer Tyler Green reported on Wednesday that the departures include two of three curators in the museum's photography department. These curators oversaw the internationally recognized Hallmark Photographic Collection with works from 1839 to the present.

According to Green, an author, critic and host of The Modern Art Notes Podcast, senior curator Keith Davis resigned in protest of the termination of curator Jane L. Aspinwall.

So this is where it made me think that we need one of our local, very wealthy philanthropist families, or someone, anyone, to come up with--who knows how much? a million?--or whatever and make yet another donation to the Nelson-Atkins so they can stay afloat. Not only stay afloat but keep it's national standing and it's fantastic exhibits all going.

Blochs? Kempers?  Halls? Someone? Anyone?  Maybe get together and make a donation together? Please?

Because we'll beg.

Honestly we will.

This Downtown Ballpark Idea Needs to Die

How many times is the Kansas City Star going to float this absurd, outrageously expensive, completely unnecessary idea that we need to somehow vacate our perfectly good, very usable ballpark for the Kansas City Royals and build a new one in the middle of our downtown?

For the love of God.

Let me quickly get to all the reasons is beyond not a good idea but a patently, thoroughly bad one.

--It would be outrageously expensive. It would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to do. Hundreds of millions.

--We already, obviously, have a very good, very state of the art, already-functioning ballpark, thanks very much.

--The parking for the new stadium, God forbid, downtown would be ridiculously difficult in and of itself.

--It would further complicate parking downtown.

--We just got finished, not that many years ago, paying for a renovation of the present ballpark to the tune of 250 million dollars. I don't even know if that is yet paid off. Paid or no, we just did this.

--Kansas City taxes are already high.

Kansas City sales tax tops in the nation

The Tax Burden in Kansas City Is High

Even the Star rightly recognizes how high our taxes already are--

Kansas City's tax burden is higher than its residents know

On the following list, we are the city with the 9th highest taxes of any other in the nation.

10 Cities That Pay Some of the Highest Taxes in America

We penalize everyone.

Kansas City serves up nation’s 12th-highest taxes on diners

Heck, taxes are high if you even just visit here. We even penalize visitors.

Travelers to Kansas City pay 

some of nation’s highest taxes

--As bad as parking already is downtown, again, a new, downtown ballpark would sit empty most of the year.

--Downtown already works. What, exactly, at this high a price, are we fixing here or trying to fix?

--We would WALK AWAY from a totally, completely functioning, attractive, successful baseball stadium now. 

You would think every Right Winger, Republican and Libertarian, all, at least, would be screaming bloody murder about this. More taxes, in whatever form we call them? To build another baseball stadium? When we have a good one lots of us love already? That's easy to access? That's easy to park at? That's easy to exit from and get home? Seriously?

And then, get this. Dave Helling down at the Star pointed out this week in our local paper that the old bi-state tax still exists, at least on paper. It's still available. Not only could we pay for a new baseball stadium WE DON'T NEED, downtown, where it would be difficult to get to, difficult to park at, then difficult to leave, WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE A FANTASTIC MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STADIUM, but---get this--WE COULD GET JOHNSON COUNTIANS AND KANSANS TO HELP US PAY FOR IT!!

YES!!

By all means, LET'S BUILD A NEW, UNNECESSARY, VERY EXPENSIVE NEW BALLPARK DOWNTOWN THAT SOLVES NOT ONE PROBLEM WE HAVE NOW!!

SURE!!

LET'S!!

Or...

maybe not.

Please. For the love of God, common sense and all that is good.

It's difficult we have to even say this.

These people that want a new ballpark downtown---

Do you suppose they haven't driven down Wornall lately? Heck, Ward Parkway? 63rd Street.

Could we please, please be fiscally and yes, environmentally responsible and not further even explore this bonehead idea?

Please, Kansas City Star?

I mean, we know you need readers but get out and report on fascinating, accomplished, accomplishing area citizens.

Let this absurd idea die.

This is beautiful. It works. Leave it alone.

Kansas' Governor Brownback Finally Gets At Least One Thing Right

I can't think of one thing--not one--Kansas Governor Sam Brownback or his Republican cohorts have gotten right in that state in the last several years.

They infamously pulled the tired, old, failed "trickle down economics" wherein taxes for the wealthy and corporations are slashed so "jobs will be created."

Brownback cuts higher ed funding

Kansas slashes annual tax revenue 

estimate $159 million

Governor Sam Brownback's tax reforms 

cast as 'failure'

Only it never took place, as we warned, as we predicted and as is now shown by the states drained coffers. The same Republicans are taking money from children and schools and school budgets and the states pensioners, all because they went down this ignorant road.

I was sure the Guv could not and would not get anything right.

Fortunately for Kansans and now, even Missourians, he finally, finally got and did something good:

Brownback proposes truce in development border war

A bit from the article:

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback made a proposal Thursday to end the economic development border war with Missouri.

Brownback’s plan calls for both states to agree not to actively recruit companies in Wyandotte, Johnson, Leavenworth and Douglas counties in Kansas and Jackson, Clay, Platte, Cass and Ray counties in Missouri.

And thank goodness. This should have taken place years ago. It slashes budgets from schools and all kinds of very necessary government programs. It puts more burden for taxation on the middle and lower and working classes. And finally, it puts the companies in a kind of "catbird seat" where all they have to do is threaten to go across the state line. Then these cities and counties, as well as the state, throw themselves at their mercy and give up money they desperately need just to function.

Hopefully this goes through this time. A year and two ago, Missouri offered this but Kansas didn't take them up on it. Hopefully Missouri will now wisely reach out to this olive branch, of sorts, and stop giving away needed tax money.

Cross your fingers.

Canada's Tar Sands Oil vs. Clean Energy

A solar energy company from California is to be hiring 600 people for 600 jobs in Kansas City.

Sungevity shines on with office build, hiring spree

600 jobs.

Meanwhile, a Canadian tar sands oil company---TransCanada---would be bringing between 35 to 50 total permanent jobs TO THE ENTIRE NATION, if only we'll let them build a pipeline THAT WILL INEVITABLY LEAK AND SPILL THEIR TOXIC TAR SANDS OIL just so they can get this stuff to the Gulf coast so they can get it out to world markets.

And with the solar, "green", sustainable energy, there will never be any inevitable oil spill and environmental nightmare like we can count on with the Keystone XL pipeline.

So tell me how tar sands oil from Canada, for a foreign oil company, crossing our nation and our farmlands and aquifers and lakes and creeks and rivers and streams, threatening all those, so it can go out to world markets from the Gulf, is somehow a good idea and a jobs maker.

How does that make sense?

To anyone?

The outrage that is one new airport terminal

Well, here it is.

The airport authority finally made something of their behind-the-scenes plans public today, as most of us know:

Needed: About $1.2 billion for a one-terminal KCI Airport

Besides the fact that I'm patently, strongly, nearly vehemently against this whole debacle boondoggle ripoff plan, here are a few notes:

First--it's going to cost us--you and I, the people of Kansas City and region who use this thing--$1,200,000,000.

That's 1.2 billion dollars.

Sure, we already have an international airport and we like it fine and it works and everything, in fact, it's very convenient, but no, the Kansas City Airport Authority has a jones for a new airport, a new group of buildings.

And do you know why?

They want to walk away from our existing airport because THE AIRLINES DON'T LIKE THE EXISTING LAYOUT.

With three different terminals, there is the requirement for far more security personnel and checkpoints. They want to cut their costs. This way, if they get a new single terminal airport, they cut their costs. Of course it's easy for the airlines to request--if not demand--this new terminal because hey, you and I, THE PEOPLE END UP PAYING FOR IT. Not the airlines.

Second note--Check this out from the official release today:

"Going forward, the three terminals at KCI do not make sense financially or environmentally..."

Can you believe they would have the chutzpah to say it doesn't make sense environmentally to keep the existing airport?

How do you walk away from an entire airport and all it's main buildings, all the requisite sewage and electrical and all other lines, everything, including the tower and its building and then all the additonal, supporting buildings and structures and construction, including the parking facilities, car rental companies, everything, only to build all new and say that's good environmentally?

In what bizarro, parallel universe does that hold true?

Third note--the Airport Authority claims a new terminal will be "Economic Development and Jobs Catalyst" because "Construction of a new terminal at the airport will be the LARGEST construction project in Kansas City and will create 1,800 new construction jobs."

Seriously, they claim that.

Could we stop this, please? Could we stop with the nonsensical thinking that just because some short-term construction project (like the Keystone XL oil pipeline, for instance) will very temporarily create some construction jobs for a little window of time, that it's a great idea to go forward with a big, honestly stupid, destructive construction project? Please?

Here's something that would create a lot of construction jobs--How about we KEEP THE CURRENT, ALREADY-BUILT KCI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, MAKE TERMINAL B THE ENTRANCEWAY FOR SECURITY AND THEN CREATE RAMPS OUT TO, AGAIN, EXISTING TERMINALS A AND C WHERE WE WOULD BOARD OUR PLANES?

Problems solved.

There's your solution, folks. This way, we have the one-entrance we need for security, we create our oh-so-important, if temporary construction jobs and we DON'T THROW AWAY AN ENTIRE AIRPORT AND ALL THE RELATED BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION ALREADY EXISTING, AS WELL AS CREATING A HUGE, MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR, NEW COST THE PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY?

More empty points the Authority claims today, with their paper:

We'd get "The single terminal will attract more and better dining and retail amenities..."

Who's zooming who here? A) People aren't going to go out to the airport just because we built a new 1.2 billion dollar facility and B) again, more importantly, why couldn't those "more and better dining and retail amenities" not be added to the existing structures?

Answer: they can and should be. There's no reason the Airport Authority can't market the existing facilities for these "more and better dining facilities and amenities now, as is. Heads up: they'd have to work.

They also promise "More and Better Parking" with today's announcement.

Uh, hello? Why?

If we need, in fact, "more and better parking", why wouldn't it already be set to be created around and near the existing facility? It makes no sense at all to start all over again, at a virtual "ground zero", building "more and better parking" at some new facility, miles away. Can you imagine the huge waste of the existing facilities, were this to take place? It's already there, Airport Authority. If we need it, the market will surely already build it. It will come. And it will come as is just as surely, if not more so, as if we start all over again.

The next one is just a sheer, bold-face lie:

Increased Travel Options

The new terminal will include common use gates and open possibilities for additional domestic, international and direct flights that KCI currently can’t accommodate.

Right.

How is that? This isn't just a matter of being skeptical or even cynical. Again, if there are markets needed for "additional domestic, international and direct flights," they will most surely be added. How is it, exactly, Airport Authority, that "KCI currently can't accomodate" these flights? It isn't for lack of space because that's surely up there right now. I call nonsense.

Next up, the Authority says we should spend this 1.2 billion dollars on a new facility--and again, walk away from the existing structures--because of the "Innovation" it will bring.

You want to talk "innovation"? Go to the existing KCI Airport, with its beautiful buildings that we already like so much and that are so convenient, thank you very much, and retrofit them with these walkways, as I mentioned above, and then do very "green", environmentally wise and intelligent, cutting edge technology for the energy, electricity, heating and cooling, everything. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, would be "innovative." And you also wouldn't throw away untold millions and billions of dollars worth of facilities that are already there, existing.

Which brings us to the next big, bogus claim by the Authority. They say a new KCI would be wise environmentally.

This is the one that really makes my blood boil. Well, along with the fact that they're basically sticking the huge price tag on the people, for the airlines benefit.

HOW IN HELL DO YOU WALK AWAY FROM AN EXISTING, FUNCTIONING, VERY EFFICIENT AND APPRECIATED AIRPORT, PROPOSE TO BUILD A NEW ONE, BASICALLY THROWING AWAY THAT FACILITY AND ALL THE ONES NEARBY, SUPPORTING IT, BUILD A NEW ONE AND CALL THAT WISE, ENVIRONMENTALLY?

Answer? You can't. Not in this universe. Not anyone who's connected to this reality. That is insane. Insane and a lie.

Here again, they're saying the new airport would be "built to LEED standards."

Great.

You know those 1,000 construction jobs they promised us with the new airport they jones for?

Here's your 1,000 construction jobs: Again, retrofit the existing terminal so it's LEED certified. Make the existing facility that much more efficient. THAT makes sense. Huge win, all around.

Then, they save the biggest lie for last. The last reason they give as reason to build a new KCI and walk away from all the existing buildings is...

Wait for it...

Cost Savings

The new terminal will save money.

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is chutzpah of the highest order.

They're saying that building a new, 1.2 billion dollar airport--when we already have one, mind you--and walking away from the existing airport and all its surrounding, auxilary facilities and buildings, is going to cost less than working with the existing facility.

Once again, in what weird, twisted, exotic, bizarro universe is that possible?

Imagine this--you have a beautiful home. (Maybe you already do). You like it and it works well but you want to make improvements. And I don't care if you're a billionaire (we're not), how is it you could walk away from your existing home, build a brand new one and "save money"? Where is that possible? On what planet or in what dimension of existence is that so? I'm not aware of it.

Oh, yeah, these people just got me started. I've covered a bit of the insanity here, now, today but rest assured, I'm going to keep on this.

This is insane.

With thanks to Tony at Tony's Kansas City Blog, check out this link to reporter Mike Mahoney, trying to speak to new airport supporter and City Councilman Russ Johnson:

http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/KMBC-s-Micheal-Mahoney-goes-after-answers-on-KCI-Airport-study/-/11664182/19623654/-/rewfhw/-/index.html

This is irresponsible to the point of stupid.

Parts of it are boldface lies.

It's extremely wasteful and it's an environmental, ecological nightmare, too, looking to happen.

We need to make sure that this doesn't go forward.

I remember, years ago, when a law firm wanted to buy a beautiful old apartment building on the Plaza. They wanted to raze it and build their own new headquarters.

Not only that, they wanted TIF money, mind you, ON THE PLAZA, no less, to do it. They wanted you and I to foot a significant part of that bill to do it.

That was crazy and selfish and expensive and stupid, too.

But the people stood up, raised heck and said no and it didn't happen.

That's what we need to happen here, on this, now.

Let's get busy, people.

It's hugely expensive, it's environmentally irresponsible, it's wasteful, it's unnecessary and there is no good reason--not one--to do this. it would cost us, the people, in many ways. We shouldn't let this go forward. We must stop this.

Contact your City Council member now:

http://www.kcmo.org/CKCMO/CityOfficials/CityCouncilOffice/index.htm

Make it clear we--you--don't want this.

Thank you, in advance.

Links:   http://fox4kc.com/2013/04/04/needed-about-2-billion-for-a-one-terminal-kci-airport/

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2013/04/04/kci-single-terminal-plan-passes.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_kansascity+%28Kansas+City+Business+Journal%29  

http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_news/city-leaders-in-kansas-city-mo-to-discuss-single-terminal-plan-for-kci-airport    

http://www.kctv5.com/story/21882383/building-new-kci-airport-moves-closer-to-reality

The Interwebs fighting over Kansas City

It seems both Kansas Cities made it into The Wall Street Journal today:

Web Rivals Want What Google Got

To entice Google Inc. to build its ultra-high-speed fiber network there, Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., offered the Internet company sweeteners including several free or discounted city services. Now, Time Warner Cable Inc. and AT&T Inc., the incumbent Internet and TV providers in town, are angling to get the same deal.

Among the sweeteners granted Google by both cities are free office space and free power for Google's equipment, according to the agreement on file with the cities. The company also gets the use of all the cities' 'assets and infrastructure'—including fiber, buildings, land and computer tools..."

Who knew?

Maybe this was in The Star at some point--who gets and reads all those papers? (Well, except maybe aged barbers in town or elderly citizens).

I had no idea the city gave them all that access.

Seems like a good idea, too, for once.

Both sides--the respective city and Google--benefit. And now we benefit even more, too, what with all the computer companies like Time Warner Cable and AT&T fighting over us. How great. Yet more benefits.

Kansas City--both sides of the state line--wins. Right here in good, old "flyover" country.

So, enjoy, Kansas City. It won't last long but for a while, we're top of the technology heap.

I be lovin' me some good, old-fashioned competition right about now.

Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443862604578030671101065746.html

KC on Budget Travel Magazine's "Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2012"

Yes, we are. It seems the zeitgeist right now, mostly due to our new Kauffman Center for the Arts, is all about getting to Kansas City. What the magazine has to say: "Thanks to arts-centric developments both large-scale and grassroots, this Midwestern city is fast becoming a hotbed of high culture. In September, the $326 million Moshe Safdie–designed Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened to host the Kansas City Ballet, the Lyric Opera, and the Kansas City Symphony, along with one-off performances of all stripes. The center's arrival has only helped to bolster the already-vibrant Crossroads Arts District—a funky enclave of 70-plus galleries in renovated warehouses, interspersed with boutiques and restaurants—that surrounds it. Thankfully, Kansas City's prices haven't caught up to its highbrow reputation. Both hotels and rental cars are cheaper than they were in 2010, with rooms going for about $137 per night (a 3 percent drop) and cars averaging $55 per day." We couldn't agree more. (Except actually, didn't the Kauffman Center cost $413m?) Link: http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/top-budget-travel-destinations-for-2012,8005/?page=4

Sheraton Hotels does what the Hyatt wouldn't--but still should

Here's some good news to brighten your holiday season. Maybe you've seen it already: Sheraton, Starwood will donate to Hyatt skywalk memorial (link below). With them coming to town, they saw the wisdom in making a contribution. Does this get the Hyatt "off the hook"? Certainly not. They still owe and they will always owe the 114 persons who lost their lives that day, all the wounded, and all the families and friends of those people, as well as the city of Kansas City to make a contribution to this memorial. And frankly, it should be a considerable one, at that. Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/12/13/sheraton-starwood-donate-hyatt-skywalk.html

AMC's offices: more corporate blackmail

Right, so here we go again, some more. AMC Theaters is moving its offices, as we know now, to Leawood. Yeehaw. And who can blame them? Kansas offered them in the range of 40 million dollars to bring their jobs over the state line. This wasn't so much blackmail, as nearly as I can tell, as it was Kansas throwing money at a company. They're broke, Kansas is, as most states are, and slashing school budgets and all kinds of agencies but they came up with $40 million for this. I ask again, when are we going to stop playing suckers to corporations so they can milk us for tax breaks? Apparently never. We're just not very bright. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is just this weekend, opening, of course, and AMC is moving out soon. I'm sure AMC tried to keep the offices downtown, as they said and I understand it's got to be tough, at least, to turn away $40 million in tax incentives but as I've said before, we have to stop letting these companies keep exploiting us, just so they can get ever-better tax deals. We'll keep shifting companies back and forth across the state line and then around the various cities in the area. It's stupid. Link to original post: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/09/14/amc-entertainment-will-move-hq-to-ks.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_kansascity+%28Kansas+City+Business+Journal%29

A KC "Convention Hotel"?

Oh, please.

I mean, even I want a brand new C-Class Mercedes Benz sedan, just like some here in KCMO want a convention hotel in downtown KC that would add 1000 rooms to the city so we could hold larger conventions but we just have way too many things going against us right now.

First, we simply don't have the money.  In spite of what the outgoing mayor said or says, we are not in some great financial situation where we can pull money out and help pay for the thing.

Second, check this out from The Kansas City Business Journal:

Fitch downgrades KC bond rating because of threat to earnings tax

Kansas City Business Journal
Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The specter of Kansas City losing its earnings tax revenue caused a major ratings agency to downgrade its score on the city’s general obligation bonds.

Fitch Ratings assigned a AA rating Kansas City’s general obligation bonds, down from the previous AA+ score.

Fitch’s report on Tuesday attributed its downgrade to the unstable future of 1 percent Kansas City’s earnings tax, which provides about $200 million a year in revenue.

“The downgrade reflects the greater inherent risks to the city’s financial performance and overall vitality created by the new initiative requiring voter approval of the continuation of the city’s principal revenue source every five years,” the Fitch Ratings report said.

The downgrade could make the cost of issuing and financing bonds more expensive.

So we don't have the money and we don't, likely, have the credit or credit rating to do it, either.

Added to this situation is that this is the worst economy in literally 80 years, since the Great Depression of the 30's and you just don't have the scenario to make a large convention hotel in downtown KCMO happen right now.  Maybe in years to come.  Maybe.  If the economy locally, state-wide and nationally comes back but no one foresees that happening anytime too soon.

As a few people wrote over on the TKC blog, this should put an end to the whole erasure of the e-tax but the way voters are and the way this issue is, who can say what will happen come election day?  

One thing is certain--election day is going to be fascinating if for no other reason than the vote on the e-tax.  Let's hope it's "good fascinating" and not "depressing fascinating."

Link to original story:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/02/22/fitch-downgrades-kc-bond-rating.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+bizj_kansascity+(Kansas+City+Business+Journal)

So you wanted to build an aquarium in Mission, Kansas, eh?

I was just on Facebook (yeah, so what?) and a "friend" out there (actually the photographer Roy Inman) just made an excellent point about the announcement that Crown Center and Crown Center Development had just inked a deal to put in a $15 million aquarium in that same Crown Center location.

Anybody rememeber the aquarium that is supposed to be going into the old Mission Mall location, once it's developed?

How would you like to be the ones behind that development now?

I can tell you I wouldn't want my money in it, that's for sure.

How does this seemingly much smaller Mission, Kansas location compete when going up against Crown Center, Union Station and all that is there and downtown?

Sure, I guess people could and would just come in from Kansas and stop right there but can this city really support two thriving, successful aquariums? 

I'd say it's doubtful, at best.

The downtown plan, I'd say, just shot a huge hole in the old Mission Mall's plans.

And check this out: 

The announcements come two weeks after Kansas officials approved extending a deadline the developer must meet to retain $63 million in sales tax revenue bonds for the project, which will be anchored by a 75,000-square-foot aquarium and include 140 market-rate apartments, an eight-screen movie theater and a boutique hotel.

So it brings up a very good question.  That is, since there's state tax money being used for the Mission development, shouldn't all those crusty, Conservative, Republican Kansans be cheering for the KCMO downtown plan, since it doesn't use any government tax money?

Or so one might think, anyway, eh?

Links:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/12/03/mission-gateway-developer-prepares-to.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/02/09/halls-crown-center-will-get-15m.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_kansascity+%28Kansas+City+Business+Journal%29
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-crown-center-diving-into-aquarium-project-20110210,0,1141757.story

An aquarium coming downtown to Crown Center

What terrific news!

Crown Center is going to get an aquarium:

Halls Crown Center will get $15M aquarium by Merlin Entertainments Group


Kansas City Business Journal - by Krista Klaus , Staff Writer

Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Merlin Entertainments Group has announced plans to open a $15 million freshwater and saltwater aquarium at Crown Center in 2012.

The company, based in the United Kingdom, will build a 100,000-square-foot aquarium at the Kansas City retail center. The Sea Life Kansas City at Crown Center aquarium will take up the first floor of the existing Halls retail store and half of the store’s second floor to accommodate the attraction’s two-story height.

Halls will reduce its footprint at Crown Center by roughly half to make way for the aquarium, which will feature marine life indigenous to the Midwest as well as the ocean.

Crown Center and Merlin plan to break ground on the project May 1. The aquarium will add as many as 50 jobs to the area when completed.

Merlin and Crown Center Redevelopment Corp. will share the cost of the project; no public money will be sought.

This is such a smart move in so many ways for Crown Center, it's hard to cover them all.

Additionally, it's a terrific move for Kansas City, in general, but for downtown, more specifically, too.  Between this addition and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, these will be huge boosts for the city and region.   It adds jobs, it adds to the attractions to the area, it gives another reason to go--or even stay--downtown.  It strengthens the city in a lots of different ways.

And the added bonus is that the Halls and Halls Crown Center didn't go "hat in hand" to the city to beg for money to make it happen.  More great evidence of what a class act the entire organization is.

Link:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/02/09/halls-crown-center-will-get-15m.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_kansascity+%28Kansas+City+Business+Journal%29

Kansas City in top 10 for jobs

One reason, at least, to be glad you're here and not in Los Angeles or most anywhere in Florida, palm trees or no:

Monster.com: Kansas City ranks among hottest U.S. job markets

Kansas City Business Journal
Date: Friday, January 21, 2011, 8:15am CST.

Job-matching website Monster.com ranks Kansas City among the 10 hottest markets for job seekers in 2011.

Kansas City was No. 10 on the Monster.com list, which was led by a top three of Washington, San Francisco and Boston. The rankings are based on the relative abundance of job openings for each city’s local work force, or available jobs per job seeker, the company said in a release.

It may not feel like it, but we're "kicking butt and taking names", employment-wise, at least compared to much of the rest of the country.

Have a great weekend, y'all.
Link to original post:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/01/21/monstercom-kansas-city-ranks-among.html
Other, associated links:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/01/27/abaxis-will-set-up-testing-lab-for.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2011/01/05/exergonix-picks-lees-summit-for-90m.html

Sage advice from a heretofore political partisan

 Parting words from Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond, this past week, as he departs the Senate:
“If my colleagues will permit a little parting advice from an old bull: Work together; play nice,” Bond said. “In a world today where enemies are real — the kind who seek to destroy others because of their religion — it is important to remember there is a lot of real estate between a political opponent and a true enemy.”

Truer words haven't been spoken.

Now if we could all live up to them.


Have a great weekend, y'all.

Link:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/12/14/bonds-farewell-speech-play-nice.html?ed=2010-12-14&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

What's that saying? "Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while"?

Well, whaddya' know?  Not only do I think I agree with Mayor Mark Funkhouser but I think he's dead right for both Missouri and Kansas on this one.  And I have a 3rd source to back it up.

Here's the Funk's position:

Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser is launching more criticism at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, this time for its support of a Kansas development program.

Funkhouser said the chamber’s stated support of Kansas’ Promoting Employment Across Kansas (PEAK) incentive program in its 2011 public policy agenda is detrimental to the interests of Kansas City, Mo., and further inflames the job battle between Kansas and Missouri.

That’s a battle he said is fueled by the liberal use of tax incentives to the long-term damage of both states.

“This is a program that is absolutely raiding jobs from Kansas City to no benefit to the region,” Funkhouser said Wednesday.

And in support of the Funk, for once, there's a local study saying he's right:

Missouri and Kansas rank among the bottom half of states when it comes to transitioning toward a global, innovation-based “new economy,” according to a new study.

Kansas ranked 26th and Missouri 33rd in the 2010 State New Economy Index, released Thursday by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

The report suggests that states set up policies that decrease competition within states, that pursue win-win economic results and that look for “new state-federal, innovation-based economic development partnerships.”

“In today’s highly competitive environment, states must work together and with the federal government to overhaul their economic development policies,” Dr. Robert Atkinson, ITIF president and index co-author, said in the release. “Too often, states still view their economic competitors as next door, rather than halfway around the world. If, instead, they used incentives to expand broadband, support entrepreneurial assistance programs, or invest in research and technology transfer, they — and the nation as a whole — would be far more globally competitive.”

We've seen this before and we'll keep seeing it--Kansas and Missouri just tearing at each other, taking jobs back and forth across the state line.

It ought to stop.

The mayors of all these towns along the Missouri and Kansas borders ought to get together and pressure the 2 governors to do the same so we call a truce on this kind of border war skirmishing for companies and make a plan to work together instead.  We'd be ahead as two states, separately and together, both,  but we'd also be strengthened regionally.  This information suggests we could be stronger as a country, too, if it were done nationwide.

What a concept.  Imagine that--working together for everyone's benefit. 

Remember the old song?  "Wouldn't it be nice?"

Links:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/11/24/funkhouser-says-chamber-fuels-job-battle.html?ed=2010-11-24&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/11/18/missouri-kansas-not-ready-new-economy.html?ed=2010-11-18&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Good for America--bad for the "Party of No"

Good economic data came out in the last 24 hours for America and Americans:

• Our national economy grew at a faster rate than previously expected 
• Unemployment claims are down to 407,000--the lowest they've been in two years
• Consumers are earning more in the most recent data, and finally
• We're spending a bit more, as a nation, and retail drives our economy

Mitch McConnell and John Boehner must be sick this Thanksgiving. 

Links:  http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2010/11/23/national-gdp-grew-at-25-in-third.html?ana=e_pft
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101124/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy

We can afford a convention hotel??

From the looks of this article just emailed to me, the city is going ahead with a convention hotel:

Developers, hotel chains bid for Kansas City convention center hotel

An undisclosed number of developers and hotel chains submitted bids Monday, hoping to build a convention center hotel in downtown Kansas City.

Assistant City Manager Bob Langenkamp declined to say how many developers or hotel operators submitted proposals. He said the city’s hotel consultant group, C.H. Johnson of Chicago, will review proposals and narrow them down to a short list by mid-November. By early December, Langenkamp said members of the city’s Convention Hotel Steering Committee will begin interviewing selected bidders. The city’s RFP timetable calls for a developer and hotel group to sign letters of intent by February.

It is still unclear how any convention hotel will be financed.

Yeah, no kidding.

In the first place, I thought the city was, if not broke, then running on "low", money-wise, what with having financed the Power & Light project.

Second, I thought we'd been downgraded, too, on the markets, as for our bonds and so on, because of our status.

Come heck or high water, it looks as though we's gonna' gets us a convention hotel, folks.

Link to original post:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/11/02/developers-chains-bid-for-kc-hotel.html?ed=2010-11-02&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Rep. Cynthia Davis, at it again

Missouri would ban the use of public dollars for stem cell research through a constitutional amendment proposed in legislation filed this week.
The Right-wing, Republican, ultra-conservatives in Jefferson City are working overtime to keep Missouri in the dark ages.

It seems our old, kooky friend Representative Cynthia "I haven't got a brain in my head" Davis, R-O'Fallon wants to go after stem cell research again.

The biggest problems there are with this are that it "could cost the state millions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs...", for starters.

What gets me is that this nut wants to make it a Constitutional Amendment.

This is the same nut who wants to be able to legally take her handgun to her church.

Seriously.

Here's where this hurts Kansas City, directly:

"The proposed ban would not directly affect research at the Kansas City-based Stowers Institute for Medical Research, which doesn’t rely on tax support. However, consistent efforts to limit embryonic stem cell research in Missouri have prompted the institute to hold off on local expansion plans."

Here's how it could effect Missouri directly:

"The amendment could cost Missouri millions of dollars in economic opportunities and thousands of high-paying jobs, according to a report released in October by Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee’s office on the Roundtable for Life’s ballot initiative."

"Affected industries would include the medical and research fields, as well as construction and other related sectors. The four-campus University of Missouri System came out against it, and the city of St. Louis said it would lose $14.3 million in general revenue a year if the amendment were to pass."

“'Scientists in general will view Missouri as a regressive and unfriendly place for life sciences research, and those who make careers of cutting-edge research will not locate in Missouri' if the amendment passed, city officials told auditors."

I don't want to always suck up to every business that comes along--as anyone who knows me would attest--but this one should be good for advances in pure science and health care, along with being good for our economy.

What Ms. Davis and her group of kooks need to know is that, in the first place, the stem cells used are ones that would be thrown away anyway and, secondly, that new research is getting stem cells from other sources than embryos.

But, hey, why should facts stand in the way of a religious, fundamentalist nutcase?

Personally, I just thank God I'm not from O'Fallon, Missouri.


Link: http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/11/30/daily32.html?ed=2009-12-03&ana=e_du_pub
http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/12/cynthia_davis_fighting_for_gun_rights_in_missouri_churches.php

More proof of a really down economy

This headline just came off my email, this Friday afternoon, from the Kansas City Business Journal:

Kansas City-area riverboat casinos draw less June revenue, fewer customers

And that, my friends, represents one of the strongest indications yet of how bad our economy is right now.

Sure, restaurant and other entertainment is down and has been for months but this is the first time, to my knowledge, that people are going to the casinos less and gambling away less money.

It isn't because they choose to save this money instead, I don't think, though the one silver lining of this terrible downturn is that the personal savings rate right now is up around 6 to 7%.

I believe less people are going to casinos and gambling because the money just isn't there--people don't have it at home. And they sure aren't going to get credit for it, not in this situation.

It's dark out there folks.

It's dark and what was the old sunshine isn't coming back. Don't look for it.

Links to stories:
http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/07/06/daily46.html?ed=2009-07-10&ana=e_du_pap
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aome1_t5Z5y8