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Gladstone mayor Bill Cross dipped into his science education for a little ED physics, specifically the need to convert potential to kinetic energy. “I see so much potential here,” he said. “The enthusiasm of all the communities working together will definitely benefit all of us.” Scott Wingerson, assistant city manager from the city of Gladstone, described the city’s “number one challenge” as developing the land.
In Kearney, the highest need is for an additional interchange on I-35 to deal with the growth in traffic and to get ahead of development of property, contended Molly McGovern of the Kearney Area Development Council.
In Smithville, the issue is respect. “We have some bigger players in Liberty and Gladstone and Kansas City that are adjacent to us, that already have synergies in some of the activities and things that already exist,” said Jim Clarke, Smithville’s economic development director. “We’re trying to grasp on to those, get some investment and solidify, rather than just little pockets of investment. Get a larger scale, something of more magnitude.”
Brett Daffron, the manager of the business banking group for Commerce Bank in the Northland, argued that “focused planning with strategic partnerships” is critical for the successful management of the county’s growth.
Pete Hall with Charles F. Curry Real Estate Co. saw the county’s essential challenge as redevelopment of the older areas, “keeping them alive and vital and growing, rather than continuing to decline.” He added, “Development is easy in comparison.”
Whether development or redevelopment, Larry Larson, western commissioner of Clay County, expressed the need for businesses that generate sales tax revenue. “The expenses keep going up,” he noted, “more services are demanded, and yet our sales taxes will not support those demands.”
Chris Sizemore of the Clay County Economic Development Council expressed the hope that the county would recruit and retain high-tech industries. “We have a great challenge to improve and develop and expand some of those.”
“We have a tremendous amount of momentum at this time,” said Jim Hampton, executive director of the Clay County Economic Development Council. The challenge, as he saw it, was sustaining that momentum. For Tom Cole of Al J. Mueller Construction Company, the challenge was not just to sustain the momentum but to share with the world “the reality of what’s going on in Clay County and the Northland versus the traditional perception of the Northland in the Kansas City metro.”
Roads
Getting specific, Carol McCaslin asked those gathered how they felt about the county’s existing roadways and what they thought needed to be done in the future.
“It’s difficult to find a place in Clay County that you can’t be in a four-lane highway in just a few minutes,” said Jim Hampton. “You look at the infrastructure, the highway access Clay County has, we are really well positioned.”
Although Mayor Bob Steinkamp of Liberty generally agreed with Hampton, he saw the need for more corridors across the Missouri River and into the county from the south. “I think there is good access and good roadways,” he added. “But, to me, from a county standpoint, that’s one of the biggest problems.”
As Pete Hall saw the issue, the north-south roads will continue to be the county’s strength because physical impediments make east-west traffic problematic with the exception of the improved 152 Highway, which, “for all practical purposes is our east-west corridor.”
“I really appreciate what was done on 152 and how it’s been opened up all the way across,” said Bill Cross, but he marveled at how quickly it filled up with traffic and argued for more corridors to be opened up between the northern parts of Platte and Clay County. “Population is growing and growing in the county,” affirmed Chris Sizemore. “We need to think about the future.” Said Wayne Cauthen, city manager of Kansas City, “East-west corridors in both Platte and Clay County are a must.”
Although Tim Kristl was bullish on the interstates, he was less keen on the roads that took one there. “As soon as I get off the interstate,” he said, “I go down two-lane roads.” All agreed that this was an area in need of work.
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