Log Cabin at the Sermon Center in need of TLC
Submitted by Mibbs on October 20, 2009 - 3:26pm
I don't know if anyone has noticed, but the log cabin at the Sermon Center is in need of some repairs to the roof. I drive by it everyday and it just makes me sick to see it being ran down. I have pictures of my grandfather working on the log cabin when they first moved it to its current location, so it has a sentimental value to me. I think that letting it get ran down is a disgrace to our city. I have called the city on it and they tell me to call the parks department. The parks department tells me to call someone else and so on.....come on this is a land mark in the center of our city and no one wants to help. I am so tired of the city having excuses for everything.
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The City of Independence must really be in dire straights if it can't afford to roof a log cabin.
How much could it possibly cost to put a new roof on a log cabin? If sod busters who barely had two nickels to rub together could do it in the 1800's, should we really believe the city of Independence can't find a way to do it today?
Shoot, if they are worried about the money, why not just let some boy scouts cut down a white oak tree from a city park and turn it into hand-shewn shingles? That roof would last 20 years, more than enough time to plant a replacement tree and have it grow to full size.
The city ought to immediately implement a standard we have in our division at work:
When somebody calls in with a problem and.... technically, that problem falls under some other group's responsibility, we put them on-hold and call up that group, then conference the two parties together and do introductions. And then we hang on the line for a bit to make sure the problem really is that other group's responsibility and they're gonna "pick-up-the-ball".
That'd go a LONG WAY towards helping improve the City's image regarding customer service.
.......call Elisa.......sounds like you're getting a ride on the city "merry-go-round"..........it is a focal point at the gates of our town square.........high visibility...........who is in charge of parks and rec that is letting this go and some of the baseball parks?...........is it their fault or is there NO money?...........it strikes me that the city claims to not have enough money for law enforcement.............so maybe these other things are merely symptoms of our economic downturn.........maybe not.............I have found in life that getting ANYTHING done over the telephone is MUCH harder than showing up in person........they are less likely to "blow you off" when they realize that you are NOT going away till they help you............just a thought...........I'll bet there is a money shortage.............this cabin isn't an area to skimp on unless we're some blighted broken down old city............letting it erode would be an embarrassment to our city ...........somebody should have FOUND the money to maintain the cabin without a citizen HAVING to raise eybrows about it...........who is asleep at the wheel here?..................thanks for bringing that to our attention Mibbs.............maybe we need a sales tax increase to pay for up keep of our parks and community centers..........an 1/8 cent?..........I wonder what the people would think about THAT?..........if it would STILL be important when they realized THEY would have to pay for it...........I would certainly vote for it if that's what they need to do the job.............
Eldoggg on one hand you blog............Who is asleep at the wheel here? Then you blog you would vote to give them more money. We need people to do their jobs. They need to realize we expect them to do a good job. All of us need to learn to work with what we have and be fair about it. Passing sales tax is not always the answer to our problems. More money does not always solve poblems. But holding people accountable is a start in the right direction. Thank God for the Blogs!! xox
Elisa.....good morning........fire the person "who is asleep at the wheel" , but give the department the mnoey they need to operate.......simple..........now I have been told that that department might have around 4 million a year to operate... I don't know how much they actually NEED.............I have been unable to access the "parks & rec" budget as of yet.............it just freezes up on me when I try to view it............I understand that throwing money at a problem doesn't solve anything..........I also understand that your philosophy of never giving them money unless they are proven doesn't solve problems either.....what if everybody followed your reasoning with COMBAT in the beginning and never gave them a tax increase?..............where would THEY be now?.............I am really shocked that you support the sales tax for even COMBAT......the reason you gave for your support was that "they were proven".......how did they GET proven?.............what if they were "shot down" in the beginning?...............my ONLY point is "there MUST be ample funds to buy things"......all the good will in the world won't buy a soccer ball..............your attitude is that there is always money already in the coffers for whatever anybody wants.........I just wonder how you KNOW that.................I'm not saying they do or don't have the money they need for 'parks & rec'........I said "if they DON'T have the money , we should give them what they need".........I knew my comment would draw your fire..............you approve of sales tax for COMBAT because you LIKE COMBAT........then when anybody else has a cause THEY like you freak out on "sales tax" increase...........seems a bit "short sighted " to me................
You talk about the city coffers and how much money can be a problem for them. What about the poor taxpayer. You make it sound like they have a money tree they can run to any time they want. There have been several tax increases in the past. The citizens have passed most of them. The problems did not go away but only appear to have gotten worse. It is not so much that I am against all tax but how much tax is enough. You have lived a few years. Do you have all the money you want? Do you spend money without weighing the benefits? Do you budget for the expenses in life? I have lived a very full life and gone through some extremely good and bad times. In the good times it was easy to spend the money. In the lean times is was difficult to adapt to the reduction in income. We have unemployment at record levels. People are struggling to survive. The City is giving big raises and wanting more taxes. Certain areas are being developed and certain areas are deteriorating. I am concerned with the lack of balance and the appearance that our elected officials have lost focus on the concerns of the taxpayers.
......alright , point taken.........THEY don't have the money.............WE don't have the money............then do you understand WHAT comes next?..............just what happens in my finances............projects get cut.......services get cut.........sacrifices are made............that's all.......simple economics then.......I once cut my cable from $40 a month to $11 a month...........I never buy bottled water............I buy groceries at three stores to take advantage of sales........I compromise what I WANT sometimes to "get a deal"................as long as everybody is willing to compromise on city services because NEITHER of us have the money then I fail to see a problem.......KC , KS is going through that right now with THEIR law enforcement.................
There is already a 1/4 cent sales tax in place for parks. Based on figures from recent police tax proposal that should be bringing in about $4M per year. Should be enough for a new roof and a couple of ball parks don't you think? Maybe the parks department needs a good shaking (up).
Civil we need more than the parks department getting a good shaking (up). We need our citizens to take a stand and stop accepting what we know is not right. Why would we ever let things like this go. xox
Elisa.........I thought that is what is going on.............. 'citizens taking a stand and not accepting what they know isn't right".....................if I heard things correctly there WERE citizens fixing things up and being reimbursed ..........sounds like THEY weren't 'letting things go'..............lilbillymartin or whatever?........is that true or not?...........I didn't read each post carefully ...............so the NEXT logical step would be " to shake things up in the parks & rec department".....which means to remove & replace personel..........to realign personel management that are left.........I fail to see the inaccuracy of civil's statement...............I think it was "spot on".......I DO find it interesting that the "parks & rec" already has it's own 1/4 cent sales tax increase in place for addtional funding.......I wonder if you will try to have that stopped the next time it comes to a vote......I certainly don't know how "parks & rec" could trump law enforcement , do YOU?..............just curious.........it appears that the city subsidizes bugets this way in a few departments......as opposed to just "making room for it " by taking it out of the general funds..........is this because the city gets some help from outsider's purchases or because they REALLy didn't have the money at the time?........maybe they aren't getting enough taxes from us other ways.........(that should get you going ).....ROFL...........here we go again............
...I have no problem with you as a person ,Elisa.......I have no problem with your motivation , or MOST ( IPD sales tax issue excluded) of your causes........mosf the time I merely take issue with "the things you say"........
.... However I AM still struggling to understand your philosophy about "prohibiting extra funds to get increased law enforcement".........how you seem to observe the opposite of what you accused me of....(forgive me for digressing to the blog you just wrote me over there......lol )............that somehow "keeping additional funds from a department somehow solves problems"..................IPD says "they NEED money"...............the city says "they don't have it"...............we say "they SHOULD have it".............you say "don't give them what they ask for".....OK so the citizens DID that.......seems like KC , KS is having the same problem with law enforcement and funds RIGHT NOW..........they are thinking of CUTTING 16 officers......not just "keeping the status quo " but chopping costs.............could that city be experiencing what hundreds of other cities are because of the economic downturn and increased costs?........if I was in charge and the city needed funds i wouldn't screw around with sales tax increases........I would just raise property taxes and be done with you......I would giive my police department what they need to operate..............but we've been through all this before.......and you've been through it with many more people than I , who don't understand your philosophy...........
.....Here's a question for you , as a person who is going to run for city council..........."If the county is able to procure stimulus funds to fund this rail project that Mike Sanders is proposing?"...............which I think is a GREAT vision for this county and surrounding cities...............would you support the sales tax increase Sander's would like to fund the opreation of this rail system?.............an unproven thing?.................or would you say "NO?".............dont' come back and say there isn't enough information yet , to side step the question..........everything is hypothetical as of yet............take a stand Elisa........where do you stand on the rail issue of sales tax increase?..................
Eldoggg I don't mind taking a stand. My answer to what Mike Sanders is proposing at this time is no. I only wish I could give everyone what they need to operate with but I don't have a money tree to pull money off of. Stimulus funds are great but they still cost money. You may not understand my stand on the safety tax but 60% of the voters did. I did not feel Civil said any inaccuracy's. I liked his blog. I am glad to see citizens taking a stand. I pray for many more to do the same. The MUDDOGS have been playing in the mud for years. They have been trying to find help for their park. One man said for the last 10+ years. They have achieved a meeting with the city last night in the cold with coaches, parents and kids on the team and off the team. Sometime after 5:00 P.M. on Thursday night the park removed the drinking fountain that a little girl split her face open on before the meeting on Friday. It was great to see it removed. It had been in the park from the time it was built. It was more than just an eyesore. It was broken and jagged. The parks officials walked around with a clip board and took notes. They were shown a storm drainage grate that has been a danger for kids and dogs for years and years. This park has three or four of these around the park. You may not understand me but I expect more out of all of us. When have you ever heard anyone say they would remove and replace personnel but that is exactly what needs to happen in some cases. Thanks for your blog as always! xox
Elisa........your answer on the rail issue sales tax doesn't surprise me........that's too bad..........it might help catapult the city and county into the next century with a little vision beyond blighted , boarded up old thrift shops , pawn shops , and check cashing places.......of course to be fair , it wouldn't affect your neighborhood to the best of my knowledge.......we have to pick our battles don't we?.................I definitely see the opposition to the rail tax as a step BACK to the 19th century.............we need vision...................not sales tax pennies.............people blow all kinds of money even in tough times.......the only way cities , states , or countries get what they have is by making it a priority..........everybody is ALWAYS broke........I'd rather be broke WITH a rail system than broke WITHOUT one..............it would be the best thing to happen to this county in a hundred years................
.........as for the phrase , "to shake things up" , in my world that always meant heads were rolling..........not just giving the employees a good " talking to".........that's what I took civil's post to mean.......maybe he'll expound on what he meant by "shake things up"..........lol............again , the responsibility for the condition of those parks and fountains falls on SOMEBODY who has been ignoring them..........I'm to undersatnd that the citizens have been complaining to no avail about these conditions and nothing has been done till now?............who was taking the complaints and ignoring them?.........they should be walking on thin ice right now..............why would they feel that these things weren't important?.............did the fountain become a liability AFTER someone was injured on it?........is there going to be a civil suit?.
....I'm gone for the day , but understand I'm not against you as a person nor am I against some of your causes........
Eldoggg it is nice to have a difference of opinion. It helps to bring out more sides on an issue. I am not against the concept of rail. But if you explore the successful models I think you will find they are in more densely populated communities. We have a nation that has a love affair for their cars and freedom. Until that changes it is going to be difficult to have a successful rail service. We now have a bus service that is being scaled back. It is being scaled back because of lack of funds. Even when buses run full they need subsidies to run. I truly do not think that we can afford to do the rail service. It is my understanding you need a strong bus service to have a successful rail service. Sales tax pennies add up to lots of dollars. I remember the old saying a penny saved is a dollar earned. The people who built this great nation had a vision. They wanted the freedom to follow their own vision. We need to be very careful when we have to force our vision onto someone else. xox
E
......I would think they would have enough to buy a new roof and fix a couple of ball parks then..........sounds like somebody is asleep at the wheel ...........shake'em down ...........can we have a looksie at the "parks & rec" budget?..........or is that privileged information?.................
Iwould think that the parks budget is included as a part of the overall city budget. That is available on the city web site under the finance department.
.......I haven't checked it yet but this must be the page you're talking about civil.........I'm posting the link in case anybody else wants to snoop around.........thanks for the info.........
http://www.ci.independence.mo.us/Finance/budget.aspx
EDIT : not sure what I am doing wrong but I'm having some difficulty metriculating the site........it freezes up on me........I found the "Parks & Rec" budget on page 243 but couldn't get there...........I'll try again later.........I AM curious now..........
That should do it. The budget is a bear to get through, but it can be revealing, especially in matters that deal with all the sales tax programs and the various TIF projects.