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After Kansas City Voters Earmark $800 Million For Infrastructure, Spending Plan Emerges

Elle Moxley
/
KCUR 89.3
The list City Manager Troy Schulte sent to the mayor and city council includes sidewalk repair projects in all six council districts.

City Manager Troy Schulte has sent a letter to the mayor and city council outlining how to spend the first $40 million in general obligation bonds Kansas City voters approved last month.

“We want to get the shovel-ready projects rolling, and we have to tackle the backlog of spot sidewalk repairs,” Schulte said in a statement. “I know council members are also anxious to get going, so this gives them a chance to review the list and provide us with the feedback we need to finalize the plan.”

Here’s what the city manager has proposed:

Question 1 – roads, bridges and sidewalks

  • $6 million for sidewalk spot repairs in all six council districts
  • $3.6 million to reconstruct streets, sidewalks and stormwater in the southwest quadrant of Beacon Hill
  • $3.5 million for the Paseo Gateway project, with federal funding coming available in fiscal year 2019
  • $3.4 million to reconstruct Wornall Road from 85th to 89th streets
  • $2,250,000 for community infrastructure in the Marlborough neighborhood
  • $1.7 million to complete the design and right-of-way acquisition for Maple Woods Parkway
  • $1.2 million for realignment of 22nd and 23rd streets from Brooklyn to Benton, with additional funding coming from Public Improvements Advisory Committee funds
  • $600,000 for the reconstruction of the Paseo Bridge over Brush Creek
  • $300,000 to convert Central Street downtown from one-way to two-way
  • $75,000 to study landslides along Beardsley Road

Question 2 – flood control

  • $1.1 million for right-of-way acquisition for industrial flood control at Swope Park

Question 3 –  public buildings and facilities

  • $7 million for a new animal shelter at Elmwood and Gregory to open late next year, with another $7 million needed in fiscal year 2018
  • $4 million for the reconstruction of the interior of Corinthian Hall at the Kansas City Museum
  • $1.5 million to construct more than 300 sidewalk curb ramps in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • $1.1 million for renovations to make Starlight Theatre ADA-accessible
  • $750,000 to make the elevators at City Hall fully ADA-compliant
  • $750,000 to repair the Spirit of Freedom Fountain at Cleaver and Benton Boulevards
  • $750,000 to repair the Delbert Haff Fountain on East Meyer Boulevard

Voters approved the $800 million comprehensive capital improvements program April 4.
Elle Moxley covers Missouri schools and politics for KCUR. You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.

Elle Moxley covered education for KCUR.
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