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NEXT UP, BIG IDEA NO. 2. PEOPLE HAVE LAMENTING WHY SO LITTLE PROGRESS, SO LITTLE
IMPROVEMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS HAPPENED EAST OF TROOST AVENUE, WHAT HAS BEEN THE
SYMBOLIC GEOGRAPHIC RACIAL DIVIDE IN THIS CITY. NOW THE GREATER KANSAS CITY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS AGREED TO THROW ITS
ENTIRE WEIGHT AND INFLUENCE BEHIND CHANGING THAT.
THE TRAIM BETTER HAS PICKED THE -- CHAMBER HAS PICKED THE TROOST CORRIDOR FOR
UNPRECEDENTED FOCUS AND CIVIC ATTENTION. TODAY IS A BIG DAY, A BIG DAY
FOR BIG KC AND FOR THE CHAMBER'S BIG 5. AND OUR TOTAL COMMITMENT IS TO
WORK ON TRANSFORMING THE EAST SIDE OF KANSAS CITY. ANYBODY HERE GIVE ME A DRUM
ROLL? I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A BROAD SPECTRUM OF SUPPORT TO
HELP OUR COMMUNITY. WE'VE GOT BUSINESS, CIVIC, PHILANTHROPIC LEADERSHIP HERE.
SO NO MORE TALK, NO MORE LAMENTING, NO MORE COMMISERATING.
IT'S TIME TO ROLL THE SLEEIVES SLEEIVES -- SLEEVES
UP, PICK UP HAMMERS, SAWS, OTHER TOOLS AND
GET SOMETHING DONE. PLEASE WELCOME TO THE PODIUM, THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES, DIANE CLEAVER,
AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, MARK JORGEN SON,
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF U.S. BANK IN KANSAS CITY. BIG IDEA NO. 2.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WE'VE BEEN BUSY IN THE LATTER PART OF 2011 AND ALL OF 2012 IN
PLANNING, AND PLANNING TO A GREAT EXTENT WITH ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERS, AND WE
CONSIDER THEM PARTNERS. DIANE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THAT, AS WELL.
I'LL LET HER SPEAK. I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE WERE THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE, BUT WE
FORMED A 501 C 3, A DIFFERENT UNA, URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE ORGANIZATION TO MOVE
THIS FORWARD. WE HAVE A GREAT BOARD. ONE OF OUR MAJOR ASSETS.
AND WE HAVE HIRED FULL-TIME STAFF, AS MARC LEWDED TO, -- ALLUDED TO, AND WE HAVE
CONTINUED TO FINE TUNE OUR ACTION AGENDA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, WHICH WE
KNOW IS THE ONLY WAY IT'S GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. SO WE'VE HAD MEETINGS AFTER
MEETINGS AFTER MEETINGS. IMPROVING THE HEALTH, THE JOB AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITES FOR
NEIGHBORHOODS GENERALLY AROUND TROOST AVENUE, U.S. 71 BETWEEN 22nd AND 52nd STREETS WAS
THE SORT OF MANDATE HERE. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THOSE. HOW ABOUT HEALTH?
HOW IS THAT GOING TO IMPROVE AS A RESULT OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING ON THE TROOST CORRIDOR THERE?
WELL, I THINK WHAT YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM US
IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, ARE MEASURABLE
OUTCOME OBJECTIVES AND INDICATORS WE'LL BE CHECKING ALONG THE WAY.
WE'RE NOT READY TO TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT THOSE ARE YET, BUT TO A GREAT EXTENT, WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY,
AND THERE ARE MANY KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE
KNOW WE CAN DO TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, THINGS AROUND REDUCING CRIME, NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK
WATCHES. WE BELIEVE INCREASING -- AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE SAID MAKING
THEM MORE DIGITALLY LITERAL IS A WAY TO INCREASE THE SAFETY -- LITERATE IS A WAY TO INCREASE
THE SAFETY OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF IDEAS THAT WE'RE GOING
TO LINE UP IN A PRIORITIZED WAY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO LAY OUT SOME
MEASURES FOR IT. I MEASURED A COUPLE THINGS TOO, NICK, ON THE HEALTH SIDE,
FRESH FOOD CORRIDOR IS A NAME WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE ATTACHED TO THIS PARTICULAR AREA.
WE'VE ALREADY BEEN INVOLVED IN PLANTING ORCHARDS. WE'RE LOOKING AT INSTALLING A
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GARDENS THROUGHOUT THE AREA. IN ADDITION, I'M SURE, AS YOU
WELL KNOW, JOHN BLUE FORD IS SEEKING TO ESTABLISH A GROCERY STORE WITH A LOT MORE HEALTHY
CHOICES. ON THE DIGITAL SIDE, WE MET LAST WEEK WITH A COMPANY, CAN'T
ANNOUNCE THINGS YET, BUT IT'S A VERY PROMISING PARTNERSHIP WITH A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY THAT
EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM KNOWS, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO THERE IN TERMS OF
ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FOLKS, AGAIN, IN THAT AREA. SOME OF THE SKEPTICISM ABOUT
THIS PARTICULAR EFFORT IN THE GENERAL MEDIA HAS BEEN WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN HERE IS SPURRING
JOBS IN THIS AREA. WHAT CAN YOU REPORT TO US TODAY ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS IN TERMS OF
HELPING TO INCREASE JOBS IN THE AREA THAT YOU'RE
TRYING TO HELP? WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WE CAN
DO TO BRING NEW EMPLOYERS TO THE AREA. WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WE CAN DO
TO MATCH UP INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN THE AREA WITH EXISTING JOBS, WHAT WE CAN DO TO ACCELERATE
THAT PATHWAY AND MAKE PEOPLE MORE READY TO TAKE THOSE JOBS, MAKE THOSE EMPLOYERS MORE OPEN
AND ACCESSIBLE TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT PLACING NEW
BUSINESSES AND CONNECTING AND JOB TRAINING. WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE
THINGS. ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAS ALSO COME OUT IS, WELL, WE'VE
HEARD IT ALL BEFORE, PEOPLE WANTING TO HELP THIS AREA. IT'S NEVER HAPPENED.
WHAT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS? WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS
EFFORT VERSUS OTHER EFFORTS TO TRY AND HELP THE TROOST CORRIDOR?
ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO
RECOGNIZE THAT A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN THIS AREA.
AND PART OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS YOU AND I TELL THAT STORY. A LOT OF PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE
IN THAT AREA, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU HEAR ABOUT THE AREA. THERE HAVE BEEN HOUSING
DEVELOPMENTS. THERE HAS BEEN A REDUCTION IN CRIME.
THERE HAVE BEEN NEW BUSINESSES, NEW SMALL BUSINESSES TO COME IN. MANY THINGS THAT THE
NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS HAVE WORKED ON OVER THE YEARS, SO THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING.
WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BE A PARTNER AND AN ACCELERATOR TO REALLY MOVE THAT FORWARD IN A
BIG 5 KIND OF WAY. THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT,
INDIVIDUALS AROUND THE TABLE, LIKE YOU AND I, THE BACKING OF THE CHAMBER, COMMERCE,
PARTNERSHIP WITH UNITED WAY HAS REALLY PUT ITS
NAME OUT FRONT, AND THE INDIVIDUALS SITTING AT
THE TABLE, YOU COULD NOT ASK FOR A BETTER BOARD. THOSE WHO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN,
THOSE WHO ARE COMMITTED, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. SO I THINK THESE ARE SOME OF THE
THINGS, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HAS TO BE A LONG-TERM EFFORT.
OUR BOARD AND TELLING OURSELVES OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT WE CAN'T BE IN HERE FOR TWO AND
THREE YEARS AND EXPECT MAJOR CHANGE. WE KNOW WE HAVE TO BE COMMITTED
FOR THE LONG-TERM. THAT'S WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO MAKE THESE KINDS OF CHANGES.
NOW, GOING TO OUR SAGE THINK-TANK ON THIS, WHEN YOU CAME UP WITH THE BIG 5 IDEAS,
YOU DID PICK THESE VERY COMPLICATED SYSTEMIC PROBLEM KIND OF AREAS.
YOU DIDN'T PICK, LET'S MAKE KANSAS CITY THE CITY OF FOUNTAINS AND THINGS LIKE, THAT
OR THE YOUTH SOCCER CAPITAL, WHICH SOME PEOPLE WANTED, YOUTH SPORTS CAPITAL OF AMERICA.
YOU PICKED THESE VERY COMPLICATED, HARD KINDS OF SUBJECT AREAS, DIDN'T YOU?
JIM AND I ALWAYS KNEW WE WERE GOING TO PICK AN URBAN CORE PROJECT, BECAUSE WE DO BELIEVE
IT'S MORAL AND IMPERATIVE. BUT I REMEMBER THE NO-BET IDEAS MEETING WE HAD WITH YOU ARE BRAN
GROUP LEADERS, AND IT WAS PEOPLE FROM THESE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT SAID, WHAT WE DON'T NEED IS
ANOTHER SATURDAY WHERE 100 PEOPLE SHOW UP AND FIX TEN ROOFS.
WE NEED OPPORTUNITY IN OUR LIVES TO MOVE OURSELVES FORWARD. WE NEED THIRD GRADE READING
EFFICIENCIES. WE NEED THE BASIC THINGS THAT CAN MAKE THESE NEIGHBORHOODS
COME ALIVE AGAIN, AND IT DIDN'T COME FROM ANYBODY UP HERE. IT CAME FROM PEOPLE IN THAT
GROUP, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT, AND IT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT OF THE BIG 5 OF ALL,
AND IT WILL TAKE A LONG-TERM BUSINESS APPROACH TO GET IT DONE.
RUSS. AND IT'S THE MOST TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR KANSAS
CITY, AND I'M PROUD OF THE CHAMBER FOR PICKING AN ISSUE LIKE THIS OR AN INITIATIVE LIKE
THIS THAT THEY COULD HAVE PASSED ON, THE BUSINESS
COMMUNITY COULD HAVE PASSED ON AND TURNED ITS
BACK ON, BUT THEY DIDN'T, AND CONGRATULATIONS GOES TO THOSE GREG GRAVES AND JIM HEATER AND,
OF COURSE, DIANE AND MARK, BUT WE HAVE TO STICK AT IT. THIS IS A LONG-TERM PROJECT AS
DIANE SAID. LONG-TERM. THIS IS GOING TO BE A
DECADES-LONG PROJECT, ISN'T IT? ABSOLUTELY.