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SCHLITTERBAHN WATERPARK WHICH
OPENED FOUR YEARS AGO. ACCORDING TO THE "STAR," THERE'S STILL A LOT OF BARREN LAND
INSTEAD OF SHOPS AND TREE HOUSES AROUND THE PERIMETER OF SCHLITTERBAHN NEXT TO THE
LEGENDS IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY, A PROJECT THAT BY NOW WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A $750 MILLION VACATION
VILLAGE. THE PLAN ORIGINALLY FORESAW MORE THAN 1,000 HOTEL ROOMS INCLUDING
CABINS AND STRUCTURES BUILT TO RESEMBLE TREE HOUSES. AN ANCHOR TENANT WAS TO BE A
SCHEELS SPORTING GOODS MEGASTORE WITH A 65-FOOT FERRIS WHEEL. SCHEELS IS NOW BUILDING NEAR
135TH STREET AND METCALF IN OVERLAND PARK. WHAT HAPPENED?
WHY DIDN'T THEY BUILD THERE IF THAT'S SUCH AN ATTRACTIVE AREA? NICK, THE WESTERN WYANDOTTE
AREA HAS BEEN ATTRACTIVE WITH THE WESTERN FURNITURE MART, LEGENDS, CABELLA'S, AT SOME
POINT YOU RUN OUT OF GAS, AND THESE GUYS -- SERIOUSLY, WHEN THEY, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU,
WHEN SCHLITTERBAHN FIRST ANNOUNCED THIS DEAL, I WAS EXTREMELY SKEPTICAL.
I MEAN, HOW MUCH MORE RETAIL, HOTELS, ET CETERA, CAN YOU POUR INTO THAT AREA.
AND IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING STORE STORY THEN WE HIT THE RECESSION WHICH EVEN MORE COMPLICATES IT
BUT I THINK IT WAS ALWAYS OVERESTIMATED WHAT THEY CAN DO OUT THERE.
THANK GOD IT'S BEEN DEVELOPED BY A PRIVATE FAMILY, ALTHOUGH ENTERTAINMENT PROPERTIES HAS A
MAJOR INVESTMENT WHICH IS A LOCAL FIRM IN THEIR OWN. IT'S LIKE MY GOD HOW MUCH MORE
RETAIL CAN YOU BUILD AND THEN WE HIT A RECESSION. MY JOB IS TO CONNECT THE DOTS
HERE,. OF COURSE IT IS. AND WHAT DO THE PROJECTS
AROUND SCHLITTERBAHN HAVE IN COMMON WITH THE PLAZA WHICH WE JUST TALKED ABOUT?
CROWN CENTER, POWER AND LIGHT, AND THAT IS ALL OF THEM RECEIVED MAJOR TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES.
THE LEGENDS PROJECT, THE PLAZA GOT A QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS IN TAX BREAKS.
CROWN CENTER WAS BUILT BECAUSE OF TAX ABATEMENTS, AND POWER AND LIGHT.
SOMETIMES THEY WORK, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T. THAT'S WHAT LAWMAKERS NEVER TELL
YOU, THAT SOMETIMES IT'S A GOOD DEAL. SOMETIMES IT MAY NOT BE A GOOD
DEAL ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND I THINK SCHLITTERBAHN IS THE EXAMPLE OF THE LATTER.
ALTHOUGH, ON THE OTHER HAND, SCHLITTERBAHN WAS DEVELOPED PRIVATELY THE, THE TAX BREAKS
WERE GOING TO COME IN FOR THE RETAIL AND HOTEL STUFF BUT -- I'M TALKING ABOUT THE --
I UNDERSTAND, YES IS MISSION KANSAS ON A MISSION TO TICKET EVERYBODY?
A FRONT PAGE STORY IN THE "KANSAS CITY STAR" THIS WEEK CALLED MISSION, KANSAS, THE
TICKET CAPITAL OF KANSAS, WITH POLICE ISSUING MORE TICKETS THAN THERE ARE RESIDENTS.
THAT AMOUNTS TO ALMOST TWO TICKETS AN HOUR, 24 HOURS A DAY. THAT MEANS YOU ARE NINE TIMES
MORE LIKELY TO BE TICKETED IN MISSION THAN IN OVERLAND PARK. EIGHTEEN TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN
IF YOU HAPPENED TO BE DRIVING THROUGH LEE'S SUMMIT. IS THIS REALLY ABOUT SAFETY AS
THEY CLAIM? I SERIOUSLY DOUBT THAT. YOU KNOW, MISSION, THEY ARE
BLESSED IN MANY WAYS TO HAVE A LOWER CRIME RATE AND NOT SOME OF THE ISSUES SO THAT THEY CAN
LITERALLY HAVE THEIR POLICE FORCE GOING OUT -- THE ENTIRE POLICE FORCE, WRITING TICKETS.
I MEAN, IN KANSAS CITY, YOU HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF THE OFFICERS THAT THAT'S WHAT THEY HANDLE AND
EVERYONE ELSE HAS TO DEAL WITH MORE SERIOUS CRIMES. MISSION DOESN'T HAVE THAT.
SO THEY'RE OUT THERE DOING THIS. IT'S GENERATING MONEY BUT YOU ALMOST WONDER IF SOME OF IT
ISN'T SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY BECAUSE THEY'RE WRITING SO MANY TICKETS TO GENERATE MONEY TO PAY
FOR SERVICES AND THE OFFICERS TO WRITE ALL THE TICKETS. MAYBE ONCE THE GATEWAY
PROJECT OPENS UP THEY WON'T HAVE NEARLY AS MUCH PRESSURE TO WRITE TICKETS.
I LIVE IN NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY, AND I TELL YOU, I SEE POLICE CRUISERS CONSTANTLY, MANY
OF THEM AGAIN LIKE MARY POINTS OUT, YOU KNOW, THANK GOD, THE CRIME RATE'S NOT BAD THEY GOT A
LOT OF TIME TO PULL PEOPLE OVER. I APPLAUD KAREN DYLAN FOR A GREAT STORY THOUGH JUST VIVIDLY
DISPLAYING HOW MANY TICKETS GET ISSUED IN MISSION. BILL, NOW, THE MAYOR CAME TO
KMBC THIS WEEK TO GIVE US A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT INTO THIS. SHE SAID IT'S ALL ABOUT
PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT GENERATING REVENUE, AND --
THEY DID HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST TRAFFIC ACCIDENT RATES IN THE STATE OF KANSAS BEFORE
THE CURRENT POLICE CHIEF CAME INTO OFFICE THERE. AND SO THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT
THAT. WASN'T THAT THE CASE? THAT WAS THE CASE, AND ONE
THING PEOPLE MAY OVERLOOK FROM TIME TO TIME IS THAT MISSION DOES GET A LOT OF CROSS-COUNTY,
CROSS-CITY TRAFFIC. FROM KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, INTO JOHNSON COUNTY, VICA VERSA BUT I
TALKED TO A TRAFFIC LAWYER YESTERDAY, AND HE SAID AMONG THE TRADE IT'S BEEN KNOWN MISSION IS
A SPEED TRAP. NOW, IT'S INTERESTING, MISSION THOUGH IT DOES GET A
LOT -- IS GETTING A LOT OF HEADLINES FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT QUIRKY KINDS OF POLICIES,
EVERYTHING FROM THE DRIVEWAY TAX OF LATE, WE ALSO HAVE THEY WERE GOING TO BE THE ONLY CITY IN THE
ENTIRE METRO TO UNILATERALLY DO A CELL PHONE BAN WHILE DRIVING. AND DAVE HELLING ACTUALLY IN
THIS MORNING'S NEWSPAPER, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT A POTENTIAL CONSOLIDATION WITH THE CITY OF
ROLAND PARK. I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A POINT. I KNOW YOU WERE.
WHAT TYPE OF REACTION DID YOU GET FROM THAT POINT? A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WRITTEN
THAT WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN WHICH HAPPENS A LOT IN THE KANSAS CITY AREA.
MISSION HAS ALSO HAD A CONTROVERSY OVER REDEVELOPMENT ALONG JOHNSON DRIVE.
THERE IS A BIG FIGHT OVER THAT. THE GATEWAY PROJECT THAT KEVIN MENTIONED IS OF COURSE WHERE THE
WAL-MART IS GOING. THAT BY THE WAY IS ALSO GETTING TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES.
I JUST THOUGHT I'D THROW THAT IN. AND SO THERE IS SOME
DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT ROLAND PARK NOW WILL HAVE TO SORT OF REACT TO WHAT MISSION
HAS DONE AND WHETHER THAT'S FAIR AND WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SUGGEST TODAY IS THE BIGGER PROBLEM IS
WE HAVE A LOT OF LITTLE MUNICIPALITIES. THAT'S INEFFICIENT BY
DEFINITION. PERHAPS WE SHOULD CONSIDER THAT INEFFICIENCY RATHER THAN WHERE
THE WAL-MART GOES. MY ONLY COMPLAINT ABOUT HE DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH I THINK
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, MISSION HILLS, ALL THOSE SMALLER NORTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTIES, THEY'RE VERY
SIMILAR, AND I CAN'T SEE A REAL REASON FOR THEM TO HAVE SEPARATE CITY GOVERNMENTS AND POLICE
DEPARTMENTS AND ALL THE REST OF IT. THERE'S BEEN CONSOLIDATIONS WITH
PUBLIC SAFETY WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS, ET CETERA, BUT AGAIN, YOU TRY TO START
SERIOUSLY DISSOLVING SOME OF THE POLITICAL BOUNDARIES, AND ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.
YEAH. FINALLY THIS WEEK, THE CHANCELLOR OF MU DEPARTS.
IT'S FRONT PAGE NEWS THIS WEEK AS BRADY DEATON THE HEAD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI STEPS
DOWN AFTER NINE YEARS ON THE JOB. WHY IS HE LEAVING?
HE HAS OTHER THINGS TO DO, I GUESS. IT'S TIME TO QUIT.
HE'S 71. WHAT'S FASCINATING TO ME ABOUT THE STORY, OF ALL OF THE
THINGS IN THAT, ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ACCOMPLISHMENT HE HAD WAS SPORTS RELATED.
IS THAT THE BAROMETER OF A SUCCESS IN A CHANCELLOR? I THINK WE -- YOU CAN BLAME
THE MEDIA ON THIS ONE, HEAVILY COVER THOSE ISSUES BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE OBVIOUSLY ALIGNED
WITH MU TIGER FOOTBALL DECISION BUT THIS CHANCELLOR WAS VERY, VERY INVOLVED IN MANY OTHER
ASPECTS OF THE BROADER UNIVERSITY. THAT JUST DON'T GENERALLY TEND
TO MAKE THE FRONT PAGE QUITE AS OFTEN. WE NEED TO KEEP OUR EYE ON
POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION, NICK. THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE CUT FUNDING FOR HIGHER ED, TUITIONS
ARE GOING UP. THERE WILL BE ENORMOUS PRECON-- PRESSURE ON THE MISSOURI SYSTEM
FOR WHOEVER THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS TO ADDRESS WHAT I THINK IS THE NEXT BIG TARGET OF LAWMAKERS
WHICH WILL BE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY EDUCATION. SO NOT JUST LEAVING THE BIG
12 IS SOMETHING ELSE WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT. DOWN THE ROAD --
THE MOM AND POP ARE GOING -- [TALKING OVER EACH OTHER] THAT IS OUR THREE WEEKS IN
REVIEW ON "KANSAS CITY WEEK IN REVIEW." THANKS TO OUR NEWS REVIEWERS
FROM THE KANSAS CITY STAR. MARY SANCHEZ AND KEVIN COLLISON, "STAR" REPORTER, BLOGGER AND
COLUMNIST DAVE HELLING, AND FROM NEWSRADIO 98 ONE FM BILL GRADY. I'M NICK HAINES, FROM ALL OF US
HERE AT KCPT, THANKS FOR SPENDING PART OF YOUR WEEKEND WITH US.
[MUSIC]