By David Slater, Executive Director
Liberty Hospital Partners with KU Med: Liberty Hospital has chosen to partner with the University of Kansas Health System. There will be 90 days of a non-binding discovery period before the deal is finalized.
Fixing the KC Bus System: When the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority nearly triples the cost for Northland communities’ bus service it becomes an EDC issue. It gets complicated but working with our friends south of the river, who also understand the concerns of not just local governments but also neighborhood leaders, we feel we are on a path to make the system work. First of all, this is not a knock at all on KCATA President and CEO Frank White III. The leaders in our room admire the work Mr. White and his staff provide. Local, State and maybe Federal legislation will have to be tweaked. Clay County Presiding Commissioner Jerry Nolte and Platte County Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker issued a joint letter Wednesday condemning the selection process for the representatives of the Northland. It is clear that the intent of the State Statute was not followed. We intend to fix that and more. The problem is that there is an election on November 7th that includes a funding issue. Imbedded in the legislation is a statement that says if this funding is ever voted down it can’t be voted on again. Our Presiding Commissioners are exactly right. Your EDC hopes that we can either correct the main issues or have Commissioners Nolte and Fricker on board with the process. We have reached out to regional leaders as the bus system needs to be an asset for the entire Metro, getting our workforce from home to work safely, not just an all-day taxi service for the homeless. We’ll have more, and maybe a FridayOpinion, next week.
Congressman Graves in Kearney: Missouri 6th District Congressman Sam Graves, the Chairman of the United States Congress’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will join Kearney Mayor Randy Pogue for a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new I-35 at 19th Street Interchange will be dedicated November 2nd at 9:30AM. The new intersection will be a huge boost to Kearney and its economy. Read more about the project here.
Meet Sheriff Akin: The Clay County Sheriff’s Office will host two town hallswhere you will get to know more about the department from Sheriff Will Akin at two of our Mid-Continent Public Libraries from 6-7PM. On October 25th the Sheriff will host an open house at the North Oak Branch 8700 N Oak Trafficway and again on November 2nd at the Woodneath Branch 8900 NE Flintlock Road.
Broadband and Digital Plan: The Mid-America Regional Council, together with KC Rising and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City have published two reports on broadband infrastructure needs and digital equity. These two reports may be found at Broadband and Digital Equity | MARC
CAPS Interviews: Are you passionate about shaping the next generation of leaders? The Northland Center for Advanced Professional Studies invites you to be a driving force in their mission by volunteering to their mock interview event November 15th. Click here for more information or to register.
Coffee Connect: This Wednesday we will gather at the Oak Ridge Family Social Club to hear about some of Chuck Cuda’s entrepreneurial activities including our gathering space at 5330 NE Oak Ridge Drive in Kansas City. For you Northlanders, it’s right behind Stroud’s. Networking begins at 7:45 with the hour-long presentation at 8AM.
Liberty Public Schools Shadow Search Day and Career Roundtables: LPS is excited to host Shadow Search Day on Friday, February 2 from 8:00 am – 10:30 am at the Discovery Middle School and South Valley Middle School campuses. Shadow Search Day is an opportunity for our 7th grade students to discover what career they would like to pursue in the coming years. Students will visit booths set up by local businesses and have the chance to interact and ask questions about their career path. If you are interested in participating, please click here to sign-up or reach out to Colleen Jones at colleen.jones@lps53.org or 816-736-5320.
LPS will also host a variety of career roundtables for our 8th grade students. Please click the links below to view more information about each roundtable and to sign-up.
South Valley Middle School Career Roundtables
- Thursday, November 2 – Business, Engineering, & Computer Science Roundtable
- Thursday, December 7 – Medical Roundtable
- Thursday, January 11 – Human Services & Hospitality Roundtable
- Thursday, February 22 – Public Safety, Law Enforcement, & Military Roundtable
- Thursday, March 14 – Skilled Trades Roundtable
Discovery Middle School Career Roundtables
Fun Things To Do in Clay: Your EDC’s Friday Facts is your go-to read to see what is happening in our County.
Tonight: Northland Therapeutic Riding Center’s Fundraising Gala Oct 20th at 6PM at Liberty’s Heritage Hall
This Weekend: Liberty’s Corbin Theatre presents Murder on the Orient Express Oct 20th-22nd
This Weekend: Smithville High School presents Clue Oct 20th and 21st
Tomorrow: Gladstone’s Shop with a Cop Benefit Breakfast Oct 21st 7:30-11:30 at the Elks’ Lodge
Tomorrow: Plogging in a town near you Oct 21st Click here for more information
Tomorrow: Excelsior Springs Chamber’s Third Saturday Wine Tours Oct 21st 10:30-5
Tomorrow: Gladstone’s Big Shoal presents Cemetery Tour Oct 21st 7-8PM or 8:30-9:30PM
Tomorrow: Screenland Armour Theatre’s outdoor movie this Saturday is Hocus Pocus
Tomorrow: Gladstone’s Big Shoal Farm’s Pumpkin Days 10AM-4PM Saturdays until they are gone
This Week: Worlds of Fun’s famous Haunt runs tonight through Oct 28th
This Week: Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch opens through October 30th
Excelsior Springs Community Center Fall Festival Oct 28th 6-8PM
The Dakota Rogers Project presents Barktastic Fun(draiser) Oct 28th 1-5PM
Excelsior Springs’ Witch Way to the Wine Oct 28th 12-5PM Downtown Excelsior
Kearney 19th Street Ribbon Cutting Nov 2nd at 9:30AM with Congressman Graves
Historic Downtown Liberty’s Girls Night Out Nov 2nd 4-8PM
Excelsior Springs Slightly Off Broadway Theatre presents The Rocky Horror Show Nov 3rd & 4th
Pleasant Valley Civic Organization’s Annual Spaghetti Dinner Nov 4th 5-7PM
Excelsior Springs Museum & Archives’ Annual Dinner Nov 9th 5:30PM
Liberty North High School presets The Wizard of Oz Nov 8th-11th
Liberty High School presents The Addams Family Nov 16th-18th
Gladstone’s new Police Department ribbon cutting Nov 17th 10AM at City Hall
Liberty High School Exit 1-6 Improv Performance Nov 21st
Liberty North High School BBFP Improv Performance Nov 21st
Gladstone Mayor’s Christmas Tree lighting at Linden Square Nov 28th 6PM
Visit Clay New Website: Clay County’s Tourism and Marketing Coordinator Megan Sahlfeld has updated the. Find things to do, places to stay and what’s new. If your event is not listed contact Megan at msahlfeld@claycountymo.gov. You can also follow on Facebook.
Click on the high school of your choice to see their calendar of events. Excelsior Springs, Kearney, Smithville, Liberty, Liberty North, North Kansas City, Winnetonka, Oak Park, Staley, Oakhill Day School, St. Pius , Northland Christian, Lawson and Platte County R-3 (yes, part of their district is in Clay County).
Farmers’ Markets: It’s that time of the year when the farmers’ markets start popping up. Here are the ones your EDC found in Clay County. Kearney, Lawson, Smithville, Gladstone, Liberty, Downtown Liberty and Excelsior Springs. Simply click on the location for more information.
Clay County Visitors’ Guide: Our friends at the Courier Tribune created a Guide to Clay County for visitors and locals alike. If you are a subscriber and already got this then great. If not, here is a link to some super cool things to do right here.
Our Mid-Continent Public Libraries offer many classes including the Square One courses on how to operate a business. The website offers many opportunities, both virtual and in-person.
Did you know that your EDC provides small business loans through our partnership with Midwest Small Business Financing? We want to put your business into buildings and purchase the required fixed assets. Our rates include the Small Business Administration fees and are currently 7.614% for ten years, 7.061% for 20 years and 6.989% for 25 years. Please contact us with any questions. You can read about upcoming SBA trainings and get more informationabout the SBA’s Resource Partner Training here.
The Northland Education and Business Alliance now has its own YouTube channel. This organization just continues to grow and get things right and your EDC is proud to be a part of it. Feel free to view the dozens of videos of various career opportunities right here in Clay County.
Your CCEDC is on the move. Click to join a committee, or to invest with us.
David Slater, Executive Director davids@clayedc.com
7001 N. Locust, Suite B101 – Gladstone MO 64118 – (816)468-4989
