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THE BRUSH CREEK BULLETIN Volume 9, Issue 3 July/August/September 2007   WATERFIRE GRACES BRUSH CREEK Event to Return Saturday, October 13 Thousands of people came to Brush Creek the evening of September 8 to view the premiere of WaterFire in Kansas City. In addition to enjoying the blazing braziers in the middle of the waterway, visitors were treated to performances along the creek. WaterFire returns to Brush Creek just south of the Country Club Plaza on Saturday, October 13 - beginning at sunset and running until midnight - with continuous music and sidewalk entertainment provided by Vesuvius Fire Dancers, “A Night of Song” ensemble from the Kansas City Lyric Opera, and internationally acclaimed performance group Quixotic. The event begins with a series of boats traveling along Brush Creek through the darkness to obtain the fire. They make their way with flaming torches to ignite 85 braziers in the middle of the creek. Throughout the evening, boats return to the bonfires, constantly feeding them with new wood and keeping the sculpture in its original form throughout the duration of the evening. The powerful visual effect is reinforced by stylized music developed for WaterFire Kansas City by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Led by local arts advocate Karen Holland, individuals and organizations worked for over a year to secure contributions and plan to bring WaterFire to Kansas City with the support of its Providence, R.I. creator Barnaby Evans. For more information, visit http://www.visitkc.com/waterfire/ UMKC LEADING EXAMINATION OF CITY’S URBAN MARKET CAPACITY Across the country, decisions about commercial development are based on data that under-report urban core areas. Urban areas often suffer with a lack of jobs and services because standard market models indicate there is an insufficient concentration of target customers and the purchasing power of an area is lacking. The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Cookingham Institute of Urban Affairs and the Center for Economic Information is bringing Social Compact’s DrillDown to Kansas City to develop a data source that reflects the assets of the urban core and not its deficiencies. The Brush Creek Corridor is among the commercial corridors that will be examined will be in the three-year Kansas City Urban Market Assets (KCUMA) study. According to Social Compact, a major contributing factor to Kansas City’s and other urban areas’ under-retailed markets is the reliance of the real estate industry on statistics from the U.S. Census, which undercounts urban core areas by as much as 25%. The census includes only one source of data - surveys - which rely on reported income, rather than actual income. In addition to missing pockets of development and subsequent growth and ignoring the cash economy, census data relies on averaging income rather than reporting the median, making the potential for suburban development appear stronger on paper. "We are very pleased to bring the KCUMA project to serve the business and retail needs of Kansas City and to more accurately estimate the entire population, said Robyne Turner, director, UMKC’s Cookingham Institute of Urban Affairs. “This data will create opportunities for development and financial resources directed to underserved neighborhoods, including those that border Brush Creek. By partnering with BCCP we will ensure that the data is used to its potential by an organization that is making an impact on the economic viability of the eastern part of the Corridor." Social Compact has performed the DrillDown in eleven cities over the last ten years. The study provides a more accurate count of the urban population using more than 30 data sources. It uncovers the hidden market assets like population, true purchasing power and the informal economy. The research conducted in over 100 urban neighborhoods has resulted in nearly a billion dollars in investment. DrillDown results in Cleveland revealed a 28 percent jump in the city’s population, a ten percent increase in the median household income and a cash economy of $820 million. Release of this new information led KeyBank to establish new branches and develop a strategy to increase banking in urban core neighborhoods. Based on results in other cities, it is projected Kansas City’s reported population could increase between 15 to 30 percent, making it one of country’s 20 largest citites. This increase in population could affect state and federal funding for economic development, transportation, education and other government allocations. Projections for the area served by the Shops on Blue Parkway at the eastern edge of the Brush Creek Corridor indicate a population as much as 25 percent larger and income 30 percent more than the census data reports. This is the first time the DrillDown is being conducted in partnership with a university. Ryan Sullivan, Social Compact’s director of operations and senior research advisor said the partnership provides an opportunity to leverage data the university has been collecting on the city and institutionalize the work so it can be replicated and updated, observing UMKC has been very proactive and engaged with the community. He said project leaders in the Cookingham Institute and Center for Economic Information are already identifying new applications for the data. PARTNER UPDATES E. Frank Ellis, chairman and chief executive officer of Swope Community Enterprises (SCE), has been named a 2007 Difference Maker by the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. SCE is the holding company of: Swope Health Services which serves more than 55,000 patients through eight clinic and residential treatment locations, 90 percent of whom live below poverty level; and, Swope Community Builders, a community development corporation that has delivered more than $225 million of community investment and development initiatives in Kansas City. Ellis has been a driving force behind the growth and development of SCE and its member companies for 35 years, having served as president and chief executive officer of Swope Health Services, formerly Swope Parkway Health Center, for 21 years. He served as the first President of the Brush Creek Community Partners Board of Directors from November 1998 through 2001. He will be honored at the Urban League’s 50th Difference Makers Awards Luncheon on December 4. Margaret May, executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, has been appointed by Mayor Mark Funkhouser to Kansas City’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Commission. The TIF Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on redevelopment projects that would use this tax incentive to eliminate blight, stabilize and grow Kansas City’s tax base. May is a member of the Brush Creek Community Partners Board of Directors. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Director and Chief Executive Officer Marc Wilson is a 2007 recipient of Harmony’s Distinguished Citizen Award. Wilson and others are being recognized for changing the fabric of the community. He is specifically being honored for his commitment to making the museum accessible to everyone. The museum’s policy of free admission, extensive educational outreach, and exhibits that feature minority cultures and artists have brought national recognition to the museum and city. Wilson is a founder of Brush Creek Partners and a former member of the BCCP board. Harmony supports the pursuit of justice and respect for all, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual preference, age or socioeconomic status. The award will be presented October 9. Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City and the system’s Chief Executive Officer have received several recognitions in this, the hospital’s 125 year of service: U.S. News and World Report has ranked the hospital among “America’s Best Hospitals”, in the nation in three separate specialties – Heart and Heart Surgery, Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Gynecology. Out of the more than 5,000 hospitals evaluated, only 173 met the standard of excellence in one or more of the16 specialties surveyed. This is the first time Saint Luke’s Hospital has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News and World Report, and is also the first time that any Kansas City area hospital has been listed since 2001. Kansas City consumers have once again named Saint Luke’s Hospital first for high quality health care services in the metropolitan area, according to National Research Corporation (NRC) 2007/08 national Consumer Choice Awards. The hospital was the only Kansas City area hospital to receive the award and has ranked first in the Consumer Choice Award every year the NRC has presented the honor since its inception in 1996. G. Richard Hastings, president and chief executive officer of Saint Luke’s Health System, was ranked number 44 on Modern Healthcare magazine’s annual “100 Most Powerful People in Health Care” list. Hastings was previously named in 2004 and 2005. He is the only Kansas City area person included on the list this year. Each August the national industry magazine publishes a list of the 100 most powerful people in health care. The University of Missouri-Kansas City moved closer to its $200 million capital campaign goal with the commitment of a total of $4 million for a new building project and creation of degree program. The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation has given $2.5 million for the $40 million planned expansion of the Conservatory of Music and Dance. Completion of the project will include a new performing hall, additional rehearsal rooms and a dance studio and a Music and Dance Academy Wing. UMKC plans to capitalize on the conservatory’s national and international reputation to make it one of the ten best music programs in the country. The Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration has received $1.5 million from the White Family Foundation to create the Lewis White Center for Real Estate. The center will deliver undergraduate and graduate degree programs in real estate to develop a nationally prominent center for real estate research and education. Course started this fall. Blue Hills Community Services Corporation has received an $825,000 loan from M&I Bank for the community development corporation’s Olive Street Homes development. Olive Street Homes consists of five Energy Star Certified single-family houses, currently under construction and located between 49th and 50th Streets and Olive in the Blue Hills neighborhood. The loan originated from the bank’s receipt of $75 million in New Market Tax Credits, and represents the first use of the program in Kansas City. It is also the first loan nationally by M&I Bank from its tax credit allocation. Tulips on Troost organizers want one million tulips blooming along Troost Avenue in Spring 2008 and are looking for help. Planting dates are set for Saturdays, October 27, November 3 and November 10. Contact Alicia Douglas at Rockhurst University at 816-501-4306 if you can volunteer for any time on these days; groups are especially welcome. Visit www.troostavenue.com for more information or see some of this year’s 70,000 blossoms. KIRKWOOD REDEVELOPMENT EXTENDS TO MAKEOVER OF MAIN STREET To complement the new ten-acre condominium, townhome and single-family Kirkwood Development, SDT Realty is planning to revitalize and improve Main Street between 49th and 50th Streets. The relocation of a popular restaurant to an adjacent building began the transformation that will include a mix of new retail, residential and office use. The redevelopment along Main Street will extend west one block to Wornall to connect with the western edge of the Kirkwood residential development. Later projects include a new grocery store at the northwest corner of 51st and Main as well as other retail space and a 125-unit apartment development. The renovation of an office building owned by DST at 4901 Main to include office, retail and residential space is also being planned. Market conditions will influence the progress of later phases of the project. COLLEGE ORIENTATION INCLUDES COMMUNITY FOCUS More than 360 Rockhurst University freshmen kicked off their college careers in August by volunteering at 22 Kansas City schools, neighborhoods and social service agencies as part of the annual Finucane Service Project. This group of students cleared weeds and brush from in front of the Brookside Day School campus fronting Troost Avenue. The Finucane Service Project is part of the new students’ orientation to the campus and community. VISITATION PASTOR SEES VITALITY ALONG AND SOUTH OF BRUSH CREEK Father Patrick Rush is certainly no stranger to the Brush Creek area. As a boy growing up in Westport, he used to ride his bike along the cement of the creek. “Brush Creek was my playground,” says Rush. Now, as Pastor of Visitation Church at 51st and Main Streets and board member of Brush Creek Community Partners, the adult Patrick Rush has the opportunity to help see that the area remains vital and strong. Rush has served the Kansas City/St. Joseph Catholic Diocese as a priest for 38 years. Ordained in 1969, he was an associate in two inner city parishes and two parishes in the eastern part of Kansas City before becoming the founding pastor of Holy Family parish in Clay County in 1980. Rush says that was his most exciting job. Father Patrick Rush “It was totally from scratch. All we had was a property and a debt,” he said. “We had to form a community and a church. It was very exciting, but very taxing. Starting a church is a young man’s game.” From Holy Family, Rush was appointed pastor at St. Thomas More in south Kansas City and then pastor at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, downtown. After that, he was made Vicar General, or Chief Operating Officer, of the Diocese from 1994 to 2005. Now, as pastor of Visitation Church, Rush is putting his pastoral and administrative experience to work reducing the parish debt from what was invested in the recent renovation of the church and expansion of the school. “When I arrived here, we had a debt of $8.2 million. In one year, we reduced that to $3.5 million, but we’ve got to continue to address our indebtedness.” Besides the financial investment, Rush says the parish is also building programs and ministries to ensure the spiritual and human growth of the parish. “Our investment has added to vitality of this side of the creek, and we are growing and continuing to add families to the parish.” Rush says as the new pastor at Visitation, he asked for time to “get my feet on the ground” when he was approached about joining BCCP board. In that time, he came to believe strongly about what the partnership was doing. “I was glad to have Visitation be a player. And for it to be a player, I had to be a player,” he says. Rush sees benefits from the Plaza side of Brush Creek, and he says the parish has a self-interest in seeing benefits on the south side as well. He believes the Brush Creek area is important to Kansas City; while the city has focused on the north/south aspects of the city, the east/west axis is also significant. But Rush says as he drives along Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, he sees a revival happening compared to ten years ago. He thinks BCCP is helping by striving to build an interconnectedness among the various groups in the area, establishing dialogue among profit and non-profit businesses and residents in finding a ways to consolidate interests. In addition to work with BCCP, Rush says Visitation is also working with St. Francis Xavier’s Church Community Organization with a focus on improving public schools, starting with Border Star school at 63rd Street and Wornall Road. He says the goal is more parental involvement in the school, and he thinks their efforts could one day become a model for other parts of the city. Rush says while this is a parallel project to the work of BCCP, they are ready to share what they doing and what they have learned with BCCP if it moves in that direction someday.