Brush Creek Community Partners-Monthly Newsletter

SWOPE COMMUNITY BUILDERS CELEBRATES FOURTH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE SHOPS ON BLUE PARKWAY

The Shops on Blue Parkway celebrates its fourth anniversary with a weekend of family fun and special events starting Friday, October 30.

As part of the anniversary celebration, Swope Community Builders, which owns 'The Shops,' also expects to welcome new businesses to an already-strong lineup of retail operations at its facility at 4400 Blue Parkway. Fulfilling its mission to revitalize the urban core, Swope Community Builders will make an announcement at a news conference October 30.

"We're excited about the opportunity to stimulate economic development in this community," said William "Bill" Jones, president, Swope Community Builders. "In a tough market for retail, we have been able to attract an array of solid businesses that offer affordable products and services to The Shops."

The weekend-long activities will include special discount offers from local merchants, special attractions, food giveaways, prize drawings and other activities.

"We want to invite the entire community to visit 'The Shops' on our anniversary weekend," Jones added. "Despite the difficult economy, we have been able to generate growth that benefits the neighborhood, city and state-and we think that's a reason to celebrate."

'The Shops'' broker Greg Patterson & Associates will host a luncheon to give commercial brokers from the greater Kansas City community and beyond a closer look at what the facility has to offer.

The Shops on Blue Parkway, whose anchor is Blue Parkway Sun Fresh Market, also is home to Subway Restaurant, Family Dollar, Simply Fashion Stores, New York Fashion, Foot Locker, H&R Block, Manhattan's Freshwear, and Diamonds & Diamonds.

From dusk until midnight on Saturday, October 24, thousands of people will gather along the banks of Brush Creek at the Plaza to experience Waterfire, a multi-sensory experience of music water and fire.

In its third year, the living art installation of lighted braziers in the middle of the creek will be complimented by special music and
performances by the Vesuvius fire dancers and Quixotic Performance Fusion. More than 50,000 people attended the 2008 event.

A rain date of Saturday, November 7 has been set. More information is available at www.visitkc.com/waterfire.

A national recognition and a substantial federal award have been received by the University of Missouri-Kansas City already this fall.

The Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration's Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI) was recognized as having one of the top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs in the country by The Princeton Review. This is the first time in its history the Bloch School has been ranked in the top tier of entrepreneurial colleges and business schools.

"IEI has one of the largest and highest quality entrepreneurship faculties in the world," said Michael Song, IEI executive director. Currently 195 students are enrolled in its entrepreneurship degree-seeking program with 334 students taking classes while enrolled in other academic units on campus. The program's goal is to inspire students to become active participants in entrepreneurship and innovation.

IEI was evaluated against 2,300 graduate business schools based on key criteria in the areas of academics and requirements, students and faculty, and outside-the-classroom experiences.

UMKC's School of Education and its Institute for Urban Education (IUE) program received a five-year, $8.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, allowing for expansion of the IUE infrastructure to prepare teachers to teach in urban schools. The award is part of the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Program.

The grant will launch the IUE Change Agents for Urban School Excellence program, which broadens the school's and program's scope, depth and impact of their current practices. IUE is a nationally-recognized model for urban teacher education, and its
students will undergo a rigorous program of study with an emphasis on math, science and literacy, which includes full immersion in working in urban schools.

IUE graduated its first students in last May with each student is currently teaching in one of the partner school districts of Kansas City and Hickman Mills, MO, and Kansas City, KS.

Bob Fluchel, manager of the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center since 2005, has retired after 25 years with the Missouri Department of Conservation in Kansas City. Earlier this year he was named the 2009 Distinguished Interpreter of the Year by the Association of Missouri Interpreters. Stacey Davis has been named the center's manager. She has been with the Department of Conservation for six years, most recently as the Manager of the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City has recently named three new deans and two vice chancellors. Wanda Blanchett is the new dean of the School of Education and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Endowed Chair in Teacher Education. She comes to Kansas City from the University of Colorado Denver where she was Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Curriculum and Associate Professor of Urban Special Education for the School of Education and Human Development. Teng-Kee Tan is the dean of the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration. Before joining UMKC, he was Director of the Nanyang Technopreneurship Center at the Nanyang Technological University in the Republic of Singapore. Marsha Pyle, dean of the School of Dentistry, most recently served as the vice dean of the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. UMKC has also named Rick Anderson as vice chancellor for Administrative Services and Curt Crespino as vice
chancellor for University Advancement. Both had served as Interim Vice Chancellors of their respective divisions since 2007.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has launched "Build a Stronger America," a movement to unite entrepreneurs and help give them a stronger voice in the public discussion about the country's economic future. Through its web site (www.BuildaStrongerAmerica.com), entrepreneurs and business owners will have a central hub to share their stories, hear about issues affecting them and create a unified voice.

Jeffrey R. Breese recently joined Rockhurst University as dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. Breese comes to Rockhurst from Marymount University in Arlington, Va., where he served as associate dean of the School of Education and Human Services.

Bob Berkebile, principal and founder of BNIM Architects, is a recipient of the Heinz Award from the Heinz Family Foundation for his leading edge work in advocating green design. For the past 30 years, he has been committed to restoring social, economic and environmental vitality to communities. Berkebile was the founding chairman of the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment and co-founder of the U.S. Green Building Council, which administers the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Building Certification Project.

Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City is one of six hospitals across the U.S. participating in the Aligning Forces for Quality: Equity Quality Improvement Collaborative, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As part of the involvement, the hospital will develop and share tools for improving cardiac care for African-American and Hispanic patients with acute myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure. Saint Luke's will work with other hospitals across the country to test new ideas, quantify results and share lessons learned.

An affiliation agreement has been finalized between the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the UMKC Foundation
transferring to the foundation responsibility as the primary fundraiser for UMKC. Creation of the foundation is intended to provide for the community to be more actively involved in fundraising for UMKC. Murray Blackwelder, who recently completed a successful $1.7 billion campaign at Purdue University, serves as president of the foundation. University Advancement functions are being transferred to the foundation. The foundation's first major leadership gift commitment is a $1.7 million bequest from Andress Kernick to benefit renewable energy and environmental research in the School of Computing and Engineering, in consultation with the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry.

The Kansas City Art Institute has received a grant to support an ongoing series of paid student internships at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. A $500,000 gift to the college from the Stanley Durwood Foundation has been matched by the Barbara Hall Marshall Endowment Challenge, effectively parlaying the foundation's gift into a $1 million perpetual fund. Longtime KCAI trustee and supporter Barbara Hall Marshall issued the challenge to KCAI in 2007 as a catalyst for doubling the college's endowment. Four KCAI students have been selected for internships this fall with additional internships to be awarded in coming years.

St. Francis Xavier and Visitation Parishes both observed their 100th anniversary this year. Both Catholic churches are distinguished by legacies of social justice, mission, community and education, as well as each having a unique and distinctive sanctuary.

LINDA HALL SYMPOSIUM FEATURES
LEADING CLIMATE CHANGE EXPERTS

Leading experts from around country are part of the public symposium at the Linda Hall Library on Friday, October 16 to explore the
fundamental, and often ambiguous, issues of climate change. From basic climate science to the assessment of global warming evidence, the event's world-renowned faculty will present research from the viewpoint of their particular scientific disciplines to make clear the complex and rapidly evolving study of climate change.

"Our goal is not to persuade attendees of one theory or another pertaining to climate change, " said Linda Hall Library President Lisa Browar. "It is to create a more informed public by presenting a diversity of scientific research findings, conclusions, and professional opinions that will help clarify the complexity of the issue."

More information about the day-long event can be found at http://climate.lindahall.org.

GREEN IMPACT ZONE TAKES HOLD

Efforts to transform 150 square blocks of the Brush Creek Corridor through intense and comprehensive coordination of programs and resources gained traction over the summer. Designated the Green Impact Zone, the area involves five neighborhoods adjacent to Brush Creek east of Troost Avenue in which federal stimulus funds for job training, employment opportunities and housing improvements - primarily weatherization - are the foundation for revitalization of some of Kansas City's most economically challenged neighborhoods.

Green Impact Zone Director Anita Maltbia started work for the initiative in early August. The former Assistant City Manager for Kansas City leads a staff that includes a Program Manager and four Community Ombudsmen who will work closely with the neighborhoods, the community development corporations that serve them and Brush Creek Community Partners in coordinating and spearheading concerted outreach and communications efforts. Funding for the first year of operation was provided through a grant from the City of Kansas City.

Zone Office Opens With White House Endorsement
And KCP&L SmartGrid Commitment

The official opening of the Green Impact Zone Neighborhood Assistance Center at 4600 The Paseo on September 1 drew federal administration officials to Kansas City. At a forum on the initiative, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, and the Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs Adolfo Carrion each discussed the potential for inter-governmental agency cooperation and coordination and new policies to ensure the success of place-based efforts like the Green Impact Zone.

Cutting the ribbon on the Green Impact Zone Neighborhood Assistance Center September 1
were (from left): Kansas City Area Transportation Authority General Manager Mark Huffer;
Great Plains Energy Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mike Chesser; U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II;
Historic Manheim Park Association President Rodney Knott; U.S. Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development Shaun Donovan; Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs Adolfo Carrion,
White House Council for Environmental Quality Special Adviser Van Jones;
and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Pocari.

At the ribbon cutting for the center, Mike Chesser, chief executive officer of Great Plains Energy, which owns Kansas City Power & Light, announced the utility's commitment of $14 million as part of a $48 million application made to the Department of Energy to introduce SmartGrid technologies to the zone. SmartGrid demonstration improvements are designed to enhance energy services through improved reliability, reduced energy delivery costs, and more efficient-energy consumption to KCP&L's 14,000 customers in the area. The proposal includes renewable energy, rewiring the entire area, and installing smart thermostats and appliances in homes and businesses.

Troost MAX Green Line Groundbreaking Celebrated

Also in September, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority held a groundbreaking celebration for the construction of Troost MAX, the city's second bus rapid transit line. The $30.7 million "Green Line" will run from Bannister Road on the south to the Library District Transit Center downtown, complementing the Green Impact Zone with improved transit service to the area, better access to jobs and education, and a more environmentally friendly way to travel. The construction of 42 stations begins this fall with service anticipated to begin late next year.

The ceremonial dig signaling the start of Troost MAX construction included
(from left): Donovan Mouton, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority commissioner;
Geoff Jolley, district director, Office of U.S. Representative Emanual Cleaver, II;
Michael Collins, district director, Office of U.S. Senator Christopher Bond;
Anita Maltbia, director, Green Impact Zone; Carol Grimaldi, executive director,
Brush Creek Community Partners; Mokhtee Ahmad, Region 7 director, Federal Transit Administration;
Terry Riley, Fifth District Kansas City City Council representative.

The Green Impact Zone was proposed by U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver. Even before the Green Impact Zone had staff and an office, the Mid-America Regional Council began working with the community to coordinate several grant applications with the Green Impact Zone as a central component, including proposals to fund programs for in-fill and rehabilitation of housing, job training, Internet access, community justice, weatherization and other housing improvements, infrastructure and transportation, and healthy lifestyles. The University of Missouri-Kansas City's Center for Economic Information will serve as the data source for the strategic planning and outcomes measurement of the Green Impact Zone's activities.

CAMPUS ADDITIONS COME ON LINE

Construction of the Stanley H. Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus was completed in time for the start of the academic year. The $9 million soccer, softball and track facility will host UMKC programs, intramural athletics and approved community sports events. The stadium, named for UMKC and Athletics Program supporter the late Stan Durwood, provides seating for 850, locker rooms, offices and concession areas.

The stadium is the second campus addition opening this fall. The new Herman and Dorothy Johnson Hall at 50th and Oak Streets is home to 320 students. The $17 million building is LEED-certified, supporting UMKC's sustainability initiatives. It divides residents into eight 41-person communities, offering a social lounge, kitchen, classroom and music practice rooms.

Still under construction are the New Student Union at Cherry and 51st Streets and the Miller Nichols Library expansion at 51st Street and Rockhill Road. All these projects have been designed to accommodate considerable growth in UMKC's enrollment.