Breaking news: The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl Swifty Eight.
Tip of the cap to Usher for the inspiration. I’m writing this column while on roller skates.
I don’t know if you’ve heard but that’s two Super Bowl wins in a row for our favorite team and three years out of the past five. The only mystery left in this season is whether Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, will make it to the Super Bowl parade in KC on Wednesday. You’ll already know the answer to that before this wet-off-the press edition of your favorite newspaper lands in your hands.
A couple of my favorite quotes from Super Bowl night.
“We work hard. Our coach is old school. He knows what he’s doing even when it looks like he doesn’t.”–Willie Gay, Chiefs linebacker.
“I blacked out after I caught it.”–Mecole Hardman, Chiefs receiver who caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Some folks showed up at the City of Platte City’s listening session last Monday night. The people were polite. Nobody directly asked anything about the city’s embarrassing worst-kept personnel secret, in case you were wondering, though it continues to get plenty of conversation around town.
Latest on the City of Platte City’s former public works director, Brad Wallace, who up until Tuesday had remained in the county jail after an armed barricade with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies back in December: Online court records show that on Tuesday Wallace was granted a medical furlough from jail with a condition being that proof of admittance and residency at Valley Hope be required. Valley Hope is a facility for drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation. He was granted a recognizance bond, no other bonding was required for his trip to Valley Hope. Prosecutors did not object.
Wallace is charged with felonies of armed criminal action and harassment in the first degree. Next court appearance in his case is set for March 12.
Wallace’s previous legal trouble was the assault of a man who simply had expressed a differing viewpoint on the spiciness of the salsa in a Mexican restaurant in Platte City last May. The video of that assault is set to become a public record soon.
Tina Chace, executive director for the Platte County Economic Development Council, was present last week at a Platte City Board of Aldermen meeting at the request of city administrator Marji Gehr to talk about, you guessed it, economic development.
Chace mentioned that when developers are considering looking to come do business in an area they will definitely Google the community to find out what’s happening.
“Developers want to know about planning and zoning, what’s allowed, what’s not allowed. Traditionally they like to sit with us (EDC) and talk about what’s going on in the community. Politically, what’s going on in the community, and whether there are certain things councilmen or aldermen like or don’t like and what will be for or against. So I would say that’s the number one thing. Everyone needs to remember there’s a lot of information at their fingertips (on the internet) and you’re trying to attract things to your community. That’s the first thing a developer is going to do is Google your community to find out what’s happening. That’s number one.”
Yikes. That could be scary for Platte City right now, considering all the drama that’s been going on in City Hall for months. Reports of all that drama are on the internet. Take a minute right now to Google the phrase “City of Platte City personnel drama” and see what pops up.
If I were a Platte City alderman, I would assume Chace’s comment was a polite way to say “Hey, everybody–including potential developers–is aware there’s some negative stuff associated with your city right now.”
Chace was asked if she has had any builders and developers looking at Platte City and if so what has their impression been?
“I’ve only had one project come through my door for Platte City. And they were looking for a real deal. They wanted to have frontage along the highway but it was not very pretty. So I continued to watch for the relationship and have those conversations but it didn’t go anywhere. Other than that, everything I see is speed to market, meaning they want to be ready for operations let’s say in 18-24 months. So they could be looking for an existing building. That’s why you’re kind of seeing these speculative industrial parks pop up, because it’s quick and easy for those folks who prefer to lease or just buy right now. I’m really putting up sites that are finished or near finished. We do submit VanTrust (the planned industrial park area east of I-29 and north of Hwy. 92 in Platte City) quite a bit, but I haven’t seen anyone want to come look at it yet. You’re up against some pretty good incentives from other industrial parks,” Chace said.
For those wondering, there is no Platte County Jail question on the April ballot. So you’ll have to wait till August or November to vote against it.
(Foley likes to think he knows what he’s doing even when it looks like he doesn’t. Email ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)