This week’s issue is hitting the streets a day early due to Veterans Day. With postal delays already testing readers’ patience, we didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer for your favorite newspaper.
I was sad to see that Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman is retiring after 52 years in law enforcement overall, 18 of which he spent in Parkville.
I’ve worked with him several times since taking over as publisher and he has always made himself available when needed. He’s an honest guy and doesn’t sugarcoat anything, which I’ve appreciated. It will be challenging for Parkville to replace him; the next chief will certainly have some big shoes to fill.
I hope the next chief follows Chrisman’s example of being accessible and responsive to the media.
Here’s a fascinating fact for you. Did you know that Platte County has 21 communities, including incorporated cities and villages as well as unincorporated areas? I always thought it was 20, until a loyal Landmark subscriber reached out to me by email about a delivery issue with their paper.
This reader owns a business in Waldron, and I’ll be honest, I had to Google where it’s located. Waldron is in southwestern Platte County, west of Parkville, near the Missouri River along Route 45. And it turns out, we have five subscribers there. You really do learn something new every day, don’t you?
I have fun choosing the Facebook comments of the week for each issue and I already had two election coverage-related comments chosen until Josh read the comments on the Platte City water and sewer rate increase story. He wanted to choose the comments this week.
You see, Josh manages the front office and designs the pages, while I handle all things editorial. We typically stick to our own lanes and what we know best. That changed last weekend when Josh realized that everyone who commented on the sewer rate story feels the same way he does.
Relocating from California, we had always rented and never owned a unit or home there, so neither of us had paid for water, sewer or trash. Those had always been included in the rent. We paid other utilities, like gas and electric, and those were high enough, so we were relieved the others weren’t our responsibility.
I had no idea what water, sewer or trash cost for anyone. That was until we received our bill after living in our little rental home for seven days. It said we owed $54.19. Thankfully, it broke down the specifics, stating $21.98 of that was for water, $26.84 for sewer and $5.37 for trash.
We couldn’t believe the bill was more than $50 for just a week. Something had to be wrong.
I took the bill into City Hall to double-check — were they billing us for a whole month? Did I read this incorrectly? It had to be a mistake.
Nope, it was for one week, a knowledgeable and friendly staff member shared with me. He asked how large our family was, because the water usage seemed high to him.
“Two people,” I said.
“Oh. That is high then. Do you have a leak or a running toilet?”
“I don’t know. We’ve lived there a week,” I answered.”
He explained there was a minimum water charge, which I didn’t understand until later when I covered the Board of Aldermen meeting on the rate increase. He projected that if we used the same amount of water each week for the next four weeks, our future bill would be $182.91 for the same three utilities.
So, we conserved water for the next 30 days. Conserved a lot … I’ll spare you the details on the “how.” Our bill this month was $88.60, not what the man projected.
I told Josh we should join the Platte City YMCA just to shower there after working out. At these rates, we might save money and accidentally get in shape.
Josh’s worries have now shifted from how high our water bill might be to how he’s going to “survive the winter.” Those are his words, not mine.
My husband, a California native, thinks 55 degrees is cold. He’s asked me, “Like, how cold does it get in the middle of winter? Say, in January or February? Is it below zero?”
A few of his other questions that come up almost daily now include, “What do people do? How do you stay warm?” and “What if I catch pneumonia? Our health insurance sucks.”
“We don’t have a fireplace. What if we lose power? Should we buy a generator just in case?” he inquired.
I told him buying a generator wouldn’t necessarily mean we could heat the whole house. A small one may only keep the fridge running.
“What?!”
I told him not to worry. We don’t have a garage, so I’ll buy him a nice ice scraper so he can scrape the windshield in the cold when I’m getting ready in the early morning hours.
And besides, really bad ice storms where you lose power don’t happen every year … I assured him he has nothing to fear.
But between you and me, I’m a bit worried about him surviving his first winter here too.
