In This Issue
Eastern Jackson County Yard Waste Collection Center
Dredging Railroad Lake at Rotary Park
2014 Temporary Art Exhibit "Voices"
Blue Springs LEADership Class
Parks & Recreation Announce New Ways to Connect with Your Parks System
Community Blood Drive
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 City Councilmember

District 1

 Jeff Quibell   
 
District 2  
 District 3
 Susan Culpepper 
 
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St. Jude Dream Home 

Floor Signing & Upcoming Ticket Sales Event

 
On May 29, I was honored to be part of the Floor Signing Ceremony for the 2014 St. Jude Dream Home located here in Blue Springs.
 
This ceremony is very unique that people are encouraged to write personal messages to the future home owners.  The messages will be covered up by the finished flooring, but the house will be infused with well wishes to the new owners.
 
Ticket Sales
Speaking of new owners - raffle tickets for the Dream Home will go on sale on Wednesday, June 11!  
 
I invite you to join me at the official ticket sales event at Blue Springs Harley Davidson on Wednesday, June 11 from 11 a..m. to 1 p.m.
 
I will be joining Country KFKF-94.1 personality (and Blue Springs Councilman!) Dale Carter as kick-off the Dream Home ticket sales season.   I will be buying the first raffle ticket at Blue Springs Harley Davidson so I hope you can come out and enjoy this great event.
 
St. Jude Dream Home Information 
The home is currently under construction in the Shores at Chapman Farms development and is located at 8808 SE 1st Street, Blue Springs, Mo.
 
The home is being built by Summit Custom Homes and features six bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, three garages and is valued at over $525,000.
 
The Dream Home Giveaway is an annual raffle-based fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  Tickets will go on sale June 11 and the winner will be announced Oct. 12 on the KSHB 41 Action News at 10 p.m.
 
For more information, about the St. Jude Dream Home, click here.  To reserve your raffle ticket, click here.
Girls on Fire Camp
     

 The Blue Springs Police Department's Community & Youth Outreach Unit, in partnership with the Blue Springs Fitness Center, is offering a free, half day, week long summer workshop for girls ages 12-17 for residents or students of the Blue Springs School District.

 
Blue Springs Kids Triathlon
       Blue Springs Kids Triathlon

June 21, 6:15 a.m.

Blue Springs Family YMCA

 

We are proud to announce our third annual Blue Springs Kids Triathlon.  Thanks to Blue Springs HyVee's sponsorship, we now have reduced registration fees! 

  Tri for Tots (ages 4-5)

$15 registration fee

Swim 20 yards, Bike .25 mile & Run .25 mile.

Novice (ages 6-10)

$25 registration fee

Swim 25 yards, Bike 1.25 miles & Run .53 mile.

Competition Division (ages 6-10)

$25 registration fee
Swim 100 yards, Bike 2 miles & Run 1 mile.  

 

Competition Division (ages 11-14)

$35 registration fee

Swim 200 yards, Bike 4 miles & Run 2 miles.

 

For more information, click here. To register, click here.

Upcoming Community Events
   

 

  

 Blue Springs Historical Society 

Garden Tour

Saturday, June 21, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tickets are $10, 

children 12 and under are free


  The Blue Springs Historical Society Garden Tour features six gardens with special events at each site.  Garden themes are The Secret Garden, Heritage Garden, Death by Chocolate, Bedazzle and Bejeweled, Gone with the Wind Estate Garden and Beauty and the Brownfield.  

 

Tickets are available at the Dillingham-Lewis Museum on Sundays from 1-4 p.m. or call (816) 224-8979 for more information.

  

   

    

 Wounded Warriors Family Support

High Five Tour 2014

Saturday, June 21, 4-6 p.m.

Blue Springs Ford

3200 NW South Outer Road


 The Wounded Warriors Family Support Mustang will make a stop a Blue Springs Ford as part of the fifth annual High Five Tour 2014. 

 

The High Five Tour is an opportunity for millions of Americans to show their

support and say "thank you" to the thousands of military families who have made sacrifices for our freedom. 

  

I invite you to come out, see the Mustang and write a note of 'thanks' to our veterans.

  

To learn more about this program, click here.

  

    

  

Blue Springs Farmers Market

June 7 & 14, 7 a.m. to noon

Parking lot of the Blue First Baptist Church of Blue Springs, 1405 W. Main 

  

The Blue Springs Farmers Market is located in downtown Blue Springs on 11th and Main Street. The market specializes in home grown fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats and many other items that are grown or made by hand. 

Upcoming Parks & Recreation Events
     

    

 Car Cruise

Friday, June 13 from 6 p.m. till dusk

Downtown Blue Springs

  

Bring the family out to view the latest innovations in car restoration from over 100 exhibitors and enjoy delicious food and drinks from downtown merchants as well as concession treats and sodas.

Cruises are held the second Friday of each month, April through August. Co-sponsored by Mid-America Mustangers and Blue Springs Ford.

 

 

Music in the Park Concert Series

Rotary Park at Railroad Lake

 

 Sunday, June 8, 6-8 p.m.

Loozin' Sleep

 

Join us as Loozin' Sleep (Soulful Rock) takes the stage.  Presented by the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce.

 

Sunday, June 15, 6-8 p.m.

Loose Change

 

Join us as Loose Change (Variety) takes the stage.  Presented by the Big Biscuit.

  
 

 

 Movies in the Park - Disney's Frozen

Friday, June 20, activities begin at 8 p.m., movie begins at dusk

Railroad Lake at Rotary Park

600 NW Vesper Street

  

Grab a blanket, a lawn chair, family, and friends, and head to Rotary Park to enjoy a FREE outdoor movie and popcorn under the stars. Movies are family friendly. Movies begin at dusk and are shown on a huge inflatable screen with a state-of-the-art projection and sound system.

 Let's Move! Saturdays!

 
Gage Center
1101 NW Jefferson
June 7, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Join us for a morning in Bump City.

Rink Ratz
513 SW Keystone Drive 
June 7, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening of roller skating.
 
Title Boxing
1821 SW Highway 7 
June 14, 10-11 a.m.
Join us for a morning of boxing activities for kids ages 8+, signed waiver required.
 
Action Martial Arts
2416 S Highway 7 
June 14, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Join us for an morning of kickboxing and cross training for kids ages 7-13.  Class is capped at 25 participants, register by calling (816) 224-4105.
 
Lunar Bowl
2001 NW Highway 7 
June 14, 2-4 p.m.
Join us for an afternoon of bowling activities, clean tennis shoes required.  One game per participant.
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City of Blue SpringsNews Happenings
Around Town
 A bi-weekly message from your Blue Springs Mayor and City Council
Greetings!  
 
Hello and welcome to News Happenings Around Town, your one-stop source for City information and news updates, including those items most important to you.

 

School is out and summer is in full swing here in Blue Springs!  Summer may be the beginning of a much needed family vacation, a time for yard work and home improvements, or a chance for the kids to enjoy a day at the Centennial Pool-Plex.  To learn more about the pool, click here.  If you are still looking for something for your kids to do, I would invite you to check out the City's Summer Day Camp Program by clicking here.

 
The Music in the Park Concert series continues to be very popular here in Blue Springs.  This free event concert series features a different band every Sunday night from 6-8 p.m. at Rotary Park.  To see the complete 2014 concert lineup, click here.

 

As always, please continue sharing this timely publication and spreading the word about what's good and going on in the City of Blue Springs.
Eastern Jackson County Yard Waste Collection Center

We are very excited to celebrate the opening of the Eastern Jackson County Yard Waste Collection Center located at 37910 E. Pink Hill Road, Oak Grove, Missouri 64075.    

 

Regular operating hours for the EJC Yard Waste Collection Center are Saturdays, April - October, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  EJC Yard Waste Collection Center will collect leaves, yard clippings, tree limbs, brush, and large tree debris. Large trucks, trailers and commercial users are welcome during regular operating hours.

 

The center was made possible thanks to Jackson County, along with partners from Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Solid-Waste Management District, City of Blue Springs, City of Grain Valley and City of Oak Grove, received a FY2014 grant from the MARC Solid Waste Management District to develop the yard waste site. The land for the site was designated by Jackson County near Pink Hill and Ketterman Road in Oak Grove.

 

For more information about the EJC Yard Waste Collection Center click here or call (816) 847-7050.

Dredging Railroad Lake at Rotary Park
Top Photo: A sign at Rotary Park lets guest know that the lake is closed for dredging operations.  Second and Third Photo:  A pontoon boat outfited with a beater bar and suction tube pumps the sediment to the discharge pipes.  Fourth and Fifth Photo:  A pump separates the silt and sediment from the water and pumps the solids collected into large bags located over the ridge at the park.  Last Photo:  The pump then returns the separated water back into the lake.

Those of you who frequent Railroad Lake at Rotary Park may have noticed a pontoon boat floating around the lake.  This boat is part of the dredging process for the lake.

 

Railroad Lake is a retention basin for storm water; water in the lake is collected from storm drains that surround the area.  Over the years, storm water collects and deposits sediment in Railroad Lake.  Approximately every 10 years we dredge the lake to prevent algae buildup, maintain aquatic life and all for recreational programming.

 

You may be interested to learn that before the dredging process began, Railroad Lake was only one and a half feet!  Dredging operations will take a few weeks to complete and at the end of the process the lake will be around seven feet deep.

 

The bags containing the silt and sedimentation will remain onsite until the material has dried, then be moved out of the park to be used as fill by the Parks Department.

2014 Temporary Art Exhibit "Voices"
Top Left: "Breath" by Victoria Reed-Nieman; Middle Left: "High Flight" by Rollin Karg; Middle Right: "Fire, Earth & Water" by Janet Kuemmerlein; Bottom: "Taffeta" by Reven Marie Swanson.

Have you seen the 2014 Blue Springs Art Commission temporary public art exhibit yet?  The "Voices" exhibit features four original artworks and is located at the Adams Pointe Conference Center, 1400 NE Coronado Drive.

 

Experience "High Flight" by Kechi artist Rolling Karg. See "Fire, Earth & Water" by Prairie Village artist Janet Kuemmerlein.  Be sure to see all sides of "Breath" by Madison artist Victoria Reed-Nieman.  And, enjoy "Taffeta" by Denver artist Reven Marie Swanson. The exhibition is available from April 1 to September 30.  

 

The Blue Springs Public Art Commission will be hosting a dedication ceremony for "Voices" on Tuesday, June 17 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Adams Pointe Conference Center - all are invited.

 

New this year is a Peoples Choice contest!  You can vote for your favorite piece by clicking here.

 

The exhibit will be on display until September 30.  For more information about the exhibit, click here.  To see a brochure about the show, click here.

Blue Springs LEADership Class

 

On June 2, the 2013-14 Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce's LEADership Class visited the City Council Meeting. We were all very impressed by this year's class!   

 

LEADership Blue Springs was established in 1991 by the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce to develop a community leadership pool. Participants will develop skills and knowledge of our community through a series of workshops focusing on business, government, quality of life, volunteer services and local history. 

 

Each year the LEADership program is required to do a project to graduate the program. This year's class elected to do a fundraiser for the Food for Thought Program.  They were able to raise almost $11,000 - what an amazing accomplishment!

 

Food For thought is Blue Springs School District Program funded by donations made to the Education Foundation c/o Food For Thought.  This program is designed for school age children who do not meet the financial requirements of the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, but their families are in financial distress. These students would typically not be able to eat the lunch served by the school during the day, yet good nutrition is a key component of learning.  

 

The 2013-14 LEADership Class will graduate from the program at the upcoming June Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce Luncheon.   To learn more about the program or to apply for the 2014-15 class, click here.

Parks & Recreation Announce New Ways to Connect with Your Parks System  
Top:  Friends of Blue Springs Parks & Recreation Logo  Bottom: Friends of Blue Springs Parks & Recreation window decal and water bottle 

The Blue Springs Parks & Recreation Department has recently launched two new initiatives to engage residents on important issued related to parks and recreation at the local, state and national levels.

 

Friends of Parks & Recreation Program

This new program is free to join and offers members behind-the-scenes information about the parks system, 'Did you Know' facts and figures and quarterly discount coupons to Parks & Recreation programming. Program participants also receive a free water bottle and window cling upon registration!  

 

To enroll in the program or for more information, click here. 

 

City of Blue Springs Parks & Recreation - Along the Path
City of Blue Springs Parks & Recreation - Along the Path

Along the Path with Blue Springs Parks & Recreation Show

'Along the Path with Blue Springs Parks and Recreation' is a bi-monthly show that's looks at news, events and happenings within the department. The first show includes segments on Day Camp, Mud Battles and a spotlight on Young Park. The program also brings back a popular City Scenes segment called "Coop's Corner" that features Parks and Buildings Superintendent Randy Cooper. 

 

The show will be available on CTV-7 Comcast Cable Channel 7, AT&T UVerse Channel 99, the City's YouTube channel, click here

and on the City's Web site, click here.

Community Blood Drive

 Community Blood Drive

Monday, July 7, 1-5 p.m.

Municpal Annex, 1304 W Main Street

 
Did you know that the Community Blood Center needs to collect 580 units of blood daily to meet the needs of area hospital patients?  

 

We will be holding our annual Communtiy Blood Drive in July and I urge you to help us meet our goals.  Signing up is easy!  Click here to register online or email for an appointment by clicking here.

I hope you have found this issue of News Happenings Around Town to be both informative and timely for your City information needs. Is there anything we missed? Do you have questions about any of the articles from this issue? Share your thoughts with me and the City Council by calling City Hall at (816) 228-0110. Know that we truly value your time and support for our City and hope you join us for the next issue of News Happenings. 
 
Sincerely, 
 Ross sig
Carson Ross, Mayor
City of Blue Springs
Our
Mission 
The City of Blue Springs is a unique community where families, visitors and businesses share a special quality of life and an abundant spirit of community closeness and cooperation. 

 

Our number one goal is to ensure that our residents, visitors and patrons receive quality customer service and attention with every program and service the City provides. Just as you stand by a community that strives to meet your family's needs, we promise to do our best to meet these needs and anticipate what's best for you and our community, to the best of our ability.