In This Issue
Public Safety Building Renovation and Expansion
March with the Mayor a success!
Spring/Summer edition of the Blue Springs Magazine now available
Vital Heart Program
Contact Your
 City Councilmember

District 1

 Jeff Quibell   
 
District 2  
 District 3
 Susan Culpepper 
 
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www.bluespringsgov.com
Blue Springs April Election 
  vote  
On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 there will be a General Election here in Blue Springs.  On the ballot will be:

  

Jeff Quibell


I encourage you to exercise your rights and get out and vote.  Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

For more information call (816) 325-4600 or click here.
Mega Mom Contest
    
The Buy Blue Springs Program is running a contest!  To enter, simply click here and enter your email address on the left hand side of the website.

The Buy Blue Springs Program aims to keep local dollars in our community.   Did you know that dollars spent in our economy have three times the impact on Blue Springs as dollars spent outside of the area?

 When shopping in businesses in Blue Springs, you simultaneously create jobs and fund more city & county services through sales tax.  This is investing in neighborhood improvements, police, fire and ambulance services as well as cultural arts, parks, and libraries.  Buying locally promotes community development.

Popular Financial Annual Report


As part of our continuous effort to keep you informed on how your tax dollars are being spent, we are pleased to announce the third Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR).  

 

The PAFR is a brief summary of the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The purpose of this information is to inform residents of the City's financial activity. This information does not replace the CAFR, but provides the same information to residents in a
concise, easy-to-read format.

 

The report provides information on the City's financial position concerning investments, revenues, expenses, and net assets of Blue Springs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013.  

 

To see the PAFR report,  click here.  To see the City's current budget, click here.

Spring Cleaning Recycling Events  


 Household Hazardous 
Waste (HHW) Program

 

April 19, 8 a.m. to noon

Pink Hill Park, 2715 NW Park Dr. 

 

This event continues to be one of the most successful recycling programs in Blue Springs. Materials collected this year include antifreeze, batteries, motor oil and paint ONLY.  

 

This event is free and open to Blue Springs residents and will accept the first 420 vehicles. 

 

Blue Springs is a member community of the MARC Regional HHW Collection Program. Residents can use the HHW facility in Kansas City or Lee's Summit
year round, free of charge. For more information, click here. 

 

 

 

 

DEA Rx Take Back Program

April 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

Blue Springs Municipal Annex
1304 W Main Street

 

Cosentino's Price Chopper
1100 S Highway 7 

 

Cosentino's Price Chopper
1305 N Highway 7

 

Blue Springs Police Department has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and both Blue Springs Price Chopper locations to give residents an opportunity to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

  

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Due to the drop-off nature of this program, no needles of any kind are accepted.

2013-14 LEADership Class Project 


 Rolling out the Red Carpet for

Food For Thought

April 23, 5-8 p.m.

Blue Springs Theatre 8

 

Each year the Blue Springs Chamber's
LEADership program is required to do a project to graduate the program. This year, the class has elected to do a
fundraiser for the Food for Thought Program.  

 

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.  To see a video about the program, click here.  To learn more about the Blue Springs Education Foundation, click here.

 

Tickets for this event are $15 and include admission, a light dinner from local restaurants and games!  There will also be silent auction items for you to bid on.  Guest can choose which movie they would like to see upon arrival.


To purchase tickets or for more information, click here or call (816) 229-8558.

Severe Weather Awareness 

Severe Weather Week
Did you know that outdoor warning sirens are not designed to be heard when inside your home or business?  Below are two ways you can become better prepared if severe weather strikes our area. 
  • CodeRED  Blue Springs residents can sign up for the CodeRED Emergency Notification & Weather Warning System. This system allows us to notify residents of emergency situations that require immediate action.  The Weather Warning System is a severe weather early warning service that will call your contact number and deliver an alert message shortly after a warning is issued by the National Weather Service for your area.  To sign up for this free service, click here.  You can also sign up by calling the CodeRED hotline at (816) 220-2633.

 Let's Move! Saturdays!

--
 
TaJazz School of Dance
1100 NW Knox
April 5, 10-11 a.m.
Join us for a morning of dancing for kids ages 5+.

Adams Pointe Golf Course
1400 NE Coronado Dr.
April 5, 2-4 p.m.
Join us for beginner golf instruction and free range balls.
 
Title Boxing
1821 SW Highway 7 
April 12, 10-11 a.m.
Join us for a morning of boxing for kids ages 8+, signed waiver required.

'The Blue' Centennial Pool Plex
2401 Ashton Dr. 
April 12, 1-3 p.m.
Join us for an afternoon of open swimming.
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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.

 

It looks like spring may finally be upon us!  April showers are bringing much needed rain and hopefully we will have May flowers soon.  

The first Car Cruise of the season is Friday, April 11 in Downtown Blue Springs!  I invite you to check out the vintage cars and visit the new businesses that call Downtown Blue Springs home.

It is hard to believe we dedicated the Veterans Way Memorial one year ago.  The Veterans Way Memorial, located at Pink Hill Park, 2517 Park Hill Road is dedicated to the sacrifice, courage and valor of all veterans who served our nation.  If you have not done so yet, I encourage you to visit the memorial in Pink Hill Park.  
 
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.
Downtown Water Tower Deconstruction & Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Howard L. Brown Public Safety Building Renovation and Expansion Project
 
Special thanks to Jeff Roberts of JLR Photo & Video for the aerial photo (third from top) and to Anthem Photography (bottom photo) for letting us use these photos. 

Construction on the Howard L. Brown Public Safety Building Renovation and Expansion Project will began on March 28 with the removal of the downtown water tower.

  

The water tower was removed to make way for the Public Safety Building Renovation and Expansion Project. The design team tried to incorporate the existing water tower into the building expansion project, but ultimately the space requirements and project goals made it clear that the water tower could not be incorporated.

 

This was not an easy decision; the water tower is a landmark for Downtown Blue Springs. I was sad to see the tower come down, but in order to meet the goals of the expanded public safety building and be good stewards of public dollars, it became very clear that the tower must be removed.     

 

The downtown water tower is not necessary for fire suppression or water supply. As the City's water system has grown, additional transmission mains have been added to the system providing pathways to deliver water throughout the downtown area. The City has over 12 million gallons of storage capacity in the remaining tanks and towers.

The removal of the tower is cost neutral to the City. When the City negotiated the agreements with the various technology companies located on the water tower's base, we included a provision that if the City ever deemed it necessary to remove the water tower, the technology companies would pay for the tower removal and the construction of a new cell phone tower. There is no cost to the tax payers for removal of this water tower.  

 

Groundbreaking Ceremony
I would like to invite you to attend the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, April 7 to celebrate the beginning of the Howard L. Brown Public Safety Building Renovation and Expansion Project.

The ceremony begins at 5:45 p.m. and will be held overlooking the Howard L. Brown Public Safety Building, 1100 SW Smith Street, Blue Springs, Mo.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, the City Council will have our first council meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Municipal Annex, 1304 W Main Street, Blue Springs, Mo. As a result of this relocation, City Council and Planning Commissions will not be live broadcast, but an audio recording of the meetings will be posted to the City's Web site.

  

For more information on the Howard L. Brown Public Safety Building Renovation and Expansion Project, click here.  

  
Left to right - Julie Porter, Howard Campbell, Dennis Moore
Quick thinking and the use of an AED by fellow churchgoers saved the life of Blue Springs resident Howard Campbell in February.

Howard was sitting in church when he experienced a sudden cardiac death. Fellow church members recognized that Howard was having a life-threatening event and placed him on the floor while others retrieved the AED.  "I knew something was really wrong when I laid him down on the ground," said Dennis Moore. Dennis began chest compressions on Howard while another Blue Springs resident Julie Porter, an off duty nurse, applied the AED.  "I was surprised when the AED said shock advised,"  said Julie. Howard was shocked one time by the AED.  "I wasn't expecting Howard to wake up and tell me to stop pushing on his chest," said Dennis.   To see more of this amazing story, click here.

The Good Shepherd Christian Church of Blue Springs purchased the AED about six months ago through the Vital Heart program.Captain Mike Wallace of the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District and Vital Heart Program Administrator stated that no doubt the quick actions of Dennis and Julie saved Howard's life.
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.