Alderwomen Bolinger and Stamberger present
Neighborhood Notes
Man, it is HOT! Does this mean winter will be extra cold? I have only seen one wooly
worm and it was equally divided between auburn and black. So what does that mean?
I don’t know. I just thought I would mention it. Usually my back yard looks like wild
kingdom. I had a woodchuck trying to move in, but he found there was no room in the
inn for him. I have had deer come up and graze in my neighbors pasture, but I suspect
they are staying close to the creek beds. The gold finches are out. The males are
striking in color. I have a friend who heads up KU’s Monarch Watch. As you may
know, last winter was particularly hard on the Monarchs and killed a lot of them off. I
have seen two caterpillars and captured their form on my camera phone. One of my
neighbor’s raises chickens. I grew up on a farm in Louisburg, Kansas. Hearing my
neighbor’s rooster brings home a lot of wonderful memories from those days. We
would be done canning tomatoes and peaches by now and begin freezing corn. We
would be thinking about our side of beef and the hog that would be feeding us through
the winter. I harvested 5 pumpkins out of my own yard. These were produced in my
front yard as volunteer plants from last autumn. I also was able to grow about 5 ears
of corn. The rest of my flowers and garden burned up.
School will start soon. Just for your information, kids going to college may want to
bookmark the following web sites in order to get a break on books. Alibris.com,
Thriftbooks.com and Amazon.com has used books for sale or rent.
Ditches, Culverts and Hard Work, Oh My! The Public Works Department of Pleasant
Valley is still hard at work for its citizens. If you see them working on the side of the
road– honk and greet them with a thumbs up! Perhaps if you have any concerns about
dangerous spots in the City, please contact City Hall or the Public Works DirectorTammy Ammon. The Board of Aldermen extends its hand out to work with the Special
Road District in order to get our culverts in shape for our citizens. We are visiting the
ordinances to bring them up-to-date with present times and circumstances. So our
attorney is hard at work preparing ordinances/laws for our review. If you have any
questions and/or comments, please contact Juretta Goode, City Clerk, she will be
happy to assist.
Fire Department. As Alderwoman Stamberger is newly elected, getting to know the
department heads has been a wonderful experience. I recently was provided
information from FEMA with regard to some emergency programs offered by them for
the month of September. The City’s Fire Chief, Robert Stinson, signed up the City of
Pleasant Valley to partner with the government program. He is formulating a disaster
plan for the City and additional information will be available from him in the next
couple of weeks. If you have any questions regarding a disaster plan, please contact
the Fire Chief.
Semi Annual Budget. The Board recently passed its City’s Annual Budget. The City is
staying the course with its budget for this year with no frills available. We are in a lot
better shape than most of our sister cities, such as Blue Springs. I understand this
city is undergoing furloughs for many of its departments, specifically their police and
fire departments. Fortunately, the Board laid out the blue print for its employees to
receive their annual raises of 3% for this fiscal year and we have succeeded in
maintaining its commitment to all our hardworking employees. Additionally,
Alderwoman Stamberger has been in contact with the Chairman of the State Budget
Committee, Rep. Ryan Silvey and his office has graciously extended its amity to the
Alderwoman. I have been able to maintain friendship between party lines and Rep.
Silvey’s assistance to furthering my education in municipal finance is greatly
appreciated. Likewise, Alderwoman Stamberger has received an invitation from former
Insurance Director Scott Lakin in an organization he is spearheading with regard to
municipal finance. Likewise, I have an open invitation to ask questions from the State
Auditor’s office. They have been a lot of help with understanding the anatomy of a
city’s budget. A side comment, Senator Luann Ridgeway assisted Alderwoman
Stamberger in commenting on Proposition C and providing her view on the subject.
Receiving fair and balanced perspectives are always helpful to the insight of elected
officials.
Neighbor Acknowledgements
Did I say it was hot out? Remember to check on your neighbors during this heat wave.
If you have neighbors you haven’t seen for a couple of days, you might want to give
them a call or knock on their door to see if they need anything.
Alderwoman Bolinger has come up with a grand idea. In order to get through tough
economic times such as we are experiencing, she is collecting grocery coupons to offer
for trade or give away to families who want to save on their grocery bills. If a group
wants to meet up to trade off or pay it forward in coupons, please call city hall and get
a hold of Alderwoman Bolinger. Great idea for a moving its citizens forward for
upholding a sustainable community.
Reminders
I have a friend who is campaigning for Mayor in Kansas City. I recently am reminded
of a politico’s commitment to its electorate by virtue of lifting a quote from his
campaign literature. Michael Burke grew up in the Northland. I have been afforded the
great experience to remain friends with Mike for well over 10 years. This great
experience remains on my bucket list of life. He reminds us as elected officials: “. . . , I
offer my commitment to be diligent and responsible to all matters that affect our city. I
also commit to hiring a professional staff that will take care of the important day-to-day
responsibilities of the office. . .” As elected officials, we are reminded to be committed
and diligent as we move the city forward for the next generation of life. Our city has a
professional staff who works hard for its citizens so let us not forget all people who are
involved in making a city a sustainable community.
Well, thus ends our writings for the month. Be safe during your travels. Please contact
board members with any questions, comments or ideas you may have to enhance our
city or concerns you have for your neighborhood.
Beverly & Mary, First Ward Alderwomen