Your Chamber at Work - March 5, 2019

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

Terrific news – the KCMO City Council has approved the development agreement with Edgemoor Infrastructure and Real Estate for construction of a new single terminal at KCI. That means the first phase – demolition of the vacant Terminal A and site of the new terminal – will begin as soon as two weeks from now.

The Chamber, Civic Council, and Kansas City Area Development Council sent a letter to City Councilmembers last week urging them to approve the agreement. And they did. In our letter, we thanked them for their diligence, adding, “Like airport construction projects in other major cities, these complicated endeavors take time, patience and a willingness to work together to insure the deal is in the best interest of our City and the traveling public. We collectively believe the proposal to build a new single terminal at KCI meets that criteria and is ready for approval.”

In the meantime, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved the necessary environmental assessment (delayed by the shutdown of the federal government). More good news!

The Chamber and our civic partners will continue to monitor progress of the new facility, and are very pleased that it’s now “Wheels Up!” for a Better KCI.

NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKING

The Greater Kansas City area loves art: painting, sculpture, installation, performance, music, etc. A major reason our community has access to so many wonderful and inspiring artists is ArtsKC. The nonprofit serves five counties: Clay, Platte, Jackson in Missouri, and Johnson and Wyandotte in Kansas. Join us for art, networking, and breakfast at ArtsKC’s gallery in the Crossroads for our latest Neighborhood Networking event, Friday, March 8 at 8:30 a.m. See how ArtsKC is working with local government and civic leadership to best advocate for the arts. This event is free for members and just $15 for non-members. Register now or email Brandon Krekel at krekel@kcchamber.com. If you can’t join us this Friday, save the date for our next Neighborhood Networking with AlphaGraphics on March 29. The Chamber’s 2019 networking sponsors are Mazuma, SS&C/DST, and Sprint. Thanks to Neighborhood Networking sponsors Andrews McMeel Universal and Spectrum Reach.

COMMUNITY FORUM: OPPORTUNITY ZONES

You may have heard a lot of talk about Opportunity Zones lately, but you still probably have questions. Congress created Opportunity Zones to provide a tax incentive to encourage long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. We have five Opportunity Zones in Kansas City. The KC Chamber, UNI, and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation have been facilitating community forums for residents, investors, and civic organizations to learn about Opportunity Zones. The final forum is Saturday, March 16 at 2 p.m. at the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, 3700 Woodland. Dr. Marvia Jones will facilitate the forum, which will cover what types of investments qualify, provide an overview of existing development plans, and more. Please register in advance.

CANDIDATES AND COLD ONES

In a couple weeks, the Chamber will host Kansas City’s mayoral candidates for a relaxed event as part of our Polsinelli Public Policy Up Close Speaker Series. There are a limited number of spots that remain for Candidates and Cold Ones, March 18, at 3:30 p.m. in the Chamber’s Board Road next to Pierpont’s in Historic Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd. Enjoy adult beverages, light hors d’oeuvres, and a chance to mingle with the candidates before the April 2 primary. They’ll be answering questions and sharing their plans for the Kansas City business community. This event is $20 for Chamber members. Register here or email Tiffany Friend with questions at friend@kcchamber.com.

SESAME STREET IN COMMUNITIES EXPANDS IN THE METRO

Kansas City, KS is the latest community nationwide to welcome Sesame Street in Communities (SSIC). The program uses their familiar faces – Elmo, Grover, Big Bird, and other Muppets – to help young children deal with trauma and build resiliency. The Family Conservancy and KVC Health Systems are partnering with Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools to use SSIC as another tool in the trauma and resiliency work they’ve been doing in KCK for the past decade. SSIC launched in KCMO last year, but program officials realized in order to reach full success, they needed to include schools on both sides of the state line. Read more here.