As I observed this past Monday’s City Council meeting, what struck me once again regarding certain members of the City Council is how they repeatedly seem to excel at being an embarrassment to our community. 

At first glance, one might see a thread of logic in some of the questions our District 3 councilmen asked of Blue Springs EDC President Brien Starner regarding Missouri Innovation Park. But when you drill down into the facts several inconsistencies arise that leave one wondering about the nature of their true motives.

Councilman Solon asked whether the EDC had ever paid a sitting councilman for services rendered.

One would hope our EDC would choose, whenever feasible and appropriate, to utilize local business services in Blue Springs.  Several councilmen, current and former, own businesses in our community. It would be no surprise that such activity might have occurred. 

My company has helped the EDC on a number of occasions with computer network issues since my service as a city councilman. Prior to engaging my company, the EDC did its homework to ensure that the services it was purchasing would be delivered at a fair price and at the professional level it required. We participated in a competitive bid process and were awarded the work based on the bid submitted.

I am proud we were able to provide the quality service to meet the needs of the EDC.

Councilman Solon suggested that the city should consider placing Innovation Park on a 100-acre tract north of I-70 on Adams Dairy Parkway.  She seemed puzzled as to why a 250-plus-acre project would not fit on a 100-acre tract.

Why is she so determined to promote that land and so opposed to the current location? Didn’t she state during her campaign for the City Council that she wanted to bring “real jobs” to Blue Springs? Why is she opposing a project that will achieve her own stated objective?

In the fall of 2009 Councilman Solon led a comprehensive plan review task force. Her task force’s recommendation to the council was to amend the comprehensive plan to establish a land use category for Missouri Innovation Park and recommended tracts of land, approximately 250 acres surrounding the Adams Pointe Golf Course, for that designation.

While claiming Monday that she had not received an update on MIP since May 2009, Councilman Solon apparently forgot her Sept. 16, 2009, council briefing prior to her recommendations that were adopted in October 2009. 

In the end, it was exciting to learn that the University of Missouri would be accelerating its entrance into our community by almost two years.

It should come as no surprise that the current economy has slowed capital investment in the project, but by coming to Blue Springs early, MU is demonstrating its commitment to the project and to its eventual success!

The headline on the front page of Saturday’s Examiner, “Innovation Park hits roadblock,” was discouraging to me considering the hard work and dedication so many people have invested in making this project a reality. As I went on to read the article, my hopeful expectations for the future of the Innovation Park were restored.

Rarely do complex projects advance exactly as originally envisioned. Adams Dairy Parkway itself is an example of the need and benefit of adaptability in accomplishing objectives for the greater good of the community.

Today, we know that the University of Missouri component of the park will initially locate in the Heartland Financial building, adjacent to Adams Pointe Golf Course, while waiting for economic conditions to improve before beginning construction of the Mizzou Center. This is an excellent example of adapting and recognizing that market conditions require flexibility to accomplish this very worthy goal for our community.

The vision of Missouri Innovation Park is to build a regional home for a knowledge-based workforce dedicated to innovation and the commercialization of the ideas that come from that work. The park will link scientific research, higher education and entrepreneurial development and as a result encourage high-tech commercial development along the Adams Dairy Parkway corridor.

The current plan is to locate the first building in the park immediately south of the Adams Dairy Landing shopping center. Future expansion will initially be to the south.

A recent economic impact study found that over the next 15 to 25 years the Missouri Innovation Park would bring close to 3,765 new jobs within the park itself and indirectly an additional 2,140 jobs in the surrounding community. The average pay for these jobs would be $51,000 per year and in many situations, higher incomes are likely.

Proposed state legislation to encourage and accelerate the development of the park – House Bill 1635 and Senate Bill 922 titled “Missouri Jobs For the Future” – is the vehicle for accomplishing this objective. I would encourage us all to stand together in support of these bills as we work to continue the progress toward the Missouri Innovation Park’s development.

The Missouri Innovation Park, announced just more than one year ago, has received significant media attention. Excitement surrounding the development projects and the impact that they will have on our city abounds. However, the fine details are still forthcoming.

Innovation involves the deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative to generate new ideas. The Missouri Innovation Park will be a science and technology park for research and development, new products and services. The Mizzou Innovation Center, which will facilitate the collaborative efforts of University of Missouri professors and graduate students in the study and research of human and animal health technologies, will be the anchor tenant.

The remainder of the park would house facilities and businesses that will integrate well with the research and development of the university and will likely produce products for commercial sale, resulting from scientific and technological discoveries of the park. The potential for several thousand high-paying jobs coming to Blue Springs and the surrounding region is exciting and is only one component of the many benefits to our community that will come because of the park.

The Mizzou Innovation Center should begin development and construction in the coming months. The commitment our city leaders have made to the park, to the achievement of this goal which will raise the economic demographic of our community, will be validated.

As we embark on this extraordinary journey, no one knows exactly what the final result will be or how the finished product will appear. The details of the park continue to evolve, which is normal and appropriate for projects of this magnitude and scope. The result will lead to discoveries we cannot even imagine today. With innovation and discovery, the possibilities are limitless.

There is a lot of talk around town regarding the Missouri Innovation Park, a development that is sure to change the face of the future of Blue Springs. A “Show Me” attitude is part of the culture in Missouri, and some need to see dirt moving and buildings under construction to truly believe that the Innovation Park, bringing with it the desired growth of quality jobs, is a reality.

Community leaders in Blue Springs laid a path many years ago, putting in place the key components to support the development of the Innovation Park by establishing the vision for Adams Dairy Parkway. As that vision has evolved, we have seen the addition of retail and restaurants, which add another component necessary to the realization of the original vision for Adams Dairy Parkway.

Two and a half years ago, as the first details regarding the park began to emerge, Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation President Brien Starner and I had long conversations about the potential the park brought to our community. It was clear that the stars were aligning for success. A project of this type normally takes, on average, approximately five years to develop the support of all the various organizations necessary for success.

In this instance, the Missouri Innovation Park has the support of the City of Blue Springs, the University of Missouri, the Blue Springs School District, the Central Jackson Country Fire Protection District, the Blue Springs Economic Development Corp., the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the Kansas City Area Development Council, Jackson County, the Mid-Continent Public Library system, and many other entities in the region and state in just two short years.

This support by so many public and private organizations is vital to the success of the project and is a direct result of the passion and commitment of current and past mayors and councils, Brien Starner, and the Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation members.
Despite the current national economy, the project has continued to move forward. New legislation, referred to as “Jobs for the Future,” has been filed and would enable projects like the Missouri in Innovation Park not only for Blue Springs, but also for progressive communities all over Missouri. This legislation would allow cities more control over their own economic destiny, with the intent of attracting high-quality public and private jobs.

Our city now stands at a precipice of key decisions and actions. As citizens, we need to join with our elected leaders and the leaders of these supporting organizations to see the fulfillment of this vision for our city. In the coming weeks there will be announcements that will show visible progress and the beginning of construction of the Mizzou Innovation Center which will anchor the project and provide the intellectual property that will spur the creation of high-tech jobs in the park. The possibilities are endless, and I am excited to see this vision come to fruition.

The city is working diligently on the road improvements planned for Woods Chapel Road, and the work is progressing even though it is not yet visible.

Recently the city held a public meeting to provide information and answer questions regarding the current progress and details of the project proposed. Once planning and right-of-way acquisition is complete, utility relocation is scheduled to begin next fall and actual roadway construction is estimated to begin the summer of 2011. Completion of the project is anticipated in 2013. As the westernmost north-south corridor in Blue Springs, Woods Chapel Road improvements are long overdue and will be a welcome enhancement to this area of our community.  This information is available at http://www.bluespringsgov.com/woodschapel.

Wanda and I had the privilege of volunteering at five of the Ararat Shrine Circus shows this past weekend, and we, along with thousands of others, had the pleasure of attending the first two Missouri Mavericks hockey games at the new Independence Events Center. After tailgating with Happy Hour and the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, we cheered the Mavericks on to their second home victory Saturday evening. What a beautiful facility!

Driving through Coronado Place and Adams Dairy Landing recently, the signs of new shopping and dining opportunities are impossible to miss. The Gap Generations store and Sally Beauty Supply will be open very soon. Chipotle, Mattress Firm and Game Stop are coming along nicely. Furniture Gallery has opened across from Wal-Mart, and the Olive Garden restaurant is beginning to take shape across from Home Depot, joining Texas Roadhouse as another full-service dining option.

Sales tax revenue from all of these projects is already having a positive impact on our city’s revenue. That will continue to improve as more people become aware of the new shopping and dining opportunities in Blue Springs. As these developments continue to attract new retail and restaurant tenants, our local buying choices expand. The success of these new businesses is critical to our community’s economic health, so remember to buy Blue Springs!

Along with all of these new retail opportunities, Missouri Innovation Park continues to be a bright star on the horizon. While this is a complicated project with many technical facets, the positive impact that thousands of new, high-paying, quality jobs will have on the future growth of our community and the region cannot be overestimated.

Progress on these developments will bring new opportunities, for many areas in our community, to consider in the coming months. Now is the time for our city leaders to have a vision beyond the individual projects and continue to have the flexibility to adjust as the market responds to our successes!

This evening Wanda and I went shopping at Target in Blue Springs!  It is hard to believe that four and one-half years have passed since the first time I had the opportunity to meet with a Target representative about bringing a Target Store to our community.  Since then the efforts of many people have resulted in the opening of the first store at Adams Dairy Landing.

First Wal-Mart, then Home Depot, then Coronado Place’s bank, restaurants, and stores, and now Target.  With dozens more yet to come, Blue Springs is suddenly hopping with business.

As the development work continues on Adams Dairy Landing, it is important that we all remember to patronize these businesses even when it might be inconvenient.  From October 12 to 14 this coming week, Coronado Drive will be closed for final construction.  To get to Wal-Mart or Home Depot you will need to enter from R.D. Mize road, the back entrances to both of these businesses.  For the businesses in Coronado Place you should approach from Mock Avenue or Sunnyside Road and enter from the west entrance by Sports City.

Please keep these businesses in mind and make a special effort to get out and patronize them during the construction.  We want to show all of our new businesses that we are happy they have chosen to do business in our city!

By Jeff Martin - jeff.martin@examiner.net

The Examiner

Posted Oct 07, 2009 @ 12:25 AM

Blue Springs, MO —

Reports were sketchy Tuesday night at the Blue Springs Target, but it appears as if the first two purchases at the new store were – a medium Starbucks coffee and a Snickers bar.

That’s right – Target is now open in Blue Springs.

The first store in the highly anticipated Adams Dairy Landing retail complex to open, the Tuesday event brought out dozens of people, most of whom were city officials and friends and family of the approximate 135 employees.

Dan Fogt, store manager, considers the store a kind of utopia.

“This is one of the nicest stores I’ve been in, and I’ve been with Target for 18 years,” Fogt said.
For the past three-and-a-half years, Fogt managed the Target in Independence.

But this Target is a bullseye for Fogt, the result of months of intense planning and busy stocking, of planning and coordination, of rigorous work. Hiring staff was a massive task alone – interviewing more than 500 applicants to fill the estimated 135 positions.

“To compare, this store has about 90 percent of what a Super Target has,” he said, referring to those retail stores located in Lee’s Summit and Liberty. “I think people will find pretty much anything they’re looking for when they come here.”

Like Starbucks coffee and Pizza Hut pizza, two features that, in most stores, are not typically located in the front.

“The pharmacy is up front, too,” he said, “which is what Target wanted because it’s more people friendly.”

In staying with the Mediterranean theme that is Adams Dairy Landing’s signature, the new Target is full of cool red and blues, of gold, of glowing lines and a pleasant mixture of tan colors. In the aisles, high graphics lure shoppers north, south, east, west as they navigated the unscuffed tiled floor.

“It’s more decorative,” he said.

Unlike most untraditional Target stores, this Target has a large produce section. Grapes and strawberries are literally stacked like bricks; there is a variety of yogurt and breads and salads and subs. The frozen foods section lights up as shoppers walk past, then turn off as they move on.

“There are more signs, which help people find the area’s they are looking for,” he said.

And the photo lab! Fogt can’t stop talking about the photo lab.

“The quality is great,” he said. “People should stop and see the quality.”

But the store is more than just a store; it’s also a boundary the city has been wanting to cross for years. City Council member Sheila Solon, who cut the ribbon Tuesday night, said many year’s ago city officials and leaders envisioned and planned the Adams Dairy Parkway as a place devoted for mixed use purposes.

Serving as Mayor Pro-tem Tuesday night, Solon said shoppers in Blue Springs now have another choice.
“This is keeping in line with the city’s vision,” she said.

Target is planning for a grand opening on Sunday, though the store is now open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Michelle Ratliff of Grain Valley arrived Tuesday night to shop. At the entrance, she took a long look at the nifty new plastic shopping carts and slid one out.

“These are neat,” she said.

And a new concept for Target stores, Fogt said.

Ratliff is pleased there’s no more Interstate 70 travel in her future – at least not when it comes to going to Target.

“No more going to Independence,” she said.

And that’s a bull’s-eye for her, too.

From the City of Blue Springs Website: http://www.bluespringsgov.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1650