Images Lee's Summit, MO: 2007

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IMAGES

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O F L E E ’ S S U M M I T, M I S S O U R I

INTELLIGENT OPTION

College building doubles as safe haven during severe weather

BREATHE EASIER Hospitals teach simplified CPR methods to public

AHOY,

MATEYS Everything from yachts to scows race along Lee’s Summit lakes

SPONSORED BY THE LEE’S SUMMI T CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • 2007

I M A G E S

O F

Lee’s Summit 2007 EDITION, VOLUME 3

TABLE OF CONTENT S EXECUTIVE EDITOR T E R E E C A RU T HE R S COPY EDITOR J O Y C E C A RU T HE R S ASSOCIATE EDITORS DI A NE B A R T L E Y, L I S A B AT T L E S , SUSAN CHAPPELL

Features

STAFF WRITERS R E BE C C A D E N T O N, K E V I N L I T W I N, JE S S IC A MOZ O EDITORIAL ASSISTANT JE S S Y YA N C E Y DIRECTORIES EDITORS C A R O L C O WA N, A M A NDA K I N G, KRIST Y WISE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS E R R O L C A S T E N S, C R I S TA L C O D Y, J I M E L L IO T T, M AT T HE W M c R A E , J O E M O R R I S, G A R Y P E R IL L O U X ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER T O D D P O T T E R DIRECTOR OF CLIENT SERVICES C I ND Y C O MP E R R Y ADVERTISING SALES ASSISTANT S A R A S A R T I N

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CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER G R E G E ME N S STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS WE S ALDR IDGE, ANTON Y BOSHIER, MICHAEL W. BUNCH, I AN C URC IO, BR I AN M C CORD CREATIVE DIRECTOR K E I T H H A R R I S WEB DESIGN DIRECTOR S H AW N DA N I E L PRODUCTION DIRECTOR N ATA S H A L O R E N S ASSISTANT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR C HR I S T I N A C A R D E N PRE-PRESS COORDINATOR H A Z E L R I S NE R SENIOR PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGER TA DA R A S M I T H SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS BR I T TANY SCHLE ICHER, KR I S SE X TON, L AUR A TAYLOR, V IK K I W IL L I A M S GRAPHIC DESIGN JE SSIC A BR AGONIER, C ANDICE HUL SE Y, AMY NEL SON, L INDA MORE IR A S WEB PRODUCTION J I L L T O W N S E ND DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER A L I S O N HU N T E R AD TRAFFIC M I ND Y A R B O U R , S A R A H M IL L E R , PAT R IC I A M OI S A N, J IL L W YAT T CHAIRMAN G R E G T HU R M A N PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER B O B S C H WA R T Z M A N EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT R AY L A N GE N SENIOR V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JE F F HE E F N E R SENIOR V.P./SALES C A R L A HE N R Y V.P./SALES HE R B H A R P E R

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AHOY, M AT E Y S Summer drifts by in a haze of color during the sailing regattas on the county’s lakes.

IN T ELL IGEN T OP T ION The FEMA/Cultural Arts Building at Metropolitan Community College doubles as a safe haven for students and residents.

ROCK ING HE AV Y ME TAL Three city high schools apply classroom lessons to the challenges of building robots.

BR E AT HE E A S IER Hospitals reach out to the community to teach lifesaving techniques.

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V.P./VISUAL CONTENT M A R K F O R E S T E R V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING S Y BIL S T E WA R T V.P./PRODUCTION C A S E Y E . HE S T E R MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS M AU R IC E F L IE S S CONTROLLER C HR I S D UD L E Y ACCOUNTING M O R I A H D O MB Y, DI A N A GU Z M A N, M A R I A M C FA R L A ND, L I S A O W E N S, S H A N N O N R IG S B Y

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MARKETING MANAGER T R AC Y R O GE R S

Departments

RETAIL PRODUCTS MANAGER B R YA N C HI N E L L A DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING S U Z Y WA L D R IP

4 | AL M ANAC

DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR G A R Y S M I T H IT SYSTEMS DIRECTOR M AT T L O C K E

25 | P O R T F OL IO

IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN R YA N S W E E N E Y HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER P E G G Y B L A K E

30 | IM AG E G ALLERY

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT N IC O L E W IL L I A M S CLIENT & SALES SERVICES MANAGER/CUSTOM MAGAZINES PAT T I C O R NE L I U S

37 | A R T S/C ULT UR E

Images of Lee’s Summit is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce and its member businesses.

For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at info@jnlcom.com.

41 | S P O R T S/R ECR E AT ION 4 4 | COMMUNI T Y PROF IL E

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N , C O N TA C T:

Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce 220 S.E. Main St. • Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 (816) 524-2424 • Fax: (816) 524-5246 lschamber.com • E-mail: lscoc@lschamber.com VISIT IMAGES OF LEE’S SUMMIT ONLINE AT IMAGESLEESSUMM IT.COM

©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 361 Mallory Station Road, Ste. 102, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080.

All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

Member Member

Magazine Publishers of America Custom Publishing Council

Member Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce

On the Cover P H O T O B Y A N T O N Y B O S H I E R Powell Gardens

LEE’S SUMMIT BUSINESS HAR T L E Y ’ S L A S T HURR AH . . . . 16 The former home of Hartley’s Home Furnishings is being turned into a multimillion-dollar mixed-use development.

BIZ BRIEFS

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CHAMBER REPORT ECONOMIC PROFILE

. . . . . . . . . . . 20 . . . . . . . . . . 21 IMAGESLEESSUMMIT.COM

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ACTION! ADVENTURE! “IT KEPT ME ON THE EDGE OF MY LAPTOP!”

“ LEE’S SUMMIT LIKE IT’S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”

Images of Lee’s Summit

THE MOVIE

STARTS TODAY!

WORLD WIDE WEB SHOWTIMES VALID MONDAY-SUNDAY 24/7

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT ANY RESEMBLANCE TO PLACES, EVENTS OR QUALITY OF LIFE IN LEE’S SUMMIT IS PURELY INTENTIONAL!

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R E A D M O R E ON L I N E

IMAGESLEESSUMMIT . com EDUCAT ION AND SCHOOL L I S T ING S Check out school districts, colleges and universities in the Lee’s Summit area. >Read More

A FAMILY TRADITION ...

The Brents’ Family Real Estate Team “Helping people feel at home in Lee’s Summit for three generations.”

GARDENING How does your garden grow? Get the dirt on regional gardening. >Read More

FOOD What’s cookin’?

Get a taste of regional cuisine. >Read More

Fawn Brents, CRS, CSP, ABR, GRI Realty Executives, Metro One 1201 NE Windsor Dr. Lee’s Summit, MO 64086 (816) 875-1717

REALTOR.COM Search for a new home, get moving tips and more at the National Association of Realtors’ Web site. >Read More

THE MOVIE Take a virtual tour of Lee’s Summit as seen through the eyes of our photographers. See for yourself what sets this community apart. >IMAGESLEESSUMMIT.COM

For homes and more, log on to: fawn-sells-homes.com Fawn, John and Jennifer

• Certified Residential Specialist – CRS® • Certified Sales Professional – CSP ® • Accredited Buyer’s Representative – ABR® • Graduate, Realtor Institute – GRI® • National Relocation Professional Broker • Licensed in Missouri & Kansas • Board Certified Master of Real Estate • Certified Real Estate (c-Pro) E-Commerce

A B O U T T HI S M AG A Z IN E I M A G E S

O F

Lee’s Summit 2007 EDITION, VOLUME 3

Images of Lee’s Summit is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is sponsored by the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce. In print and online, Images gives readers a taste of what makes Lee’s Summit tick – from business and education to sports, health care and the arts.

Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism When you need the best in a real estate professional, call Fawn, John or Jennifer.

The Brents’ Family Real Estate Team (816) 875-1717 • (800) 755-7066

“Find the good – and praise it.”

– Alex Haley (1921-1992), co-founder

jnlcom.com

LEE’S SUMMIT

Metro One 1201 NE Windsor Dr. Lee’s Summit, MO

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Almanac Throws Like a Girl Softball pitcher Mallory Lagud is Kansas-bound.

The right-handed pitching standout for Lee’s Summit High School will now pitch for Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan. Lagud was signed by the university following a career at Lee’s Summit High that included a senior season where she compiled a 28-4 record, 0.46 ERA and 356 strikeouts in 207 innings. She also hit .358 with a .934 slugging percentage.

Lagud was featured in the Oct. 16, 2006, issue of Sports Illustrated in its “Faces in the Crowd” section for pitching two perfect games in five days during her 2006 senior season.

Taking the Longview Things You Should Know V Longview Mansion and 50

other farm structures, built during an 18-month span between 1913 and June 1, 1914, have been dubbed “The World’s Most Beautiful Farm.”

Lee’s

Summit was ranked 44th on Money magazine’s list of “Best Places to Live” for 2006.

The Longview country estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, yet it is one of the most modern communities in Missouri.

The New Longview community is being built on land formerly farmed by R.A. Long and his family. In 2001, developer David Gale invited community members to a six-day planning session, and New Longview was born.

When completed, the development is scheduled to have 1,100 homes, offices, shops, restaurants, elementary school, lake, parks and trails. The goal is to use many of the existing historic buildings to maintain the integrity of the R.A. Long family legacy.

The

city was originally known as the town of Strother.

Lee’s

Summit Municipal Airport is the sixth-busiest airport in Missouri.

The

“Summit” in Lee’s Summit comes from the fact that the town’s elevation was once the highest point on the railroad between Kansas City and Warrensburg, Mo.

A

total of 25 employers in Lee’s Summit have at least 100 workers.

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Tails of Adventure Ever see a wallaby or a three-toed sloth?

Danny and Debbie Kolwyck, who have raised exotic animals for nearly 30 years, opened Savanahland Educational Park in 2000 near Pleasant Hill so that now you can. The 80-acre refuge of more than 200 animals is open from April through October by appointment, except for the fourth Saturday of the month when the public can attend from noon-4 p.m.

On site are animals such as kangaroos, zebras, camels, chimpanzees and warthogs.

Fun Things To Do ▲ Get some fresh vegetables and fruits at Lee’s Summit Farmers Market, which is open from mid-April through October.

Hit

the beaches or go swimming and sailing on one of the many lakes in Jackson County.

Breathe

in some fresh air and enjoy the natural sights during a stroll around Paradise Park.

Stop

and smell the roses at Powell Gardens.

Give

your ears a treat by attending a performance at the annual Lee’s Summit Summer Concert Series.

LEE’S SUMMIT At A Glance P O P UL AT ION (20 06 E S T IM AT E ) Lee’s Summit: 92,000

L O C AT IO N Lee’s Summit is in west-central Missouri, about 15 miles southeast of downtown Kansas City.

BEG INNING S Lee’s Summit was incorporated as a town in 1868 and proclaimed to be a city in 1877. There are two theories about its naming: It was either named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee or prominent physician Dr. Pleasant Lea, who lived in the area from 1850 until his murder in 1862.

F O R MO R E INF O R M AT IO N Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce 220 S.E. Main St. Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 (816) 524-2424 Fax: (816) 524-5246 lschamber.com

LEE’S SUMMIT

,EE S 3UMMIT

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Hampton Inn Lee’s Summit, MO

We’ll prove it to you with every stay.

We love having you here.

Dig in.

Take it easy.

On the House hot breakfast It’s a great way to start your day with our hot and tasty daily features, ranging from piping hot French toast sticks to country sausage with a warm, flaky biscuit, or even scrambled eggs and ham.

Cloud Nine: the new Hampton bed experience With new features such as your choice of feather or foam pillows, a plush down-like comforter, a crisp white duvet and a comfy new pillow-top mattress, our new bed will surround you in comfort.

Take care of business.

High-speed wireless Internet access We offer access to the Internet throughout the whole hotel, and it’s complimentary!

Other Reasons to Smile Indoor pool and whirlpool • On-site fitness facility On-site laundry facility • “On the Go” breakfast bags USA Today in the lobby • Coffee and tea 24 hours Jacuzzi suites • Connecting rooms • Business center Meeting room • Free cable and HBO • Hilton HHonors points

Hampton Inn – Lee’s Summit 1751 NE Douglas St. Lee’s Summit, MO 64086 (816) 347-8600 • (800) HAMPTON

Almanac Write About This The students at Metropolitan Community College-Longview sure know how to write.

In 2001, the college became the first community college in the country to be named a Time magazine/The Princeton Review College of the Year. The honor was in recognition of MCCLongview’s Writing Across the Curriculum program that emphasizes developing writing skills in all MCC students – no matter what academic discipline they pursue.

MCC-Longview currently has five divisions of study – technology and business, humanities, natural science, social science, and math/engineering/physics.

History Comes To Life In these modern times, it’s interesting to see what life was like in the 1800s.

Missouri Town 1855 in Fleming Park features a 30-acre farming community that resembles those in the 19th century.

There are 25 buildings that originally date from 1820-1860.

Guides in period costumes show visitors how to use oldtime farm equipment and display field and garden crops from that time period. There are also rare livestock breeds on the grounds.

LEE’S SUMMIT

Bravo, Encore Having an orchestra can be music to a community’s ears.

The Lee’s Summit Symphony Orchestra enters its fifth season in 2007-2008 with a concert schedule that stretches from October to April. The 75-member symphony is directed by Russell Berlin, who has conducted the orchestra since its inception in the 2002-2003 season.

The orchestra serves Eastern Jackson County and primarily performs in the Lee’s Summit High School Campbell Performing Arts Center. The symphony performed works last season from Beethoven, Bernstein, Dvorak, Gershwin and Tchaikovsky.

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LEE’S SUMMIT

Ahoy,

Mateys Jack son Count y boa s t s more boat ing event s t han any ot her count y

S TORY BY

S

Cristal Cody

ummer days drift by in a haze of color during the sailing regattas held on Jackson County lakes.

Sailors flock to Lee’s Summit and the county, which boasts more lakes than PHOTO BY ANTONY BOSHIER

LEE’S SUMMIT

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ANTONY BOSHIER

Gentlemen, raise your sails! Each weekend Lake Jacomo is flooded with sailors cruising the lake’s 970 acres.

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any county in Missouri. They come to race on lakes such as Lake Jacomo, a 970-acre lake located in the heart of Fleming Park, and private lakes such as Lake Lotawana and Lake Winnebago.

Harry Drake, the former commodore for the Missouri Yacht Club on Lake Lotawana, says residents race every weekend from spring to fall.

The Missouri Yacht Club holds an invitational regatta once a year for registered sailors on Lake Lotawana, a 600-acre private lake usually open only to residents.

Residents and sailors from Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas enter the regatta, usually held the first weekend in June.

“People come from wherever they want to travel to get to our lake,” Drake says.

About 50 boats compete in the sailing regatta on Lake Lotawana, the largest private lake in the metropolitan Kansas City area.

“The lake has a long tradition of racing sailboats, from back in the ’40s or ’50s,” Drake says. “The local fleet races on the weekends. We start up right around the first weekend in May and end mid- to late September.”

Drake says regattas help build enthusiasm within the club because members compete against other sailors.

“The more boats you race with, the better your skills are going to get,” he says.

Sailing regattas at Lake Winnebago, a 350-acre private lake, attract boating competitors from several states.

Gunter Stein, the former commodore

for the MC Scow Fleet No. 53 in the Lake Winnebago Arrowhead Yacht Club, says the club holds two sailing regattas a year, as well as other events.

Members sail on scows, which are flat bottom sailboats.

The sailors start sailing in early May, with races held in the spring and summer.

“We set up a course that varies from week to week,” he says. “This all leads up to the regatta, which is our last day of the sailing season. It’s cool to see them with all the sails up.”

Sailors from Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa have competed in Lake Winnebago’s regattas, he says.

“We have a party on the Friday night preceding the race,” Stein says. “All the sailors who are available will get together

at the yacht club for dinner and dancing.

Then we’ll have a practice race to go out on the course and then the race. Normally we have three races on Saturday and at least two on Sunday, depending on the weather.”

The winner is declared based on the total points earned from all the races.

Awards and bragging rights are handed out to the winners.

Stein, who started sailing competitively only about four years ago, says it’s a fun way to spend the day.

The sailing club first started when the lake was developed in the 1960s, and membership was revived in the mid-1990s.

“It grew from there, and our fleet now has 16 boats,” Stein says.

A colorful regatta of sailboats drifts across the lake. Above: Wake boarders and pontoon boats share the waterways.

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The

Art of

Security Cu lt u r a l a r t s bu i ld i n g d ouble s a s sa fe h aven for st udent s, re sident s

Joe Morris P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y Antony Boshier S TORY BY

W

hen it opens in spring 2008, the FEMA/Cultural Arts Building at Metropolitan Community CollegeLongview will serve two major purposes for the community: entertainment and safety.

The 18,500-square-foot, $5.6 million building has long been a dream of campus thespians, as well as community members who attend dinner theater and other performances on campus. And as one component of a $10.2 million, five-grant package the school received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of that agency’s Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistance Communities program, it also will serve as a secure shelter in the event of severe weather.

The college will have safe rooms constructed around campus, including in the cultural arts building. Each will be

Metropolitan Community College-Longview received $10 million to build safe rooms for students and residents.

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MCC-Longview FEMA/Cultural Arts Center graphic art renderings by local architectural firm Gould Evans

multipurpose, serving many functions besides being an emergency shelter but will always have to be ready for its intended use.

The FEMA program requires the safe rooms to meet a rigid set of criteria, including: being large enough for a specific number of people to reach and enter it within five minutes; reinforced to withstand winds of 250 mph and the collapse of the adjacent structure; a protected ventilation system; adequate emergency lighting; and minimal window openings, or windows protected with resistant barriers.

But in the case of the new cultural facility, the safe room is just one piece of a building that will house a black-box theater, green room, costume and make-up rooms, scenery workshop and dance studio. It also will have an art gallery and meeting space, says Valerie Johnson, MCC-Longview’s public information specialist.

“When we applied for the grant, it was an opportunity to really build a connection with the community on many levels,” Johnson says. “We wanted the building to have a dual purpose, not just be an arts center or a building that just sat there in case of emergency.”

“It’s giving us a venue for performances,” adds Elizabeth Lindquist, dean of instructional services. “We’ve been offering our theater and musical productions in either a multipurpose room or the cafeteria, so that’s huge.”

The gallery space will not only allow students and faculty to show their work but also be a venue for community exhibits, Lindquist says.

“Having that space for the community, as well as our own dance studio, costume production, set design and makeup rooms that also can be used for classes, will allow us to do so much more, both in terms of credit classes for students and noncredit, community-based education,” she says.

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The FEMA grant is covering slightly more than $2.5 million of the construction costs, with MCC-Longview picking up the remainder. And for that, the community is getting involved.

“The arts community in Lee’s Summit is part of a board that we’re putting together to find the additional funds to complete the building,” Johnson says, “and we’re doing some other fund-raising in the community as well.”

That effort is being boosted by organizations such as the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce.

“The new arts center is going to be a wonderful addition to Lee’s Summit,” says Nancy Bruns, president of the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber is very supportive of the cultural arts and the need for such a facility. With the continued growth of this community, it is one more great benefit we can offer our citizens so they do not have to go elsewhere for these activities.”

Since the college’s performing arts organizations have always had to make do with space in the student center and communication and education buildings, the cultural center can’t open fast enough.

“The faculty and students are ecstatic,” Johnson says. “We will have so many opportunities to host national events with the many organizations that we have on campus, and also to expand the number of performances we have. Last year we hosted two plays simultaneously, and the public turnout was wonderful. The dinner plays have been sold out. We’re looking at more opportunities to do exactly those kinds of things, but we’re exploring all our options.

“This is a great opportunity for us, and also for the community, to have other programs, events and performances that haven’t been doable. We want to make a lot of use of the center, and we want to make sure it’s also at the community’s disposal as well.”

LEE’S SUMMIT

Metropolitan Community College - Longview purchased the sculpture of light in 1999.

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Business L E E ’ S

S TORY BY

Gary Perilloux

S U M M I T

• PHOTOGR APHY BY

Antony Boshier

Hartley’s Last

Hurrah Mu lt i m i l l ion-d ol l a r red evelopment project caps d ow ntow n comeba ck

W

hen Hartley’s Home Furnishings closed in 2006, its last hurrah might have been followed by a hush.

Instead, the retail corner in downtown Lee’s Summit is giving birth to redevelopment, and, somewhere, Harry S. Truman is smiling.

Political lore holds that the buckstopping president, while still a young Jackson County administrator, delivered one of his earliest “Give ’em hell, Harry” speeches to an upstairs gathering in the century-old furniture building.

Contemporary Missourians Kurt Pycior and Steve Froehlich, seeking to preserve heritage in an entire city block at the corner of Douglas and Third streets, bought the furniture property from owners Cliff and Dale Hartley.

Nearby, Froehlich Pycior Cos. will retain many of the period fixtures from The Vogue, a shuttered theater that was too dilapidated to salvage, and incorporate them in an art deco façade that will embrace 4,000 square feet of shops and the first of 18 loft condominiums ranging from about 1,000 to 2,400 square feet.

Historic downtown Lee’s Summit is getting an aesthetic and economic lift.

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LEE’S SUMMIT

City Hall’s modern digs will blend well with planned downtown renovations.

An interior courtyard will greet residents living around the block, and the former furniture store and an adjoining building will be home to the 8,000-square foot Beauchamp’s on the Rail upscale barbecue restaurant and The Blue Glass, a live blues and jazz entertainment bar.

It’s a $13 million blend of the best of Truman’s days with urban amenities that make living, working and shopping downtown a cutting-edge concept. The city will undergird the Hartley’s Block project with $3.6 million in foregone taxes to help finance the deal over two decades.

“It’s one of the most proactive, supportive cities trying to revitalize their downtown that I can imagine,” says Beth Ehrett of FPC. “The city staff and organizations like the Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street (association) have been incredibly enthusiastic and LEE’S SUMMIT

supportive of this project.”

Downtown Lee’s Summit began a resurgence in the 1980s, when the Main Street group formed to combat trends such as 19 empty storefronts.

Deterioration wasn’t so bad as in many downtowns that lost their retail core, says Jeanine Rann, Main Street executive director in the city of 90,000. But a spark was needed.

“We really had just a cycle of disinvestment occurring,” she says. “But now we’re at about a 3 percent vacancy rate within the downtown. And since we’ve started, we’ve had over a 650 percent increase – just within the six-block area of the downtown core – in our retail sales taxes.”

More than 100 specialty shops inhabit the 18-block downtown area overall,

where the Bank of Lee’s Summit completed a nearly $1 million historic renovation. Lee’s Summit has built a new $20 million city hall and parking complex, and about $10 million in downtown streetscape improvements are slated for completion in 2008.

Five years ago, FPC. joined the downtown action by building the eight-tenant Main Street Centre near the railroad and Grand Street Quarters, an apartment loft and parking structure across from City Hall.

Those sites filled quickly, as are tenant commitments on Hartley’s Block, Ehrett says. But as construction commenced in 2007, a few retail nooks remained, perhaps one of them waiting for a nextgeneration haberdasher like Harry Truman.

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Business L E E ’ S

B I Z

S U M M I T

B R I E F S

than I ever imagined,” says Schaefer, a former computer analyst and mother of two toddlers. “I have people tell me on a daily basis how much the service has changed their life, and that they’re eating good food, and they’re not eating fast food.”

ANTONY BOSHIER

WONDERFUL WORDS The exterior of Anthony Bass’s 4,000-square-foot day school looks conventional.

Inside, it’s an exotic wonderland, where Mediterranean tableaus create magical lands, and his 35 students get whisked away to the world of Romance languages.

Each day, preschoolers immerse themselves in French, Italian and Spanish with language teachers. After school, they’re joined by 5- to 13-yearolds arriving on school buses.

Six years ago, Bass opened the Diversity Language School in Lee’s Summit when he couldn’t find anyone to teach Italian to his kids, then 2 and 6.

Full-day rates are as low as $140 a week.

“All kids are different, and that’s where the smaller classes help,” says Bass, who keeps a ratio of about six students per teacher. “The kids who are really gifted can keep excelling because it’s really a conversation. They have lessons, but a lot of the lessons come from speaking to the teacher.”

Wendy Schaefer and Social Suppers are the Lee’s Summit answer to Rachel Ray.

FUN FOR FOODIES When Wendy Schaefer visited Don and Jansen Fredal’s kitchen in 2005, she wanted to spirit away their recipes and their recipe for success.

Six months later, Schaefer opened the first franchised Social Suppers, a fun food experience akin to cooking in Rachel Ray’s kitchen for two hours and later having 12 fabulous meals to slip

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into the oven. Featured entrees include such mouth-watering fare as honey pineapple pork chops and roasted red pepper salmon.

Hundreds throng to Schaefer’s two Lee’s Summit stores each month, donning aprons and assembling healthy meals at six different prep stations. The cost is under $3 a serving.

“It has been a lot more rewarding

L IF E S AV ING L AB On Christmas Eve, an out-of-state doctor called a Lee’s Summit business with somber news. His 4-year-old patient desperately needed diagnostic help but he could find no lab open to run tests.

At ViraCor Laboratories in Lee’s Summit, a sales associate went to work, arranging for a courier to take blood samples to a Southwest Airlines flight. A scientist came in on Christmas morning, ran tests and called the doctor that day.

“There wasn’t one person who said, ‘What! Are you kidding? It’s Christmas!’ ” says ViraCor President Patti Aspenleiter. “Everybody said, ‘No problem.’ And when we called the LEE’S SUMMIT

physician Christmas Day, he just couldn’t believe it.”

Blending that level of service with cutting-edge molecular diagnostics has helped ViraCor grow from four employees in 2000 to 60 today and a new multimillion-dollar lab on Lee’s Summit’s Technology Drive. Principal customers are transplant patients at 425 U.S. hospitals, and ViraCor is building clinical and immunology testing divisions.

“If you do the right thing for patients and you do the right thing for associates, good things happen,” says Aspenleiter.

“I just decided the timing was right,” says Marian Zajic, who started in-home care in 1983 and moved to a standalone facility in 2002 near Harris Memorial Park. Night clients get the same attention that has made Marian’s Kids the biggest extended family in Lee’s Summit.

“The only thing I can tell you is that my Christmas card list has grown about 50 children a year for the last 20 years,” she says. “My kids keep in touch.

They’re a part of our family, and we’re a part of their family.”

– Gary Perilloux

MOVE OVER, MOM AND DAD Ken and Carol Euritt founded Stonehaus Farms Winery in 1996, after Ken had retired from General Motors Corp. in 1992. Now in 2007, Ken has retired again – this time from the wine business.

In early 2007, the Euritts handed their thriving business to their sons, Doug and Brett, who now run the dayto-day operations at the 17-acre vineyard and winery. Stonehaus Farms currently produces 15,000-25,000 bottles of wine each year, and the two brothers have set a goal of making 75,000 bottles annually by 2010. Doug Euritt is the winemaker for the Lee’s Summit-based business, and Brett is in charge of sales and marketing.

The winery currently offers 12 varieties of dry white, dry red and semi-sweet vintages, including popular sellers such as chardonel, concord, apple cranberry and port. Stonehaus Farms also has a festival hall on site for hosting weddings and other special occasions.

2 4 -7 D A Y C A R E For years, Bob Zajic watched his distribution staff at Lee Summit’s Post Office struggle to find child care at night, and for years he lobbied his wife to take the leap from day care to roundthe-clock service.

In 2006, she took the plunge, opening 24 hours and boosting her staff to 16. By 2008, the Zajics plan to triple Marian’s Kids’ size to 125 children.

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Business L E E ’ S

C H A M B E R

S U M M I T

R E P O R T

Calling All Students Lee’s Summit Chamber launches national entrepreneurs program he 21st century will belong to those who can take their ideas and make them happen. Today’s children will need to be entrepreneurial thinkers, so to promote that, the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce launched “Entrepreneurs in Motion” last March.

Chamber Board Chair Diane Seif led the effort to engage students in Lee’s Summit schools, as part of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, a nationwide campaign to appeal to and encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The program at John Knox Village Pavilion in Lee’s Summit was launched with three components: An essay contest on “If I could start a business, I would …” for students in grades 5-8, and a business plan contest for students in grades 9-12, offering them the valuable exercise in developing a practical plan for marketing a product or service.

A dynamic guest speaker and bestselling author, the nationally recognized Dr. Farrah Gray, a self-made millionaire by age 14, who defied the odds by rising from poverty.

A half-day series of workshops and expert panels addressing obstacles facing entrepreneurs, an all-day Business Showcase featuring local entrepreneurs, and an evening reception and awards presentation for the students.

“We have very strong partnerships with our schools, and it’s very exciting to launch this national program in our community,” Seif says. The chamber plans to leverage the excitement of the launch by creating a mentoring program for entrepreneurs and a young

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professionals network.

According to organizers of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, more than 70 percent of young Americans envision starting a business or doing something entrepreneurial as adults. The problem is very few of them ever learn how to go about it. The essay and business plan contests will help get them started in the right direction, and Seif says the ongoing mentoring program will keep Lee’s Summit’s young people focused on creativity and innovation.

“They don’t know where to go and how to do it, and that’s what the whole program is about, to get them thinking like an inventor and to have a strategy and a business plan,” Seif says. “We also want them to understand that it

takes courage because a lot of people may not agree with your ideas, so you have to believe in yourself and have passion for what you’re doing.”

Seif understands well the challenges of being an entrepreneur. She worked for a company for 25 years before leaving to form her own awardwinning company, Regulatory Clinical Consultants Inc., which assisted in worldwide pharmaceutical, life science, and medical device research. In 2005, she sold that company and started DVA Enterprises Inc., which provides commercial property management and business consulting and investment support for small growing companies.

DVA is a Gold Partner of the Lee’s Summit Chamber.

– Jim Elliott

ANTONY BOSHIER

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Chamber staff, from left to right: Nancy Bruns, Mark Dickey, Marilyn Pemberton, Cathy Young, Whitney Zeiler, Kathy LeChein, Leann Northway LEE’S SUMMIT

E C O N O M I C BUSINESS CLIMATE

P R O F I L E

Lee’s Summit is one of the fastest-growing communities in the Kansas City region and is experiencing a rise in population and business growth.

TRANSPORTATION Airport Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport

TYPICAL WAGE LEVELS Occupation Wage Per Hour Manufacturing Facility Jobs Electrical engineer $36.23 Engineering technician $22.56 Machinery mechanic $17.06 Machinist $17.43 Plastic and metal forming machine operator $14.32 Production helper $9.37 Production supervisor $21.13 Tool and die maker $20.32 Office Facility Jobs Customer service representative Office clerk, general Officer manager Order clerk Receptionist Telemarketer Distribution Facility Jobs Conveyor operators and tenders Material handler Truck driver, light Truck driver, heavy Warehouse supervisor

Chamber Gift Certificate (816) 969-1182

COMMUTE PATTERNS Lee’s Summit Employed Residents by Place of Work In Lee’s Summit • 28% Other Jackson County • 49% Other Kansas City area • 22%

$10.53 $11.17 $11.54 $13.04 $18.47

Metro Area Employment

1998

2008

Projected Growth

Marketing/sales supervisors

27,240

30,550

3,310

5,000

8,280

3,280

23,150

26,180

3,030

3,650

6,090

2,440

Office managers

13,400

15,590

2,190

Registered nurses

15,640

17,780

2,140

Adjustment clerks

5,280

6,740

1,460

Construction supervisors

4,050

4,930

880

Accountants and auditors

8,670

9,540

870

Information systems managers

2,150

2,980

830

Electricians

4,890

5,610

720

Financial managers

8,350

9,050

700

Financial services sales agents

2,460

3,160

700

Maintenance repairers

8,350

9,050

700

11,610

12,230

620

2,070

2,650

580

Office clerks, general Computer support specialists

INCOME

Sales agents

Household income averaging $79,797 is one of the highest in the state.

Management analysts

LEE’S SUMMIT

This program allows consumers to buy versatile gift certificate redeemable at any participating Chamber member. A Chamber Gift Certificate is purchased at the chamber office. Along with each certificate, a list of participating members is provided.

The recipient can redeem the gift certificate at any participating chamber business listed.

PRIMARY AND FAST GROWING OCCUPATIONS IN EASTERN JACKSON CO.

Systems analysts

$12.45 $13.15 $22.01 $13.12 $12.22 $14.60

CHAMBER PROGRAMS

Source: Missouri Department of Economic Development, Labor Market Information Section.

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Leadership Lee’s Summit Leadership Lee’s Summit, established in 1991 by the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce and Longview Community College, was developed to motivate the visionary leaders of the area.

It’s an intense nine-month program where participants gather knowledge and skills to become great leaders in the community.

Member Get a Member Once a month, those members who have recruited a new member will have their names placed in a drawing for a $100 cash prize awarded at each monthly membership luncheon. The top

recruiter of the month automatically receives a $100 dollar bill!

Member-2-Member Discount Program The program is designed to encourage chamber members to do business with other members.

X-Treme Networking Network with a variety of professionals who have the same objective – meeting people.

You’ll leave with a pocket full of business cards and a lot of new business connections and friends.

Make sure you bring marketing materials and business cards to distribute. And prepare a one-minute commercial about your business.

COST OF LIVING INDEX Lee’s Summit 90.4 Atlanta 97.7 Charlotte, N.C. 94.5 Chicago 135.7 Dallas 98.0 Denver 102.9 Houston 91.6 Kansas City 102.2 Memphis, Tenn. 92.2 Minneapolis-St. Paul 106.1 Oklahoma City 89.3 Phoenix 96.2 St. Louis 100.7 San Jose, Calif. 171.3 *U.S. Average = 100

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LEE’S SUMMIT

MAJOR EMPLOYERS R-7 School District

1,850

AT&T

1,200

John Knox Village

950

Truman Medical Center Lakewood

960

Wal-Mart

450

Unity Village

550

Longview Community College

532

Immigration and Naturalization Service

500

City of Lee’s Summit

450

Lee’s Summit Hospital

400

FOR MORE INFORMATION Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce 220 S.E. Main St. Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 Phone: (816) 524-2424 (888) 647-5470 lschamber.com lstourism.com Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council 218 S.E. Main St. Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 Phone: (816) 525-6617 leessummit.org Sources: 2000 Census, lschamber.com, leessummit.org, lees-summit.mo.us, City of Lee’s Summit Planning Department

LEE’S SUMMIT

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Portfolio / B Y C R I S T A L C O D Y

Jacomo Beach Bash S U M M E R D O E S N ’ T O F F I C I A L LY B E G I N U N T I L T H E L A K E F E S T PA R T Y O N T H E WAT E R

L

ake Jacomo is the site of one giant party that kicks off the summer right: Lake Fest.

Thousands line the shores of Lake Jacomo in June in Fleming Park to celebrate warm weather and cool water at the event, sponsored by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

“That’s our major summer event,” says Angie Jeffries, spokeswoman for the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. “It is a four-hour event that starts at 5 [p.m.] and goes until the fireworks. We have close to 5,000 people that come out.”

Visitors fill the park to watch the parade

of boats or take a scenic lake cruise.

“We have a boat parade, where individuals decorate boats, pontoons and sailboats, and we have games and rides for the families and boat rides around the lake,” Jeffries says. “There also are concession [stands] with lots of great treats and food for the family to enjoy.”

Admission is $7 per car, and most come out hours ahead of the starting time to get a prime viewing spot.

“The event is pretty popular, so people get here early to get their place,” Jeffries says. “A lot of people like to lay a blanket on the grassy area and watch the band and people out on the lake.”

The event has been held every summer for more than 15 years.

“It always happens in the month of June,” she says. “It’s a great way to invite people out to the park and enjoy the lake and have a nice evening.”

Some 5,000 residents descend on Lake Jacomo each June for Lake Fest, Lee’s Summit’s official kick-off to summer.

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Portfolio The William Howard House serves as a reminder of the city’s entrepreneurial and enterprising spirit.

Howard’s End W BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES

(816) 554-7117 www.fpccommercial.com

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301 SE Douglas, Ste. 201 Lee’s Summit, MO 64063

illiam Howard may not have been a looker, but he did have business sense that made him a wealthy man and the founder of Lee’s Summit, says Kathy Smith, who serves on the Lee’s Summit Historical Society and the City of Lee’s Summit Historical Preservation Commission.

Howard was an amazing businessman, even if he never smiled in pictures, she says.

“He knew the railroad was going to come this way,” Smith says. “He developed [the land] and every other lot was given as a railroad right of way. He gave land for the churches here at the time so they could grow.”

Howard also established a park and created a horse racetrack from fond memories of his native Kentucky.

“They had horse races there, and it was a scenic park with a lake. Over time it developed into one of the centerpieces of our city,” Smith says.

Howard’s first home, a working plantation, was built in the 1840s but was destroyed by fire. His city home, in Howard’s First Addition Neighborhood, is being considered for placement on a national historic registry.

“It’s nice to be able to see the house that your city founder lived in,” Smith says. “The city home has had several owners over the years. The carriage house has been restored, and the previous owners put in a neat brick driveway. As a historian, I look at that and think about the events held there and the carriages that drove up in the driveway and what society was like in those days.”

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Painting the Town All Over L

PHOTOS BY ANTONY BOSHIER

ee’s Summit residents now have art at their fingertips, thanks to a downtown art project that puts sculptures and murals on public display.

“We have a temporary public art project,” says Amiee Wenson, city administrative liaison to the Lee’s Summit Arts Council.

The Lee’s Summit Arts Council and Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street teamed up to create Art Detour, an 18month project that will bring three temporary, juried art exhibits to the downtown area. A call for artists in a 150-mile area was placed and artists responded with a variety of project ideas.

The first public art project organized by the council was the mural on the Annie Sue’s building downtown next to City Hall.

The city commissioned the arts council as a way for Lee’s Summit residents to experience heightened expressions of art. The council keeps tabs on the area’s art offerings and works to increase awareness of the arts in the city.

The council settled on three projects for downtown Lee’s Summit.

The first installation is “Across Currents” by Lawrence artist Bounnak Thammavong in the new City Hall.

The second project is a Plexiglas and aluminum sculpture titled “Harmonium” by Jorge Garcia that debuted in spring 2007. The final art installation scheduled for fall 2007 is an untitled piece by Jason Myers that features a trebuchet, a medieval hurling device that is manned by cherubs.

The remaining projects will be located in high-traffic areas of downtown Lee’s Summit.

Kansas City artist Cathy Kline’s murals dot the architectural landscape in downtown Lee’s Summit.

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Portfolio The Lee’s Summit Chamber’s annual Oktoberfest attracts the best and “wurst” of the city.

Oktober Feasting O

ktoberfest makes a great excuse for beer, food and German dancers.

Did we mention beer?

Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce knows how to put on a show with the annual Oktoberfest celebration, held at Unity Village on the last full weekend in September.

“We have an arts and crafts fair and authentic German meals that are served in the beer garden,” says chamber spokesman Leann Northway. “We have German dancers and music, and there is a carnival as well. And we have several stages of live entertainment with a variety of music and dancers.”

The event has been held for more than 15 years and attracts up to 80,000 people over the two-day celebration.

The fun begins on Friday and doesn’t stop until after Saturday.

And German music, along with other styles such as country and gospel, fill the air on different stages set up around the park setting.

Chamber staff help get out the food, including grilling a few tasty bratwursts, for visitors.

“It’s the biggest event of the year for the chamber,” Northway says. “It’s something we do for the community, not just for our members. It’s really the largest community event in Lee’s Summit.”

Admission is free, but tickets must be purchased for carnival rides.

The timing for the party also is just right.

“We’ve been lucky with the weather,” Northway says. “It’s right before the cold comes in and with the autumn color on the trees, it’s the perfect time of year. It’s a finale to the summer.”

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LEE’S SUMMIT

Ham, Beans and Bargaining el Aytes’ fame is known far and wide, mostly for the tireless works he’s undertaken on behalf of education and for filling the stomachs of more than a few lawmakers.

Aytes, a longtime resident of Lee’s Summit and the former director of government affairs for the Metropolitan Community College system, became popular for the ham and beans he’d lobby legislators with.

“Mel Aytes has ensured his place in legislative history even in retirement by continuing to cook world-renowned ham and beans for the Missouri Senate and House,” according to a 2004 Missouri Senate resolution issued to Aytes.

“We’d cook them in big turkey roasters,” Aytes says. “You start out with a whole bone-in ham cut into chunks and seven pounds of beans. My main goal was how we can improve access to higher education and technical training for citizens, especially those of modest means.”

Aytes retired in 2004 but stays busy with several boards and committees, including chairing the Public Safety Advisory Board for the city and serving on the Lee’s Summit Senior Citizen Center’s board of directors.

Aytes, 73, says he’s had a lot of support from his family, including his wife, Kathy.

The Missouri Community College Association awarded Aytes the Mel Carnahan Hall of Fame Award in December 2005. Longview Community College also renamed the business department classrooms the “Melvin A. Aytes Education Center.”

“It’s an awful lot of recognition for just doing your job, and that’s all I did, my job,” Aytes says.

ANTONY BOSHIER

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I M A G E gallery

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PHOTOGR APHY BY

Antony Boshier

Unity Village

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I M A G E gallery

Stonehaus Farms Winery

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PHOTOGR APHY BY

Antony Boshier

Historic Downtown Lee’s Summit

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I M A G E gallery

Powell Gardens

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PHOTOGR APHY BY

Antony Boshier

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Downtown THE HEART OF

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LEE’S SUMMIT

ANTONY BOSHIER

ARTS/CULTURE

You can’t squash this giant bug, but you can enjoy Across Currents by artist Bounnak Thammavong.

Try Taking a New Route A R T D E T O U R W O R K S T O B R I N G A R T, C O M M U N I T Y T O G E T H E R I N D O W N T O W N S PA C E S

E

ver try to get people to come to an area with major construction going on? If so, then you know what the Lee’s Summit Arts Council and Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street were up against when they launched Art Detour.

The public art project took form three years ago during a planning meeting the arts council was holding. The discussion centered around a project that would bring art to the forefront of the community, and at least one attendee had some ideas.

“I suggested that with the major construction going on downtown, we might want to find a way to encourage people to come down, that maybe we could use downtown as our center stage for a public art initiative,” says Jeanine Rann, executive director of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street.

From that planning session came Art Detour, a public art program produced by the two entities. Art Detour is an 18-month project that, when finished, will have brought three contemporary, juried art exhibits to the downtown area. The first was installed in November 2006, the second will go in during the spring, and the last in the fall of 2007.

“It really is a win-win situation all the way around,” Rann says. “The arts council wanted to bring art to the forefront of the peoples’ mind, while we wanted to create a buzz about what’s going on downtown.”

LEE’S SUMMIT

The Lee’s Summit City Council kicked in some funding, and a group of volunteers began working to sort through the artists’ submissions to choose the artwork that would be represented. From artists to the public, Art Detour has been a success from the outset.

“The community is really embracing the idea,” Rann says.

“People here see it as a quality of life issue, a need that wasn’t being met before. And there’s a real buzz around it; I’m hearing people say that they’ve been coming downtown to look at the cool art.”

The arts community got behind the idea as well. There were literally dozens of submissions, making choosing the art both difficult and easy, she says. “We were bombarded, and even though some of the pieces chosen have been a little controversial to some, that’s just what happens anytime you start doing something with public art.”

And with the success of the program so far, it’s likely that this detour won’t be the last.

“I’m already hearing people say that they want the first installation to become a permanent piece, and that they want us to work toward developing more permanent pieces to be installed throughout the city,” Rann says. “When I hear things like that, I know that this has been a very positive initiative.”

– Joe Morris IMAGESLEESSUMMIT.COM

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LEE’S SUMMIT

EDUCAT ION

These Kids Rock Heavy Metal ROBOT ICS COMPE T I T ION HELPS AREA HIGH SCHOOL S TUDENTS FOCUS ON FUTURE

A

cademic action” might seem an oxymoron, but robotics teams at the three city high schools in Lee’s Summit apply classroom lessons to the gripping challenges of building robots – something many say will boost their eventual careers.

Robotics team members help design, program and build a mechanical device to navigate a prescribed obstacle course.

Along the way, it must negotiate slopes and arrange objects, winning points for both time and accuracy in competitions against other schools.

Such a program has obvious interest to students with engineering aspirations, but the responsibilities go much further than nuts and bolts.

“It’s a wide cross-section of students,” says physics teacher Jim Nazworthy, who started and leads Team Driven, the robotics group at Lee’s Summit High School. “A few years ago they broadened the scope of the program from being an engineering task to being more of an entire corporate structure.”

Jobs range from actual design and construction to keeping team computers operative and networked, maintaining Web sites and creating animations that illustrate the designs.

Lauren Phillips says she learned from her very first day as 2006-07 shop foreman.

“They did not have a shop foreman last year, and when we came over to the warehouse, everything was just kind of scattered everywhere. I had to teach myself what all the tools were and then organize them,” she says.

“I’m going into industrial engineering, working with efficiency issues,” she says.

The three teams in Lee’s Summit are part of the robotics competition sponsored by New Hampshire-based FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen. Hundreds of teams across the country compete at local, regional and national levels.

FIRST’s purpose is “To create a world where science and technology are celebrated ... where young people dream LEE’S SUMMIT

of becoming science and technology heroes.”

Nazworthy says his students reflect that mission, being as wholly devoted as athletes. Indeed, he says, “Robotics is not a club; it’s a sport, just like the football team. Kids can actually earn varsity letters for participation.”

Team Driven even borrows a recruiting idea from the school’s storied basketball program, hosting its own summer technology camp for younger students to create “a pipeline of talent” for future robotics teams.

Outside organizations also see realworld value in the experience. The

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation supports FIRST robotics teams throughout the Kansas City metro area, and individual teams work with a variety of corporate sponsors.

“Several companies give us not only money but also people,” Nazworthy says.

“The mentors they send to work with the students are just as important as the financial support.”

The benefits are two-way, he notes.

“It’s a partnership. They’re giving us financial support, but we’re giving these potential employers a look at some of the brightest and most motivated students anywhere.”

– Errol Castens

ANTONY BOSHIER

“

Cody Johnson and Emily Griffith from the Lee’s Summit High School’s robotics team study computer-generated designs they hope will help them win first place.

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LEE’S SUMMIT

SPORTS/RECREAT ION

Pooling Their Resources PRO JEC T AT HA R R I S PA R K R EF L EC T S C I T Y ’ S S T RONG IN T ER E S T IN AQUAT IC S

T

are a popular way for adults with arthritis or other conditions to get low-impact exercise.

“We cater to all types of fitness levels, and you can control the intensity by how fast you go,” Snook says. The outdoor pool features regular Family Nights in the summer, with a DJ and games suitable for families. It’s also frequently rented for private parties for birthdays and other special events.

“It’s really part of the quality of life in this community.

These are activities that people are able to participate in as a family,” Snook says. “As a parent of two kids myself, it gives me the opportunity to expose my kids to different activities and help encourage positive lifestyles.”

Snook firmly believes that everyone should learn to swim.

Winter lessons at the LPCC start with Seahorses, a water orientation program for kids aged 6 months to 4 years, and advance to Seaturtles (ages 4-6), Penguins (ages 4-7), Seals (ages 5-9) and Dolphins (ages 6-11). About 550 take lessons at the LPCC, but three times as many take lessons at Harris Park.

“We fill all of these classes. We could hold more classes in the winter if we had more instructors available,” Snook says, noting many instructors are high school students or college students home for the summer. “We’ve been very pleased with the support from the community.”

– Jim Elliott

ANTONY BOSHIER

he big outdoor pool at Harris Park has served the community well. But around early August of 2007, it will be closed for the last time and demolished, to be replaced at the same location by a new aquatic center.

“It’s really exciting for our community because it’s going to be so much better,” says Joe Snook, superintendent of recreation services for the Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation Department. “The trend in the recreation industry is away from the big, rectangular pools and toward the smaller, multiuse facilities.”

The new aquatic center’s main pool will be about half the length of the old pool, but the center will feature the extra amenities of slides, a lazy river and a play area for young children. When it debuts over Memorial Day weekend in 2008, it will be a fitting alternative to the indoor pool at the Legacy Park Community Center (LPCC), a wildly popular facility that also includes a basketball court, walking track, racquetball courts and aerobic exercise equipment. The center registered more than 188,000 visits in the last fiscal year and is on track to go over 200,000 this year.

Both pools offer a mix of aquatic programming, from open lap swimming to water aerobics and swim lessons for kids ranging from toddlers to advanced swimmers. Water aerobics

Legacy Park Community Center’s pool has tubes and slides – like a sort of underwater amusement park.

LEE’S SUMMIT

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LEE’S SUMMIT

HEALTH/WELLNESS

Power to the People T HR E E AR E A HO S P I TAL S ED UC AT E C I T I Z EN S ABOU T NE W L IF E S AV ING ME T HOD

t can happen in an instant. Someone around you – perhaps a loved one – could go into sudden cardiac arrest. What do you do?

Lee’s Summit area hospitals have the answer.

Truman Medical Center Lakewood, Lee’s Summit Hospital and St. Luke’s East-Lee’s Summit have teamed up to educate the community on the Call and Pump method, a simplified version of CPR. Lee’s Summit Hospital houses surgery, radiology, and cardiology departments as well as emergency, rehabilitation, and outpatient services. In the summer of 2007, Lee’s Summit Hospital will offer even more services with the opening of a new state-of-the-art facility, Lee’s Summit Medical Center.

Taking the place of the current hospital, the new LSMC will be a 187,000-square-foot facility on thirty-nine acres.

St. Luke’s East-Lee’s Summit opened the doors of its 52-bed facility in January 2006. With a vision statement that reads “The Best Place to Get Care, The Best Place to Give Care,” such dedication to excellence won the St. Luke’s Health Care System the 2006 Missouri Quality Award for Leadership. The hospital also offers advanced heart care as an extension of the Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute.

The reason these three hospitals have joined forces is clear to see. The Call and Pump method has been proven to triple the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest.

The father of Call and Pump, Dr. Gordon Ewy, explained in an interview with MSNBC that the “problem with CPR as it is currently practiced is those breaths to the mouth, which interrupt chest compressions. During that interruption, the critical flow of blood to the brain also gets interrupted.” The Call and Pump method requires “simple, continuous chest compression – 100 times a minute – with no breaths.”

Call and Pump is already being used by first responders, 911 dispatchers and EMS personnel, but Lee’s Summit Medical Center, TMC Lakewood and St. Luke’s East want to bring the power to the people.

“The project was originally brought to the health-care committee through the chamber of commerce as something to be done communitywide to help improve the outcomes of potentially tragic situations,” says Robin Dawson of Lee’s Summit Medical Center. Hospitals are currently offering Call and Pump training to area businesses, churches, schools, and the general public.

In addition to raising awareness of this lifesaving technique, the Call and Pump project has brought the community closer.

“I’m very proud to be working with the other health-care providers. I think everyone is excited that Lee’s Summit is going to be the pilot community for this project, as well as a model for other communities. Everybody in Lee’s Summit likes to be on the leading edge,” Dawson says.

“It’s a unifying effort,” says Corrine Everson of St. Luke’s East. “We’ve brought together hospitals. We’ve brought together schools, churches and businesses, but the ultimate goal is to save lives.”

– Matthew McRae

LEE’S SUMMIT

BRIAN McCORD

I

Instructors demonstrate the techniques of Call and Pump.

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Lee’s Summit C O M M U N I T Y SNAPSHOT

THIS SEC T ION IS SPONSORED BY THE CIT Y OF LEE’S SUMMIT

P R O F I L E

Lee’s Summit is a progressive but restful family-oriented community, making it an ideal place to live and work. Residents and visitors can experience the combination of a quiet suburban community and a growing commercial center.

CLIMATE January normal low 20.5 F July normal high 88.9 F Driest month January normal 1.09 inches Wettest month May normal 5.04 inches Annual average rainfall 37.62 inches Annual average snowfall 16.88 inches

UTILITIES Cable Comcast • 795-1100 Time Warner • 358-5360 Electricity Aquila • (800) 303-0752

Gas Missouri Gas Energy • 756-5252 Telephone AT&T • (800) 246-4999 Water 969-7600

CIT Y POPULATION 100,000 92,000

GOLF COURSES

82,500

80,000

Fred Arbanas Golf Course 761-9445 Lakewood Oaks Golf Course (private), 373-2505 Shamrock Hills Golf Course 537-6556 Winterstone Golf Course 257-5755

70,700 60,000 46,418 40,000 28,856 20,000 16,190

0

Population

1970 1980 1990 2000 2004 2010

(estimated)

The housing selection in Lee’s Summit is limitless.

Ranging from tree-lined Victorian neighborhoods to sprawling new lake houses, finding the right home is easy.

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LEE’S SUMMIT

MEDICAL FACILITIES Lee’s Summit Hospital, 969-6000 St. Luke’s East – Lee’s Summit 932-6220 Truman Medical Center Lakewood 404-7000

NUMBERS TO KNOW Emergency Numbers Ambulance 969-7360 Emergency 911 Fire 969-1300 Missouri Poison Center Hotline (800) 366-8888 Police 969-1635 Community City Hall

969-1010

City Clerk

969-1005

Downtown Main Street

246-6598

which recognizes 16 percent of the nation’s school districts.

Expansion Management magazine award – Lee’s Summit is one of the top 10 districts in Missouri and one of the top 50 in the nation, based on Education Quotient.

This measures various education expenditures and other nationally recognized indices.

Public Schools R-7 School District • 986-1000 R-4 School District • 224-1300

Landfill/Recycling Center 969-1984 Lee’s Summit Symphony Orchestra

524-7447

Municipal Court

969-7392

Parks & Recreation

969-1541

Planning & Development 969-1600 Post Office

(800) 275-8777

Public Works

969-1800

Social Services

525-HELP

Libraries Colbern Road Branch

525-9924

Lee’s Summit Branch

524-0567

Private and Parochial Schools Lee’s Summit Community Christian School • 524-0185 Our Lady of Presentation Early Childhood Learning Center 251-1140 Higher Education Avila University • (800) GO-AVILA Baker University • 347-0559 University of Central Missouri 347-1612 MCC – Longview 672-2000

When you’re flying to Lee’s Summit, enjoy a pleasant mix of the old and the new ...

Whether you’re visiting Lee’s Summit or the Kansas City area, make Lee’s Summit Municipal your destination choice. The airport is conveniently located with easy access to the entire Kansas City metropolitan area.

Lee’s Summit offers you some great choices of food, shopping and comfortable facilities as close as 1.1 miles from the airport.

Whether you’re traveling on business or just visiting, our community offers you a pleasant mix of the old and the new … historic buildings, antique shops, gardens, wildlife areas, lakes, golf courses, relaxing parks and the charm of an active, vibrant downtown district in the midst of a rapidly growing dynamic city.

EDUCATION More than 32 percent of the population over 25 years of age has at least a four-year college degree, compared to the national average of 20 percent.

The two school systems have won state awards and are recognized as top districts in the country.

Recent awards include: The Lee’s Summit R-7 School District received SchoolMatch’s What Parents Want Award,

The area code for Lee’s Summit is 816.

Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport • 2751 NE Douglas • Lee’s Summit, MO 64064 816-969-1180 • 816-969-1184 (Fax) lees-summit.mo.us/publicworks/airport1.cfm

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Park University • 741-2000 (800) 745-7275 Ottawa University • (913) 451-1431 Vatterott College • 364-5399 University of Phoenix 943-9600 Vocational Schools Joe Herndon Vocational School 268-7140

PARKS The Lee’s Summit parks system consists of more than two dozen parks and facilities comprising more than 1,200 acres. Amenities in some of these parks include skating areas, swimming pools, softball, football and baseball fields, a corn maze, walking trails and bike paths, volleyball, basketball and tennis courts, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, and a recreation center.

Bailey Farm Park 45 acres 1800 S.E. Ranson Road Canterbury Park 3 acres Blackwell Road Deer Valley 26 acres 1400 N.E. Neawanna Drive Harris Memorial 23 acres 601 S.W. Jefferson Charles David Hartman 20 acres 700 S.W. Pryor Road Howard 23 acres 3498 N.E. Independence William B. Howard Station .8 of an acre 228 S.E. Main St. Lea-McKeighan 31 acres 120/125 N.E. Chipman Road Lee’s Summit Historical Cemetery 21.5 acres 806 S.E. Third Legacy Park 700 acres N.E. Blackwell Parkway

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LEE’S SUMMIT

Lowenstein 26 acres 1901 N.W. Lowenstein Drive Lower Banner 9 acres 601 N.E. Park McKee 12.75 acres 601 N.E. Todd George Miller J. Fields 18 acres 1301 S.E. Third Terrace Pleasant Lea 16 acres 1100 S.W. Walnut St. Pottberg 25 acres Bowlin Road South Lea 1 acre 819 S.W. Lea Drive South Park 20 acres Pryor Road & Highway 150 Upper Banner 14 acres 520 N.E. Noleen Summit 7 acres 451 N.W. Blue Parkway Velie 31.5 acres 2 N.W. Anderson Drive Wadsworth 2.2 acres 1010 N.W. Chestnut Williams-Grant 3 acres 401 S.E. Howard St. Winterset Nature Area 10 acres 700 S.W. Pryor Road Woods Playground .25 of an acre 615 N.W. Little Ave.

LAKES AND BEACHES Beaches are open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Blue Springs Lake & Beach 720 acres • 795-0822 Lake Jacomo 970 acres • 795-8888 Longview Lake 930 acres • 767-0727 Prairie Lee Lake 160 acres • 795-8200

The area code for Lee’s Summit is 816.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce 220 S.E. Main St. Lee’s Summit, MO. 64063 Phone: 524-2424, (888) 647-5470 lschamber.com lstourism.com Sources: lschamber.com, lstourism.com, lees-summit.mo.us

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201 S. 291 Hwy. • Summit Springs Shopping Center

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I spy something green.

Everyday moments can be learning moments with your kids. For more tips, visit bornlearning.org

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Visit Our Advertisers 1st Financial Bank www.1stfinbank.com Aurora Plastic Surgery www.auroraplastic.com Avila University www.avila.edu/advantage Bank of Lee’s Summit www.bankofleessummit.com Bushnell Outdoor Products www.bushnell.com Cardiovascular Consultants, P.C. www.cc-pc.com Cedar Box www.leessummitcigars.com Chief Heating & Cooling, Inc. www.chiefheatingandcooling.com City of Lee’s Summit www.lees-summit.mo.us City of Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport www.lees-summit.mo.us/ publicworks/airport1.cfm Discover Vision Centers www.discovervision.com Downtown Lee’s Summit www.downtownls.org Farmers Insurance Group Fawn Brents Real Estate www.fawnsellshomes.com First Community Bank www.fcbankonline.com Fitness Together www.ftlongview.com Froehlich Pycior Companies www.fpcompanies.com Gomer’s Fine Wines & Spirits www.gomers-ls.com Great Southern Bank www.greatsouthernbank.com Hampton Inn & Suites www.hamptoninnleessummit.com Hilton Garden Inn Ivy League Preschool www.ivyleaguepreschool.net Janet Sanders Attorney John Knox Village www.johnknoxvillage.org Kansas City Cancer Center www.kccancercenters.com Lee’s Landing Properties Lee’s Summit Animal Hospital Lee’s Summit Community Christian School www.lsccs.org Lewis Law Office www.lewislivingtrust.com M&I Bank www.mibank.com Missouri Central Credit Union www.mocentral.org Paradise Park www.paradise-park.com Primrose School of Lakewood www.primroseschools.com Realty Executives www.rondamarchant.com RED Development www.summitwoodsshopping.com State Farm Insurance Summit East Plaza Apartments www.summiteastapts.com Truman Medical Centers www.trumed.org University of Central Missouri www.cmsu.edu

LEE’S SUMMIT

Lewis Living Trust Center Leave to your family not only the gift of treasured memories but also the gift of family treasures and assets accumulated over a lifetime, thereby, avoiding the pain, inconvenience and costs of probate, taxes and legal fees.

The Cedar Box Fine Cigars & Unique Gifts

Walk-in Humidor Classic Smoking Lounge

See our selection of Cigars • Import Cigarettes Humidors • Cutters • Lighters

LEWIS LAW OFFICE, PC William A. Lewis, Attorney 700 N.E. Langsford Rd. Lee’s Summit, MO 64063

1002 SW Blue Pkwy.

Lee’s Summit, MO 64063

816.554.6363

Call for a FREE consultation 816-524-3200 or lewislivingtrust.com

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Large one and two-bedroom apartments with 1 1/2 baths

JANET SANDERS ~ Attorney ~ Plaza 3rd Center 704 SE 3rd St., Ste. C Lee’s Summit, MO 816.525.7977

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Administrative Child Support • Administrative Paternity Adult Abuse • Annulment • Child Abuse & Neglect Child Protection • Dissolution of Marriage Family Access Motion • Grandparents’ Visitation Guardianship • Legal Separation • Motion for Contempt Motion to Modify • Motion to Terminate • Paternity Prenuptial Agreement • Stepparent Adoption

217 NE Independence Ave. Lee’s Summit, MO 64063

816.524.8222

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Ivy League Preschool

Lee’s Landing OFFICE CENTER

1905 East Langsford Road 816.554.0033 ivyleaguepreschool.net

Convenient to Downtown • Flexible Office Space Upgrades Available 2270 NW Summerfield Dr. • Lee’s Summit, MO 64081 816-524-6379 • Fax: 816-347-8684

Lee’s Summit Animal Hospital 810 NW Commerce Dr. (816) 554-1870 By appointment 7:30-6:00 • M & F 8:00-6:00 • T, W & Th 9:00-1:00 • Sat 411 S. Market (816) 524-0464 Walk-ins welcome 8:00-6:00 • M-F 8:00-1:00 • Sat Closed Sunday

LEE’S SUMMIT

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