Blog – Downtown Council of Kansas City

CID BUZZ: WEEKLY NEWS FOR MAY 9

Wednesday, 09 May 2012 15:19

CID Outreach Service: Safety Escorts!

While Downtown may be one of the safest neighborhoods in the metropolitan area, CID Ambassadors go the extra mile to help Downtown workers, residents and visitors feel even more secure.

The Downtown and River Market Bumblebees (aka, Ambassadors) provided nearly 1,300 escorts over the last year and average more than 100 per month.

“Whether you’re working late, it’s dark outside, or you just don’t want to walk alone, a radio-equipped, uniformed and trained CID Safety Ambassador will accompany you to your destination, vehicle or bus,” said Mark Rowlands, CID director.

The safety escort service is free within the Central Business District and River Market area during the following hours of operation: 7:30a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

To request a safety escort, call the CID Dispatch at (816) 421-5243 about a one hour prior to requiring an escort. To learn more about the CID’s Clean and Safe services here.

Roasterie to break ground on $5 million expansion

Monday, 07 May 2012 09:00

A $5 million expansion of The Roasterie Inc.’s coffee factory will take flight in a special groundbreaking ceremony at its Westside location in Downtown at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 8.

Renovation and expansion of Kansas City’s beloved coffee roaster will result in a new entrance, a larger café
to be open six days a week, and a beautiful event space located at its current factory at 1204 W. 27 th St.

“This is huge… a big game-changer,” said Danny O’Neill, president and founder. “It will make us significantly
more efficient with our new docks and plant layout, as well as allow us to entertain tens of thousands of
fans year round.”

The groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. on May 8, and is scheduled to feature Mayor Sly James,
along with Downtown area business and civic leaders. The public is invited to attend the ceremony, and stay for refreshments and tours.

“The Roasterie and Danny O’Neill epitomize the entrepreneurial spirit that built Kansas City and is absolutely
driving Downtown’s continued revitalization today,” said Bill Dietrich, president of the Downtown Council.

The “new” Roasterie will receive its crowning touch by late summer, when a full DC-3 airplane will be
mounted above the building – making the coffee kingdom clearly visible from Interstate 35. The DC-3, a
common vehicle for transporting coffee beans around the world is a significant part of the Roasterie’s brand
identity.

“We want the Roasterie to be a great place for our neighbors to visit, as well as bring guests,” O’Neill
said. “It’s already inspiring others in the neighborhood to spruce up their property. We feel this can be a
catalyst for development down (nearby) Southwest Boulevard.”

The event will not only celebrate The Roasterie’s future, but also its rich 19 year history. The Roasterie’s
revenues increased more than 30 percent last year to top $10 million in 2011.

“I have a deep appreciation for Danny O’Neill and his team at The Roasterie,” said Pete Fullerton, president
of the Kansas City Economic Development Corporation. “He does a lot for Kansas City and for the
neighborhood – he is a creative visionary.”

For more information contact:

• Stacy Barter, the Roasterie: stacy@theroasterie.com
• Mike Hurd, Downtown Council: mike@downtownkc.org
• Jennifer Presberry, Economic Development Corporation: jpresberry@edckc.com

Downtown to serve as Home Base for All Star Week fun

Friday, 04 May 2012 11:31

Downtown Kansas City will serve as Home Base for fan activities during the Major League Baseball (MLB) All Star Game week, July 6-10 with special events throughout greater Downtown.

More than 125,000 visitors are expected to enter Bartle Hall for the All Star Fan Fest over the five-day run. And, that’s just for starters. Special attractions have already been announced for Barney Allis Plaza, the Power & Light District, Crown Center, the National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) at 18^th & Vine, and the Crossroads Arts District.

To keep up with the latest All Star Week news, like us at Facebook.com/Downtown Kansas City and follow the official Kansas City website for all things All Star at www.VisitKC.com/allstar.

The current list of All Star Week highlights includes:

Daily, July 6-10

MLB All-Star Fan Fest @ Bartle Hall (9a.m.-8 p.m.)
Special Exhibition on All Stars @ NLBM (8 a.m.-5 p.m.)
World War I All Stars @ WWI Museum (10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

Friday, July 6

Crossroads Block Party @ 19^th & Baltimore (4-10 p.m.)
First Friday @ the Crossroads Arts District (6-10 p.m.)
Friday Night Flick: Moneyball @ Crown Center (9 p.m.)
Grand Slam Jam in FANsas City @ Barney Allis Plaza (8 p.m.)

Saturday, July 7

Buck, BBQ & Baseball @ NLBM (7 p.m.)
Grand Slam Jam in FANsas City @ Barney Allis Plaza (2-9 p.m.)
Groovalicious Fruit @ City Market (9 a.m.-noon)
KC Command @ Sprint Center (7 p.m.)

Sunday, July 8

MLB All Star Game Charity 5K & Fun Run @ Power & Light (7:30 a.m.)
Art of the Machine Series @ City Market (10 a.m.-2 p.m.)
Grand Slam Jam in FANsas City @ Barney Allis Plaza (2-9 p.m.)
KC Chamber of Commerce @ Kauffman Center (7 p.m.)
All Star Futures Game + Legends & Celebrity Softball Game @ the K (4 p.m.)

Monday, July 9

MLB Home Run Derby @ the K (7 p.m.)

Tuesday, July 10

MBL All Star Red Carpet Parade @ Country Club Plaza (1 p.m.)
Community Watch Parties @ locations tbd (7 p.m.)
83^rd MLB All Star Game @ the K (7 p.m.)

DTC Breakfast Seminar: Jason Ryan Dorsey on June 14

Wednesday, 02 May 2012 08:15

Jason Ryan Dorsey, The Gen Y Guy, returns to Downtown KC to help us unlock the power of generations. On Thursday, June 14, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the KC Marriott Downtown, Dorsey will share his latest strategies and tactics on how to sell and lead across generations—with an emphasis on Gen Y. This event will feature turnkey actions you can use immediately to increase your top line and your bottom line. Did you meet Jason at the DTC Annual Luncheon in December 2011? Then you know you won’t want to miss this more detailed seminar focusing on an in-depth discussion of how to cross the generational divide in Kansas City. This will be a working breakfast with ready-to-use strategies.

Click here for more information and tickets!

Check out this video clip of our speaker:

CID BUZZ: WEEKLY NEWS FOR APRIL 30

Monday, 30 April 2012 15:59

The Downtown and River Market Bumblebees (aka, Community Improvement District Ambassadors) are patrolling the streets of Downtown Kansas City with all-new efficiency these days.

Thanks to a $90,000 investment by the DCID Board of Directors last fall, the CIDs have updated their fleet of maintenance and security vehicles — the first major upgrade since the DCID was founded in 2003. The new equipment went public in April.

“This is a significant improvement for CID operations,” said Mark Rowlands, director. “We placed great emphasis on purchasing equipment and vehicles that would increase our ability to move ambassadors throughout our service areas, as well as update the original fleet. This is a big win for the CIDs and the neighborhoods we represent.”

Much of the original CID fleet is still operational, so the addition of seven new vehicles and equipment gives the ambassadors much greater abilities to work efficiently and effectively. Rowlands said the fleet improvements have prompted new opportunities for CID staff training and development, including a new Fleet Maintenance program to track regular maintenance; training to safely and effectively operate two new Segways; and OSHA certification on the safe and proper use of the new bucket truck.

New additions to the CID fleet include:

2001 Ford F-550 XL Super-Duty with articulated boom with bucket: The Ford F-550 Bucket truck replaces the DCID’s original bucket truck that was totaled due to arson in the summer of 2010. The bucket truck will make it possible once again for the ambassadors to install and maintain banners throughout Downtown, remove litter or graffiti in high, out-of-reach locations, and simple tree pruning projects.

2008 Ford F-250 work truck: The new
F-250 work truck was purchased to expand our transportation options with the DCID’s
growing responsibilities. This four-door truck will enable the DCID to transport more than two or three ambassadors between job sites for the first time in
our nine-year history.

Bobcat 3400 XL utility vehicle: This four-seat utility vehicle will also increase our transportation capabilities. A 40-inch snow blade attachment will improve the CID’s snow removal response time and tackle the sidewalks on the bridges over I-70 and I-670.

Two (2) Segway i2 Patrollers: The two Segways replaced our old Gen1 Segways that were being phased out and repairs became too costly or impossible due to lack of parts. The Segways are a valuable component of the Safety Ambassadors deployment, allowing them to travel quickly to locations

Hot powerwash trailer: The new hot powerwash trailer system will allow the ambassadors greater capability to manage graffiti removal and sidewalk cleaning within the Districts. Our old system needed to be shared between the graffiti removal team and the landscaping watering crews which caused frequent scheduling conflicts.

Walk-behind tractor: The walk-behind tractor with attachable snow blade will to give the ambassadors a better tool to remove snow off the sidewalks on the bridges and from within Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park. Removing snow from both of these areas has always been extremely hard work and time consuming for the ambassadors. Additionally, the tractor has potentially other possibilities with the many attachments that are available including a tiller, dethatcher, lawnmower and rotating broom.

“Most importantly, the DCID wanted to provide the ambassadors with the necessary tools to improve their ability to safely carry out the helpful services that they provide in a timely manner,” Rowlands explained.