Independence Today Your bi-weekly update from the City of Independence

Council Overview

Please find below an overview of some of the key items discussed and voted on during the Feb. 7 City Council Meeting. You can watch this meeting here.

40 Highway Project moves forward

The Council authorized the City Manager to approve a construction contract with VF Anderson Builders, LLC for an amount not to exceed $2,283,273.90 for the 40 Highway Complete Streets Project. This project will provide new sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes, curbs & gutters, push button pedestrian signals, sidewalk ramps, street lighting improvements, retaining walls, and trees on the north side of US 40 Highway.

You can read more about this action here.

Hardy Avenue Sidewalk Project Update

The Council authorized the City Manager to approve a construction contract with Terry Snelling Construction Inc. for an amount not to exceed $302,819.00. The project will construct sidewalks along Hardy Ave. between existing sidewalks at Cassell Park Elementary School to 35th Street. The project received $300,000 in CDBG funding. You can read more about this item here.

Looking at pavement condition

The Council approved a contract with Infrastructure Management Services for automated data collection and pavement condition surveying for streets in the amount of $199,700. The scope of service will include various locations across the entire City. The Municipal Services Department utilizes this data to determine what repairs are needed and how soon on the 1,200 lane miles of road they maintain. You can read more about this item here.

Carnival Ordinance Approved

Council approved an ordinance that will require any person, firm or corporation seeking to hold a carnival or other event with amusement rides to submit a security plan to the city as part of an application for a Special Event Permit. Each application with security plan shall be reviewed by the Chief of Police or their designee. No permit shall be issued without both approval of both the Chief of Police and City Manager. The Chief of Police may require additional security-related measures of the applicant based on the plan provided before a permit will be issued. You can read more about this ordinance here.

Please find the latest COVID-19 Report here.

You can find the full agenda, including links to the items above and other items discussed here.

The Council will next meet on February 14, 2022, for a Council Study Session.

After the storm

Independence City services once again stepped up to respond to the winter storm on Feb. 1 and 2, and extreme cold on Feb. 2-4. Snow crews pre-treated streets throughout the day Feb. 1 then began snow operations early on Feb. 2. While predictions at times included up to 15 inches of snow, our area saw between 3-5 inches in the end. Crews worked through the rest of the week.

In total a crew of 81 City staff worked more than 750 hours, used 641 tons of salt, and traveled more than 7,400 miles.

Crews have now transitioned to post-storm operations. This includes cleaning the plows and neutralizing the salt in them to limit corrosion. Crews are also filling potholes. If you have a pothole in your area, please call (816) 325-7624, report it via the IndepNow app, or online at indep.us/indepnow.

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Find upcoming meetings, programs and events

Looking for upcoming public meetings and events? Visit indep.us/calendar to what is coming up next.