Commissioners this week discussed the possible future uses of the historic Dorothy Day log cabin, located at the Green Hills of Platte Wildlife Preserve near Parkville.
The commission met for its regular administrative session on Monday, Nov. 15 at the Platte County Resource Center in Kansas City.
During commission comments, district commissioner Joe Vanover said he’d recently toured the historic facility, which was the home of Dorothy Day until 2011. The cabin is one of the oldest structures still standing in Platte County after the opening of the Platte Purchase territory in 1836. In 2016, it was fully restored.
Day, who campaigned for the passage of the county’s parks sales tax and preservation of the area now known as Green Hills of Platte, lived in the house for many years through a life-estate agreement. She died in 2015.
“I met with the parks board last month and toured the cabin and grounds,” Vanover said. “I have heard the Parks Department has spent one million dollars to purchase and preserve the cabin, but it remains unused. Considering the cabin has about 1,500 square feet of livable space, it is likely the most expensive house in Platte County per square foot.”
Vanover said the site is not suitable for school buses and the cabin is too small for more than one family to be inside at one time. He said he is looking for ways to increase the number of people experiencing the cabin without spending a significant amount of additional dollars.
The commission discussed the cabin and potential uses with senior staff last week, he said. The parks department staff is reaching out to people who have been interested in the cabin in the past. The grounds of the cabin property are open to the public but the interior of the cabin is available for viewing by appointment only.
The public is encouraged to contact the Platte County Parks Department with ideas for the cabin through the website, platteparks.com.
Director of public works Bob Heim requested public hearings for 10 a.m. Dec. 6, 10 a.m. Dec. 20 and 10 a.m. Jan. 3, 2022 at the Platte County Resource Center. The hearings most importantly will address speed limits on several rural roads where dangerous driving has been noted.
Another change to the county’s forensic services contract was also approved. Formerly provided by Jackson County, that medical examiner’s office priced itself out of most local contract work within the past few years. Instead, the county approved a multi-year contract with Forensic Medical, beginning at a not-to-exceed number of $245,000 for the first year.
Also at the meeting, prosecutor Eric Zahnd announced his office and the sheriff’s office had been awarded additional funding to combat crimes against children and sexually-related crimes through a pandemic-related emergency grant. The prosecutor’s office will receive nearly $120,000 in additional funding, which supports the addition of another assistant prosecutor.
The county’s officeholder salary commission meeting was also scheduled for this week, with any changes to salaries taking affect after the next election cycle.