By the time many of you folks read this, the world will have ended.
Just kidding.
And, of course, you already knew that because if the world had indeed ended, you wouldn’t be reading this column.
Duh.
Anyway, I’m always amazed at the reaction some folks have to an impending snowstorm. Here it is Tuesday and all afternoon, that’s all I heard about.
“Hey, are you ready for the big storm Thursday?”
All I can say is times like these make me envious of meteorologists and grocery store owners. Meteorologists because for a few days they get to play rock star and grocery store owners because... well, I’m sure you felt compelled to stock up on supplies, am I right?
One would think that in the face of the latest Snowmageddon, that I would have some truly profound wisdom to impart to you in this space.
Spoiler alert: I don’t
But I do have a few talking points whirling around in my noggin, so here goes.
GOOD HIRE Some things are just right and true. That’s what I think of the announcement that Reggie Burress will take over for longtime Platte County High School wrestling coach Phil Dorman, who coached his final Pirates wrestling team at the state meet last weekend in Columbia.
Burress has been an assistant coach for 16 of Dorman’s 19 years at the Platte County helm and I’m sure Dorman will agree that Burress played a big part in the team’s success during that time. It’s only fitting that Burress takes over as Dorman leaves the mat. I’m happy for both of them.
See page B1 for more on Dorman, Burress and the state tournament, including coverage of the Park Hill Trojans’ convincing team state championship performance.
MONEY WELL SPENT I’m working on a comprehensive look at the Central Platte Fire District, which has been in the news a bit of late. Look for it in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, here’s some info to chew on: Central Platte has the lowest tax levy of any of the nine taxing fire districts listed by the Platte County Clerk’s office.
Central Platte’s levy is 31.31-cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The next lowest is Smithville at 39.25 cents. It should be noted that Smithville is a paid department and is also funded in part by a City sales tax.
The highest-taxing fire district is Weatherby Lake at $1.05, followed by Southern Platte (also paid) at $1.01 West Platte is 78 cents, Dearborn is 52.58 cents, Edgerton-Trimble is 49.85 cents, Camden Point is 48.64 cents and Southwest Buchanan is 44.59 cents.
However, while Central Platte has the lowest levy of the bunch, they are near the top in calls responded to — last year the department reported 1,100 calls.
What does all this mean? Taxpayers are getting a good return on their money when it comes to Central Platte fire protection and emergency medical services.
PLATTE CITY LOOKING EAST Ever since I began working at The Citizen way back in 1995 — and I’m sure even longer than that — the City of Platte City has coveted undeveloped land east of Interstate 29. There have been several false starts in the last 20 years, but the gist of the situation is this: the City has been waiting for private developers to foot the bill for getting infrastructure (water, sewer, etc.) underneath I-29 and to that area.
Unfortunately, those days are over. In their place is a business environment that requires public participation. So, it appears the City may be on the verge of making a deal for some land east of I-29, getting services to it and sparking some development.
Where? When? Not sure yet, but I’m expecting an announcement soon.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Don’t miss our annual County Progress special section next week: “Spotlight: Platte County.” It will be filled with stories and advertorials about some exciting things happening in Platte County in the coming year.
Thanks for reading.
Lee Stubbs is owner/editor of The Citizen. He may be reached by e-mail at editor@plattecountycitizen. com or by calling 858-5154. Follow him on Twitter @leejstubbs.