Marti Lee
After 29 years leading the Southtown Council organization, Marti Lee retired last year. This is my favorite picture of her–one I took while we were helping with traffic control at the Brookside Halloween Trick or Treat in 2013.
A new executive director, Sean Ackerson, joined Southtown Council earlier this year. He has an extensive planning and economic development background, most recently working for the City of Parkville. A graduate of Oklahoma State University,
Sean Ackerson, Executive Director of Southtown Council
Sean and his family live in Rockhill Gardens. I stopped by his office recently and we chatted about what the Southtown Council is working on.
Do you have any goals you want to accomplish this year?
The Southtown Council overseas seven organizations: the Southtown Council, the Southtown Council Foundation, the Brookside Business Assn and it’s CID; the Waldo Business Assn and it’s CID and the Troost Ave CID. My goals are to continue doing what we do well and evaluate what we can do better. What should we be doing that we aren’t doing? This is a strategic planning year. We want to end the year with a series of priorities for these seven organizations by looking at where we are and where we need to be.
Are there any current specific priorities?
We are working on more parking for Brookside; improving the entryway to Waldo, and improving the image of Troost Ave. We are also working on an art installation for the intersection of 85th and Wornall, the 75th and Wornall fountain improvements, and promoting the districts through public infrastructure improvements, not just through special events.
We are actively now working on the marketing aspect of the Troost Avenue district: most properties along 63rd St from Rockhill Road to Pener Plaza, and on Troost south from Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. We are trying to overcome the negative perception of the area you see on news reports. There are more businesses moving in and the areas along 63rd and Troost provide comparable opportunities to Westport and the Crossroads, but are currently more affordable. There are some really great storefronts and buildings with great bones, all within walking distance of housing, two universities and on a major transportation corridor.
Can you address the situation with the panhandlers at 85th and Wornall?
Each CID has private security that patrol the areas–they make in store visits, walk along the sidewalks and watch the intersections. They look for maintenance issues, places that are being made into shelters and they reach out to panhandlers asking them to move along. Panhandling is a concern for personal safety, and at 85th and Wornall, because of the stoplights and islands, it’s easy to get close to the vehicles. We work through our private security and the police department to minimize panhandling.
Do you feel KCMO City Hall supports the efforts of Southtown Council?
It’s my understanding City Hall has been a good partner. We have always actively engaged with City Hall regarding infrastructure improvements, like the new stoplights at Wornall and 63rd/Meyer. Another example is Waldo partnered with the City on a study of the 75th and Wornall intersection. There are a number of issues in that area: the offset intersection, conflicts between pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and the gap in the Trolley Trail. A three day workshop held in 2015 considered alternatives for improvements, and a plan was selected for putting 75th St on a ‘road diet’ . This plan would reconfigure the parking between 74th and 75th streets and connect the Trolley Trail along the east side of Wornall while reducing the number of lanes on 75th St from 4 to 3. Right now we are finalizing engineering plans and pursuing financing and grants. If all goes as planned, the project could begin in 2017.
I’m very grateful to Sean for taking the time to talk to me for this blog! Southtown Council is a great organization for our area–if you want to know more about how they work, attend one of their monthly lunches, become a member, or just stop by their office at 6814 Troost. For a very small office (Sean and three staff people) — they accomplish a lot for Brookside/Waldo/Troost businesses.
This Thursday through Sunday, July 7-10, 2016 is the annual Brookside Side Walk Sale. Stop by and check out the bargains at your favorite stores…and browse some new shops as well! Many merchants are open until 8pm on Thursday evenings. Make a day of it and enjoy a meal or snack while you are picking up some sale stuff.
I’m not a foodie…actually I am a very picky eater. So on my blog, I don’t give my opinion about local restaurants and eateries in the Brookside/Waldo area. However, the meal my husband and I had at 
So what did we eat? We started with an appetizer featuring a roasted garlic bulb, pomodero sauce, sheep cheese and arugula pesto served with grilled bread. This was followed by a small salad of greens, radish, candied orange peel, almonds and figs. I was so enamored of the fresh pomodero sauce on the appetizer that I ordered the house made pasta with that same sauce (tomatoes from Powell Gardens) and my husband had the braised pork shoulder over pasta. Every bite was…just so fresh and bright and flavorful. Using the local ingredients makes so much difference (Andrea boasts there is not a can opener or microwave in the kitchen!). For dessert, we shared a caramel bondino (not sure of the spelling of this Italian word): a thick pudding with a smear of whipped cream on top of a dark chocolate cookie crumble. (The menu posted online is a little different from what we ordered from; items do change on a regular basis depending on the season).
Let’s welcome a new business to the growing Brookside East neighborhood…
Golden and Pine
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 