Summer is winding down which means it’s time to gear up for fall sports! Registration is now open for various sports in the Platte County Sports Leagues. Each league offers multiple sports available for all ages up to adult.

Northland Sports Alliance

• Fall Soccer leagues include U5 Fun Soccer ($60), U6 Pony Soccer ($70) and U6 Advanced to U12 Division ($90). The registration deadline is August 13. The season runs from September 11 to October 31.

• Competitive Baseball leagues include 9U, 10U – 14U Major/AAA & AA. Divisions are based on the oldest player’s age on April 30, 2011. Teams play the division they will play Spring 2011. Team fees are $900 for 9U – 12U and $1,000 for 13U – 14U. The season is 12 games (six double-headers) at Tiffany Hills Parks on Sundays & Mondays. The season starts on September 12.

• Competitive Softball league is for ages 10U – 14U with play days on Tuesday. The cost is $850 per team for a six-week season, double-header season at Tiffany Hills Park starting September 14. Teams must be sanctioned with USSA and provide their own game balls. The registration deadline is August 20.

• Recreational Baseball league is a mini season for ages 7U – 14U. Team registration fee is $450 and the registration deadline is August 13. Teams will play under USSSA rules for a 5-game season that runs from September 13 to October 15. Teams provide their own equipment and uniforms.

Detailed information on all Northland Sports Alliance leagues can be found by calling (816) 587-0880.

Platte City Parks and Recreation

Platte City Parks & Recreation is sponsoring a Fall Soccer League for kids in Kindergarten through 6th grade. The league cost is $65. Registration is on-line at www.plattecity.org or at City Hall, 400 Main Street, Platte City, Monday through Friday, 8 am – 5 p.m. The deadline for registration is August 31. The season will run from September 25 to October 16. For more information call Dannie Stamper or Bill Williams at (816) 858-5627.

Platte County Community Centers/YMCA

Flag Football is available for kids in Kindergarten through 7th grade. The season runs from September 6 to November 6. The registration deadline is August 23.

Basketball is available for kids in Kindergarten through 7th grade. The season runs from September 13 to November 6. The registration deadline is August 30.

Bitty Soccer is an instructional league for ages 3 to 4. The season runs from September 1 – 20. The registration deadline is August 27.

Bitty Flag Football is an instructional league for ages 3 to 4. The season runs from October 4 – 20. The registration deadline is October 1.

Bitty Baseball is an instructional league for ages 3 to 4. The season runs from September 3 – 18. The registration deadline is August 31.

Adult Co-Ed Volleyball is for ages 18 and older. The season runs from September 8 to October 20. No individual registrations will be accepted. The registration deadline is August 30.

Adult Co-Ed Basketball is for ages 18 and older. The season runs from September 12 to November 7. No individual registrations will be accepted. The registration deadline is August 23.

Adult Co-Ed Softball is for ages 18 and older. The season runs from September 3 – October 22. No individual registrations will be accepted. The registration deadline is August 23.

For league entry forms and additional information, contact Brandon Palmer at (816) 505-2622.

Weston Soccer Club

Weston Soccer Club offers a fall recreational soccer league. The season will run from September 18 to October 16 with two games played each Saturday. Registration is 6 to 8 p.m., August 5 at the New Deal Tobacco Warehouse, 17955 State Route 45 N. Weston, and 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., August 17 at the West Platte Elementary Back to School Night. Prices are $40 – one child, $70 – two children, $90 – three children and $110 – four children. The prices will increase by $10 after August 18. The final deadline for registration is August 27. For more information contact Stephanie at (816) 640-2446 or Trista at (816) 695-8207.

Last night, members of Riverside’s emergency radio system advisory committee were awarded the Missouri Municipal League’s 2010 Civic Leadership Award on behalf of the City. 

In Fall 2009, a committee was formed to evaluate a recommendation by the Department of Public Safety to replace the City’s aging emergency radio system.  The committee, made up of residents, business people and representatives from the school district met a number of times to examine the problem and evaluate the solution. What the committee learned was the radio system was past its serviceable life and provided unreliable communication at best.  The committee agreed that while the fix was expensive, the ability of public safety personnel to communicate is basic to providing a safe environment for those who live and work in the City of Riverside.

This was a monumental project which provides one of the most significant improvements ever to the capabilities of the Riverside Department of Public Safety.  This citizens committee took their role seriously and gave up their time to provide an educated recommendation to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. 

Members of the committee are:

Cy Houston
Beverly Allen
Jim Dwyer
Bob Bayless
Mary Churchill
Pat Casey
Alderman Aaron Thatcher

Riverside Radio Committee

In 2002, Mike Smith had a vision to transform his large backyard into a serene water garden. He sat on his wrap-around porch, drew his master plan and immediately got to work. Eight years later, Mike and his wife Mary created a stunning dream garden.

The highlight of the garden is the five waterfalls connected by curvy, pea gravel paths. They are built from scratch out of native rocks and slate and are complete with colorful flowers, fish, lily pads and a bullfrog. Even though it takes a lot of work to maintain the beauty, Mike says it’s all worth it.

“I’m back here for two and a half hours in the morning before work and then I piddle around in it some more when I get home,” says Mike. “I absolutely enjoy it. It doesn’t feel like work to me.”

The Smith’s created their garden as a peaceful, meditative place. Statues of angels and words of wisdom etched in stone are nestled in between flowers. Mary refers to her garden as “God’s little acre.”

“I call it that because He has provided everything for us in this garden and He gave us the strength to be able to put it all together,” says Mary. “I absolutely love it.”

Their garden also features a hand built rain shed, a clear water creek, a fire pit, the largest registered tulip tree in Missouri and several sitting areas for enjoying a warm cup of coffee. While it’s very private, the Smith’s open up their backyard for family gatherings, church picnics and wedding parties. They even have science classes come to their backyard so the kids can do an archaeological dig and learn about ecology.

Mike and Mary’s garden was on the June 6 Northland Garden Tour and will also be featured on the Water Garden Tour on July 10-11.

Waterfalls, stone paths and peaceful sitting areas fill Aaron and Lori Locke’s backyard featured in the Northland Garden Tour on Sunday, June 6. They moved into their house in 1994 which was the first one built in their subdivision. Since then, Aaron and Lori transformed their plain, muddy backyard into a colorful, luscious garden.  

Lori, like most first-time gardeners, didn’t know a whole lot about gardening. “At first I had no clue what I was doing,” says Lori. “I experimented with a lot of different plants so everything was basically trial and error for me.”

Her personal artwork decorates the landscape which adds bright, bold colors to her green shrubs and hostas. To cover up a cement retaining wall, she placed several large windows against the wall and spray painted them bright red. She also had a stump in the middle of her plants, and instead of ripping it out, she carved it up with a chainsaw and made an apple core.

Lori also added her own unique taste by placing small, whimsical trinkets such as teacups, dumbbells, bowling balls and iron shoes. If you walk up the winding path and look closely, these little surprises are scattered everywhere and create a perfect modern taste.

One of the best things about the garden is their deck and brick patio which each have their own waterfall.  Her and her family love to kick back and enjoy a nice feeling of peace and tranquility.

“I love it back here,” says Lori. “It feels like I’m always on vacation.”

Riverside residents Mike and Mary Smith’s garden was also featured in the Northland Garden Tour.  Read more about the Smith’s garden next month.

Louis John Brenner, 94, of Kansas City passed away on May 29, 2010. He was born January 16, 1916, in what is now Riverside, Mo., to Alma Brenner (Hauetter) and George Benjamin Brenner. Many will remember “Louie” from the Brenner Town & Country Hardware Store in Riverside, Mo. His visitation will at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 5 at St. Matthew’s Church, 5047 N.W. Gateway Ave., Riverside, Mo., followed by a 3 p.m. service. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Hospice Advantage, 16 Westwoods Drive, Liberty, MO 64068, or charity of your choice.

Kansas City — The U.S. Census Bureau has begun 2010 Census Complete Count Door-to-Door Follow-Up Operations with the households who have not responded to the 2010 Census. Census takers will attempt to get the basic information on the ten questions on 2010 Census and if the household is not available census takers will make additional attempts.

When a census taker visits a home, he or she will try to collect the information by interviewing an adult member of the household. Dennis R. Johnson, Regional Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, stated “I encourage the public to cooperate with census takers when they are working in your neighborhood. The 2010 Census is not yet done and this work is vital to our efforts to get a complete and accurate count of everyone living in each community.”

These follow-up operations will be conducted by official census takers. An official census taker must present an ID Badge with a Department of Commerce seal and expiration date; may be carrying a bag with a U.S. Census Bureau logo; and if asked they will provide you with their supervisor’s phone number and/or the local census office phone number for verification.

The 2010 Census is an actual count of everyone living in the United States and it is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data is used to allocate congressional seats to the states and to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year.

Denver, Colorado–The National Civic League announced the finalists for the 2010 All-America City Awards, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious civic recognition award.

“These are some of the most innovative communities in the country,” notes National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortes. “They give us hope and inspiration and teach us important lessons about leveraging the civic energy of ordinary people to address difficult challenges during some very tough economic times.”

The 2010 All-America City finalists are addressing such issues as:

• Diversifying the labor force
• Providing affordable housing options in a tough economy
• Funding basic services to people of need in the recession
• Increasing tax base to fund schools
• Transitioning to a more diverse workforce
• Providing cold weather shelter for the increased numbers of homeless
• Overcoming financial hurdles to serve the needs of youth

Listed alphabetically by state, the 2010 All-America City finalists:

Chandler, AZ; Bentonville, AR; Dublin, CA; Lynwood, CA; Rancho Cordova, CA; Vernon Central (neighborhood) CA; Miami Lakes, FL; North Miami. FL; Acworth, GA; Belleville, IL; Canton, IL; Noblesville, IN; Des Moines, IA; Lenexa, KS; Scott County, KS; Bowling Green, KY; Salisbury, MD; Ferguson, MO; Riverside, MO; Lynbrook, NY; Gastonia, NC; West Chester, OH; Wyoming, OH; Mount Pleasant, SC; El Paso, TX; Abingdon, VA; Middleton, Wisconsin.

To become a finalist, each participant completed an application documenting three community projects that address their communities’ most pressing challenges. More than 500 communities from around the country have earned this distinguished title.  Some have earned it five times over the past 61 years. Each community will send a delegation to Kansas City to tell their stories of positive community change to a jury of civic experts. The ten All-America Cities will be announced on June 18.

Learn more about the award program and follow events leading up to the Kansas City event on our new All-America City blog at www.allamericacityaward.com.  

The All-America City Awards program is sponsored by Prudential, MWH, Hyatt Regency Crown Center, Southern California Edison, Burns & McDonnell, Pforzheimer Foundation, and Southwest Airlines, the official airline of the All-America City Awards.

NCL is a 116-year-old nonpartisan nonprofit organization that strengthens democracy by increasing the capacity of our nation’s people to fully participate in and build healthy and prosperous communities across America.

The Missouri Department of Transportation continues intersection improvements at Route 9 and Briarcliff Parkway to increase safety, ease congestion, and provide better traffic flow. The ramp from Briarcliff Parkway to southbound Route 9 will remain closed through the end of August, weather permitting.  

Currently, the contractor is constructing the northern section of this project. Beginning Friday, April 2, crews will start reconstructing southbound Briarcliff Parkway between Mulberry Drive and Tullison Road, moving traffic into a head-to-head traffic configuration on the northbound lanes through the end of August. Traffic will also be shifted to head-to-head traffic on eastbound West Platte Road while crews tie the roadway into the roundabout.

Tullison Road is closed to through traffic just east of the Route 69 Intersection to Briarcliff Pkwy for road relocation. Park Drive is also closed but access is provided for Waterwell Park. Utility issues and design changes have ceased work temporarily on this portion of the project. All work is expected to be complete by November 2010.

Motorists should expect delays as they drive through the area. Additional lane closures and ramp closures should be expected as crews complete each phase of construction.

This project will cost $6.5 million, of which $2.5 million is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A cost share between MoDOT and the Briarcliff Parkway and Highway 9 Transportation Development District will fund the remainder.

For further information about this project and others, please visit MoDOT’s Facebook page, Twitter site, or web site at www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity. You can also contact MoDOT 24 hours-a-day at 888-ASK-MODOT to find out information or report road concerns.

By now you should have received your census questionnaires in the mail and you have likely noticed the address label shows you living in Kansas City. This error is the fault of the bulk-mail contractor, not the census bureau. The barcode on the address label contains all of the correct information, ensuring that our census data will be accurately recorded. If you’d like, simply cross out Kansas City and write in Riverside. If you elect to not do that, all of the information will still be tabulated correctly. The important thing for you to do is to fill out the form and mail it back.  Please contact City Hall at 741-3993 with any questions.

… but there will be a fireworks show Thursday night!  In preparation for the City of Riverside’s new summer festival, BLAST, we’ll be conducting a test shoot on Thursday evening around 6:30 p.m.  The reason for the test shoot is to make sure fireworks can be seen from the intersection of Gateway and Vivion, where the festival will be held on June 26.  Most Riverside events, like Riverfest, are held in EH Young Park so fireworks are ususally shot from a barge on the river.  Please contact Meredith Hauck at 816-372-9023 or the Department of Public Safety at 816-741-1191 with any questions or concerns.  Otherwise, enjoy the show!