Mayor Landwehr's Blog

Ped/Bike Project Details Made Public at Open House

Mark Capron from Jacobs Engineering is designing the ped/bike walkway across the Missouri River bridge at Jefferson City. Construction begins in early 2010 and take about a year to complete. Capron took me on a virtual tour Tuesday night at MODOT's open house. All the details can be found at the MODOT link.

National Parks TV Series Has Local Application

Ken Burns always puts together great films, usually a series on a special theme, like his classic Civil War set. Last week PBS rolled out Burns' latest effort recounting the history and philosophy of our National Parks.

The quotations from John Muir about his lifelong struggle to preserve wilderness regions like Yellowstone, and his assessment that man fulfills himself (and finds God) by experiencing "big nature," made me think about our city's one and only opportunity to touch the state's largest natural resource, the Missouri River.

 Adrian's Island is that opportunity and we should keep working very, very hard to make it happen. 

Jerks and Others Welcome at East End Drug Reunion

Whaley's East End Drug, an East Side fixture re-gentrified by the Hubble family and much appreciated for its role in redevelopment efforts, will have some fun this Saturday at a "Soda Jerk Reunion and Customer Appreciation Party" from 1 to 5. Celebrity Jerks (no comment, please) will serve cherry cokes and root beer floats. Door prizes and good friends.

Peggy says I will NOT have to dress up. My current wardrobe will be PERFECT

Jefferson City: an Oasis of Politeness

A famous historian said that "The true test of a culture is the tenor of its lavatory signage."

By any objective standard, we get good marks in that department. 

This sign in Gumbo Bottoms was a refreshing break from the normal dictatorial, or even, rude signage that dominates our culture. Notice the "please" and "thanks" in the same message? 

Unfortunately I could not chill out and enjoy the ambiance very long. "Had to go."

Rathaus Exterior Needs Attention

The word for city hall in German is "Rathaus."  No jokes, please!

Jeanie Schwaller with the Capital City Garden Club has plans to give city hall a little more curb appeal. Last week she started with some temporary plantings. More substantial changes will occur after the brickwork and sidewalks are fixed.

Those efforts made me think about that bare wall on McCarty Street. The foliage there has been meager for decades. How about a place to announce local achievements. For the trial run we chose the LU Girls Indoor Track Team -- Division II national champs.  What do you think?  Good idea, or just another distraction for drivers?

View Progress of Federal Courthouse at Webcam Site

Real time coverage of the new Federal Courthouse Project can be viewed at a webcam site. Shots are taken every seven minutes and you can go back to watch the progress to date. Check out the time-lapse feature. 

The view is from just inside the old penitentiary walls and shows the Missouri River in the background (opposite the view shown in this picture). 

I'm just glad they did not have this technology when I worked construction -- before mandatory porta-potties.

Don "Bones" Libby Passes Away

Friday a wreath hung on the door of Bones Restaurant in the alley off Madison, a simple announcement of owner Don Libby's passing. He created the closest thing to a neighborhood downtown bar we've known in recent memory. He was 65. He had been ill for some time.

Funeral directions were incomplete as of Sunday morning, but information will soon be available on Freeman Mortuary's site.

I hope the funeral procession includes that very large convertible.

Tours of Old Penitentiary Coming Soon

The last prisoner left the Missouri State Penitentiary in 2004.  The site contains numerous buildings and views -- a treasure trove of state and local history. Since then, due to many circumstances too complicated to summarize, the area "behind the walls" site has been viewed by only special groups.

That may change. Our Convention and Visitors' Bureau has received approval from the Missouri State Penitentiary Redevelopment Commission to arrange for regular tours for visitors and residents.

In a Channel 3 JCTV interview, Steve Picker and Sarah Stroesser describe the tours that could begin in May.  

Huckabee to Speak at Vitae Foundation Event March 23

Mike Huckabee is no stranger to the Heartland. He was Governor of Arkansas for twelve years and ran for President in 2008. He now has a show on Fox. Mike Roberts and Warren Krech will introduce Huckabee at this year's Vitae Caring Foundation Pro-Life Benefit Dinner at the Capital Plaza.  For tickets call (573) 634-4316 or visit the Vitae website.

Huckabee visited Jefferson City during the presidential campaign. Here's a clip, courtesy Jason Rosenbaum's Blog and the Columbia Daily News.

Federal Courthouse Construction Begins

The ceremonial ground breaking and the press releases were encouraging, but until the big cranes arrived the new federal courthouse project at the MSP redevelopment area was just a dream. Today I checked out the site, and it's not just a dream any more.