IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION expressing the support of the Legislature for the Greenwood Connector Project Phase 2 and Railroad Street Improvements and authorizing two grant applications for Federal Highways Surface Transportation Program (STP) Fund Grants for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, representing Phase Two of a multi-phase strategy to complete the Greenwood Connector.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 21017, July 25, 2022
INTRODUCED BY Tony Miller, County Legislator
Body
WHEREAS, in 2016 the County issued $51,950,000 in bonded indebtedness to purchase and develop the Rock Island Rail Corridor into a bicycle and pedestrian Shared Use Path that would eventually connect to the KATY Trail and to preserve the corridor for future Multi-Modal Transit; and,
WHEREAS, the County was awarded $10,000,000.00 in Federal Surface Transportation Program grant funds in 2014 for construction of the Rock Island Rail Corridor Shared Use Path; and,
WHEREAS, the Rock Island Rail Corridor Shared Use Path has been completed to its southern terminus near the intersections of Scherer Road and Jefferson Street in southern Lee’s Summit; and,
WHEREAS, Phase One of the Greenwood Connector has been funded by the same federal aid grant programs and is scheduled to be bid for construction in early 2023; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pleasant Hill has built and is building a trail (the “MOPAC” trail) to the north from the Missouri State Parks’ “Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail”; and,
WHEREAS, there remains an eight-mile gap between the southern terminus of the Rock Island Rail Corridor and the KATY Trail system, passing through Lee’s Summit and Greenwood, both Jackson County municipalities; and,
WHEREAS, Phase 2 of the Greenwood Connector is vital to the goals of the Rock Island Shared Use Path, and to the many Jackson County communities that will benefit from connection to the KATY trail; and,
WHEREAS, the County has led a multi-jurisdictional effort over several months to develop a Greenwood Connector strategy, which effort includes the County, the City of Greenwood, the City of Pleasant Hill, the City of Lee’s Summit, the City of Kansas City, the Missouri Department of Transportation, and the Missouri Department of Conservation; and,
WHEREAS, the aforesaid stakeholders and public meeting attendees support the most direct connection between the Jackson County Rock Island Shared Use Path and the Pleasant Hill MOPAC trail and improvements to the Railroad Street access area in Raytown; and,
WHEREAS, the aforesaid stakeholders and public meeting attendees support separated facilities that accommodate both bicyclists and pedestrians; and,
WHEREAS, Jackson County Parks + Rec wishes to pursue federal aid grant applications related to Rock Island Corridor improvements in the aggregate sum of $2,500,000.00 and through the Mid-America Regional Council to fund the second phase of the Greenwood Connector project available and improvements to the Railroad Street access area in fiscal years 2025 and 2026, which would require a local match of $675,000.00 of the project total to be appropriated in those fiscal years; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Legislature supports the completion of the Greenwood Connector Project Phase 2 and Railroad Street Improvements and supports the submission of grant applications to the Mid-America Regional Council for Surface Transportation Program funds for the implementation of the Greenwood Connector and Railroad Street Improvements projects.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________ _________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 21017 of July 25, 2022, was duly passed on July 25, 2022 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas________9____________ Nays________0_________
Abstaining ______0_________ Absent _______0__________
____________________ _______________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of the Legislature