Strengthen KCMO Downtown Infrastucture

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The following article was submitted to the Kansas City Star by Kevin R. Fahey, President of J. M. Fahey Construction Company, in his position as President of the Heavy Constructors Association of the Greater Kansas City Area. The Heavy Constructors Association (HCA) is a chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America. The HCA represents its members in industry affairs while applying the National AGC principles of skill, responsibility, and integrity. The article appeared in the December 6, 2003 edition of the Kansas City Star.

City Manager Wayne Cauthen may be having déjà vu. He works for a city that is considering a downtown arena as a tonic to revitalize the area, while looking at ways to afford a host of other badly needed improvements.

Cauthen’s experience as chief of staff for former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb should help him navigate the issues surrounding Kansas City’s downtown. There is no doubt Denver’s revitalization efforts are a success.

An unofficial count shows an increase in downtown residents from approximately 2,000 in the mid 1980’s to about 8,000 today. The centerpiece of Denver’s revitalization – a new arena and new baseball and football stadiums – is within greater downtown.

But Denver public officials and residents know that revitalizing their city – and strengthening the entire community – isn’t only about stadiums. While plans were made for the downtown sports facilities, many of Denver’s civic leaders worked to fund upgrades to the city’s roads, bridges and infrastructure.

Cauthen recently graded downtown Kansas City’s infrastructure, and he gave it a D. Infrastructure doesn’t have the excitement and glamour of an arena, but we must invest in downtown infrastructure, and infrastructure in other parts of the city, to enhance an arena.

The Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City favors strengthening downtown. We also know that encouraging business, tourism and residential development downtown must begin with providing good basic infrastructure services like reliable public water, adequate storm and wastewater capacity, along with better roads, bridges and sidewalks to handle the projected traffic increases.

We believe that an arena does not exist in a vacuum, but must include infrastructure improvements to increase the opportunity for a downtown arena to be successful.

Denver, like Kansas City, exists in a state with significant budget issues. Colorado forecasts a budget shortfall of 32 billion in unfunded road projects over the next 20 years. In Missouri, that shortfall is estimated at only 20 billion.

A study by the Road Information Project indicates that Kansas City has the ninth worst roads in the country, and Missouri’s bridges have been labeled the second worst in the nation.

There is little doubt that downtown, and perhaps the entire metropolitan area, would benefit from a new arena. The new arena’s chances of success and the benefits to Greater Kansas City will only be enhanced if the area’s roads, bridges and water systems get the attention they deserve.