Accepting the award for Jackson County (left to right): Jerry Johnson, APWA; Jerry Page, Jackson County Director of Public Works; Jim Kidwell, Kidwell Construction Company; Earl Newill, Jackson County Chief Engineer; Jackson County Construction Manager Ben Allen and Jackson County Project Manager Chris Jenkins.
The American Public Works Association (APWA) Kansas City Metro Chapter selected the Historic Jackson County Truman Courthouse Site Improvement project to receive a 2010 American Public Works Project of the Year Chapter Level Award in the Historical Restoration/Preservation Category. The award was presented at a luncheon during National Public Works Week.
The project design was done by the Public Works Department. Jim Kidwell Construction Company was the Contractor. This completes the second phase of a three-part plan to revitalize and reuse the historic courthouse, which is the centerpiece of the Independence Square.
Public Works partnered with the City of Independence and the National Frontier Trails Museum to produce a video entitled "Documenting Research Materials of the Early Santa Fe Trail". Public Works employee Randy Diehl was featured in part of this video (clip shown above). You can purchase this DVD from the Jackson County Historical Society here.
For more information, please contact the National Frontier Trails Museum at NFTMinfo@indepmo.org or call 816-325-7575.
Jackson County Public Works received a conservation award from the Mid-America Association of Conservation Districts (MAACD) on September 24, 2009. The award was presented at the MAACD annual awards banquet in Topeka, Kansas. Jackson County Public Works was nominated by the Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District for its outstanding support of conservation education activities like sediment and erosion control workshops.
The award is given to government entities, organizations, individuals and others who serve as urban conservation role models. County Executive Mike Sanders has always given credit to county employees for their commitment to all aspects of the environment, whether it is recycling, energy conservation or resource conservation. Tom Krahenbuhl, who is the Jackson County Stormwater and Building Codes Administrator, accepted the award. Krahenbuhl also acts as the staff liaison for the Stormwater Commission, a Jackson County board dedicated to coordinating efforts on stormwater management issues and projects through the County.
Jackson County was selected for a Brian and Sharon Snyder Honor Award for its work on restoring the grounds of the Historic Truman Courthouse. The award was presented on November 6. Public Works Director Jerry Page accepted the award on behalf of the county.
The award was named in honor of Brian and Sharon Snyder, who were instrumental in establishing Independence, Missouri’s first historic district. They also established the city's only nonprofit preservation advocacy group.
Jackson County Public Works received a Sustainability Success Award for its Longview Road Project. Read about the project and what makes it a success story in this document published by the Mid-America Regional Council.