July 18, 2007
Pretty flowers can also serve a valuable purpose
By Under the Sun | By Andre Riley
As has often been noted in this space, government at all levels can be slow, if not downright unresponsive, when working to solve basic problems.
Every so often, however, the folks in charge of protecting our quality of life do their jobs while making our lives just a little bit better. Dr. Kenneth Weinand, his staff and patients are reminded of this every time they gaze into a lot across the street from the dentist's second-floor office at 14500 E. 42nd St. S. in Independence.
There, in what once was an empty lot, sits a sprawling field of pink, white and wildflowers planted by the city's Water Pollution Department. The inhabitants of Weinand's office say the flowers have brightened the workspace.
"I had a woman yesterday who walked over (to the window) and just shook her head," Weinand said recently. "She said it's the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen."
Before we get all sunshine and lollipops over some colorful plants, there was a practical reason for the plantings, according to the city. The lot is actually a city-owned regional detention basin, a man-made device designed to catch excess water runoff and funnel it away from the roadway and nearby buildings.
The city was often stuck with the cost to cut down the weeds and grass that grew in the basin - at about $300 every two weeks - and sought a cost-effective way to manage the site.
Enter the wildflowers. The deep-root native plants not only help maintain the structure of the basin and help fight pollutants contained in the water runoff, said Don Shannon of the Water Pollution Department. The flowers also draw purple martins who help fight mosquitoes.
"We've spent a lot of money mowing," Shannon said, "and since water quality is such an important issue in this community, we thought we'd put ourselves in position to solve both problems."
All quality-of-life issues should be this easy to fix. Using a mix of sound logic and desire, the city has not only found a way to live up to its citizens' standards but it did it in an attractive way. The approach is under way at the city's other dozen regional detention basins, although some haven't progressed as quickly as Weinand's location. Shannon said the maturation process takes a while, but when it does, citizens will be pleased.
If a little innovation has brought us this beautiful and cost-effective solution, just imagine what other problems could be solved in Eastern Jackson County: Barriers to provide safer railroad crossings in the rural areas, a regional recycling district, a stronger and expanded carpool program.
OK, we're probably getting ahead of ourselves. EJC wasn't built in a day, and most of today's problems were also yesterday's problems. For now, let's enjoy a moment in which local government stepped up and, instead of passing some cumbersome ordinance, just did what was right to make life better.
"(The flowers are) a good way to let nature be ... and it's so enjoyable," said hygienist Jean O'Dwyer.
News Editor Andre Riley's column appears on Wednesday and Friday in The Examiner. Reach him at 816-350-6317 or andre.riley@examiner.net.
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