Latest news with #JohnJosendale
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Groundbreaking for St. Joseph Animal Shelter to get underway
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — After a decade long discussion, a project to relocate the St. Joseph Animal Shelter is set to begin this month. In a press release, the City of St. Joseph confirmed a ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, at the site area of the $5 million project at 3409 S. Belt Highway. St. Joseph Mayor John Josendale, Animal Services staff and volunteers will be in attendance. Members of the public are welcome. The project is supported by $3.4 million in Capital Improvement Program funds and $1.6 million raised by the Friends of the Animal Shelter. Ellison-Auxier Architects provided design services for the new facility, which utilizes an existing city-owned building on the property that will be significantly expanded with new construction. E.L. Crawford is the construction contractor for the project. The plan for the new shelter includes an increase from the the current 8,000-square-foot facility as the new location is set have 13,000 square feet of space. It will also feature separate holding spaces for cats and dogs, an infirmary, a designated intake spot and additional parking spaces for visitors. We're really excited about the space and having flex areas for the animals," Animal Service manager Holly Bowie said. "It will increase the health of our animals because we'll be able to separate sick animals from healthy ones. Bowie said the new shelter will help with, not only having more space for animals, but space for community engagement. "Right now, we just don't have the ability to do that," said Bowie. "The visibility of the location is really exciting for us. We're hoping that we can engage the community more and have more visitors at the shelter. Public services, including adoption processing, at the current animal shelter location will not be available on June 17, so staff can attend the groundbreaking. However, priority field service complaints will be answered. If weather conditions become an issue, the ceremony will be moved inside the existing building on the site. The project is slated to be completed by June 2026.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Veterans remembered in St. Joseph Memorial Day tribute
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Veterans were honored on Memorial Day morning with a Remembrance Ceremony held at City Hall. Community members gathered outside City Hall to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in service to their country, as well as those who served and have since passed away. Mayor John Josendale, the St. Joseph Fire Department, Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, and the Joint Veterans Committee were among those who delivered speeches and conducted military honors in remembrance of fallen soldiers. Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said it was an honor to serve as a guest speaker at the 2025 Memorial Day Remembrance. Anything we can do to honor those who have given their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our way of life and our freedom is extremely important," Puett said. "I'm proud to be here in front of all my peers recognizing these brave women and men." Anthony Russell, a Maur Hill-Mount Academy Eagle Scout, delivered the Patriot Address. He spoke about honoring his long family lineage of veterans and encouraged others to use the day as one of purpose. "I have a great-grandfather who served as a Marine, as well as my mom and dad, who are both in the military," Russell said. "So, I just really wanted to honor them and honor all veterans. We can kick our feet up and relax today because they fought for our country. That is something everyone should be grateful for." Russell and others in attendance shared that community members can show their respect to veterans by simply acknowledging them, whether it's shaking their hand or saying, "Thank you for serving our country. Mayor Josendale concluded the ceremony by announcing that on July 14, 2025, a Vietnam Era Commemoration Ceremony will be held at Word of Life Church at 10 a.m. to recognize Vietnam veterans. More information about the event can be found at:
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor: Things are looking up
ST. JOSEPH, MO. — It seems that few people give speeches these days. The standard fare seems to be to make opening remarks, show a video or PowerPoint presentation, then make closing remarks. Mayor John Josendale followed that format during his State of the City address Wednesday at the InspireU Children's Discovery Center in Downtown. Minus a small technical issue at the start, the presentation was highly effective. Our city does have its fair share of problems and challenges. But when the city's accomplishments are presented in a condensed format like the mayor's speech, citizens begin to understand the many and varied improvements happening throughout the city. Here's a short list: * Some of the most popular projects on the horizon include a new animal shelter on South Belt Highway and an indoor community aquatic center. * Beginning in June, the City will begin a huge renovation project at Krug Park with a price tag of $12 million. * The City will build a new fire station to serve the South Side at 303 East Hyde Park Ave. In addition, the department will receive new equipment, including a 100-foot aerial truck to serve the east side of town, as well as a new Next Gen 9-1-1 communication system. * Key renovations continue at City Hall, Civic Arena, Missouri Theater, and the fire department's headquarters. The arena and theater projects have been progressing for several years. Arena renovations have provided the St. Joseph, MO Sports Commission with a venue that allows the commission to attract premiere sporting events, entertainment, and tradeshows, bringing a host of visitors to our city. * In a quest to ensure the 139th Airlift Wing remains relevant, the city is continuing widespread investments to Rosecrans Memorial Airport. B&B Runway Cafe recently completed its move to the new state-of-the-art new terminal building and work continues on a new air traffic control tower. * University of Missouri-Kansas City has added two important initiatives: a new medical school on Faraon Street adjacent to Mosaic Life Care and a new dental program on the campus of Missouri Western State University. * In the private sector, Daily's Meats announced a $95 million expansion that will add 100 jobs. When completed, St. Joseph will produce 5% of the bacon consumed in the United States. * Perhaps one of the key developments this past year is what didn't happen. Our landfill has not reached capacity or closed. Instead, it's expanding with collaboration from city officials, a private contractor and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. A serious problem one month was significantly reduced the next, * The city also allocated funds to reduce blight, including demolition of 40 dilapidated houses. All this and more gave the mayor plenty to highlight during his presentation. When grouped together, the list proves our city does indeed have a considerable number of positive things going for it. It's almost enough to make even the most dedicated critic of our town admit that things are looking up. Convincing a person like that of course is a tall task. But a mayor can dream, can't he?
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor touts community investments, support in State of the City address
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — As he stood at the podium to deliver his closing remarks, Mayor John Josendale ended his address with a call to action, challenging those in the audience to continue rallying for St. Joseph. In his eyes, success ... and challenges, will be accomplished and overcome with the help of community partners, from each resident and employee to the abundance of businesses and organizations that support it. It makes me proud to see individuals, groups and organizations stepping up to lead the charge," Josendale said. "If you want to make St. Joseph great, each of us has to be a part of that ... working together, we'll continue to accomplish great things." Over the course of Wednesday's State of the City address at the InspireU Children's Discovery Museum — a cornerstone of years of Downtown re-development — Josendale highlighted a variety of community gains and progress achieved over the past year, while also laying out new objectives for growth and improvement moving forward. Strengthening the city's core services and building stronger connections with the community are two of the top priorities within its strategic vision. This past year saw the continuation of needed upgrades to both police and fire department equipment to enhance operations and improve the community's access to public safety, including the new southside Fire Station 10. A recently-launched community survey of St. Joseph residents on those core city services will play a vital role in the direction the city takes moving forward. "St. Joseph is a great place. How do we make it better?" he said. "The survey is very important to this. We want that input. We want to have a roadmap on what to look at and how to move forward with it." Josendale said a continued focus on sustainability and long-term planning is key to ensure positive development continues, highlighting the creation of hundreds of jobs, development of new facilities like the now-open Missouri Western CTAC building or a planned UMKC School of Medicine on Riverside Road this year, as well as significant investments to key assets like the park system, new-and-improved Civic Arena and Rosecrans Memorial Airport, among others. A new animal shelter, hotels and conference center, aquatic facilities at Hyde Park and Northside Complex (formerly Krug Pool) and renovations to Krug Park are next in line. "Many elements are coming together to enhance our reputation as a destination for history, arts, entertainment, sports, recreation, business and technology," Josendale said during his address. Josendale applauded the work of volunteers, organizations and neighborhood groups in growing efforts to beautify and clean up St. Joseph, including groups like Beautify St. Joseph, Friends of Krug Park and Missouri Western's Center for Service. Housing gap improvements and reducing blight have and will remain one of the top priorities for the city as it works to boost population and meet the needs of residents and a growing workforce. Close to $95 million in capital investments were secured in the last year, including the recently-announced expansion at Daily's Premium Meats and a Nortian Foodtech protein manufacturing facility on Alabama Street. "In the last month alone, we've announced about 250 new jobs coming this way. We need to have housing for that. And we need all levels of housing," Josendale said. "If you look at the new UMKC building, we're looking at putting apartments around that location. We're also looking at putting some new condos and homes out north. Josendale touted the addition of the St. Joseph Goats arena football team and accomplishments by the St. Joseph Sports Commission and Convention and Visitors Bureau to secure a wide variety of premiere athletic, entertainment and trade show events at the Civic Arena.
