Welcome to the city of St Joseph's weekly digital newsletter. City Link is your source for timely and relevant information from your local government.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
New Buses on the Way

In 2017, the city of St. Joseph applied for a highly competitive 5339 (b.) Capital Improvement Grant to help fund the replacement of an aging fleet of buses. In April 2018, the grant was awarded to the city for a total amount of $4.725 million to replace buses for St. Joseph Transit. This came as quite a surprise as only the city and MoDOT were awarded the grant in the state of Missouri.

Since then, staff has worked with the Federal Transit Administration to start the process of procuring the 15 new buses. After the Federal Transit Administration approved the process, the next step was to partner in a joint procurement with Kansas City Transit Authority to procure the buses. After months of working through the process and moving forward, a resolution was put before the City Council on December 2. The City Council passed the resolution unanimously.

The next step will be to submit the signed ordinance to Gillig and in about 10-18 months, 15 buses will make their way from California to St. Joseph. This will result in not only a full replacement of all the buses in St. Joseph Transit, but also fleet expansion helping to increase morning and night peak services on the busiest routes. The new buses will look the same design-wise on the outside, but will be equipped with multiple new amenities including charging stations for phones and eventually WIFI. The new buses will result in less maintenance costs, will be updated and have significantly less mileage than the current fleet. 
Still Time to Weatherize

Perhaps the cold and snow days earlier this fall threw off your home weatherizing plans. With mild temperatures still in the forecast, now is a good time to double check a few things around the house in preparation for winter.

Start with the exterior of your home. Ensure that gutters are clear of leaves and downspouts are properly connected. Check the seals on windows and doors and repair or replace as necessary. Disconnect garden hoses from exterior spigots and drain the hoses before storing them away. Consider covering or wrapping concrete fountains, bird baths or statuary if snow and ice could cause damage. You’ve likely been running your heating system for a few weeks, but remember to replace furnace filters regularly for improved efficiency and longevity of equipment. Did you rearrange the furniture to set up a holiday tree? Make sure heating and return air vents are not blocked. The official start of winter is just a couple weeks away. Take steps now.
Indoor Winter Activities

Winter weather and the holiday season may seem like a good excuse to hibernate and put off your fitness routine. So, what can you do to look past the thermometer and get up and moving? The Parks, Recreation & Civic Facilities Department offers a wide variety of opportunities for fun, entertainment and exercise all while staying warm inside.

  • The St. Joseph REC Center offers an indoor walking track and a fitness center. A day pass is $8 and a walking track pass is only $1. 
  • The Joyce Raye Patterson 50+ Activity Center has lots of activities scheduled for older adults including table games and billiards as well as craft classes. 
  • Bode Ice Arena offers open session ice skating as well as a curling league. 
  • The Remington Nature Center has monthly craft sessions for the kids, but there is also a lot for adults to enjoy. 
  • The parks department currently offers a cornhole league that is played at Fairview Golf Course in the banquet room. Additionally, the REC Center also offers open gym time for pickleball and basketball. 
  • Sometimes just getting out of the house is good for your mental health, especially during the winter months when the cold weather blues set in. The Missouri Theater has several holiday shows scheduled over the next few weeks.
  • If the weather outside isn’t frightful, some of our local parks offer exercise equipment in the park and the walking trail along the parkway system is always a good option.  

Winter is a good time to get creative with your active lifestyle. Contact the parks department facilities for information on hours and admission costs.  
Efforts Toward Improving Appearance

As the new assistant city planner for the city of St. Joseph, one of the first tasks I have been given is to initiate a comprehensive review of local business in order to determine overall compliance... read more
Mayor's Children's Christmas Party

Join Mayor McMurray, Santa and the St. Joseph Figure Skating Club in ringing in the holiday season during the annual Mayor's Children's Christmas Party on Saturday, December 14, from 10am-noon. This fun, free event at the Bode Ice Arena will include door prizes, ice skating and much more. For more information, call 271-5506.
(816) 271-5300