Grandview mayor touts S&P upgrade, $23M Blue Ridge project and new marketplace in State of the City

Mayor Leonard Jones outlined a year of infrastructure, public-safety and economic gains in his State of the City address, highlighting an S&P credit upgrade, progress on a voter-approved bond package and plans for a $23,000,000 Blue Ridge Boulevard improvement set to begin this summer.

"S&P upgraded Grandview from a double-A minus to a double-A (stable)," Jones said, calling the change "a major accomplishment" and thanking city staff for the documentation and data that supported the rating review. He singled out city administrator Jamal Gongore and assistant city administrator Kirk Decker for their work preparing materials for the rating agency.

Jones said voters approved a $21,000,000 no-tax-increase bond package in April 2022 with more than 80% approval on the ballot questions; about 80% of the bond projects are complete and the remaining work is scheduled to finish by the end of 2025. As one element of the bond program, crews are preparing to resurface 32 additional neighborhood streets so that roughly 20% of the city's streets will have been resurfaced when the program is finished.

On major transportation work, Jones described the Blue Ridge Boulevard improvement, a three-phase project totaling $23,000,000. Phase 1 (Prospect Avenue to 3rd Street) is already out for bid, he said, and phases 2 and 3 (3rd Street to Grandview Road; Grandview Road to I-49) could be expanded if additional funds become available. He credited a $4,600,000 earmark secured through a representative of Congressman Cleaver as a critical contribution to the project.

Jones also announced plans for a new Grandview City Marketplace at the Main Street railroad tracks and said the outdoor structure will be the first fundraising project of a newly created Grandview Parks and Recreation Foundation. He said the marketplace concept — "farmer's market, but much more" — was supported by a grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

Historic-preservation work was another highlight: the mayor said the National Park Service is investing in stabilizing the 130-year-old Truman Farm Home foundation so that the site remains open to tours.

On economic development, Jones said Christie Development closed on 20 acres near I-49 and Highway 150 for a new retail center that will include a grocery store; representatives from the Christie team and the World Fresh Market owner attended the mayor’s morning event. He noted housing growth along Highway 150, cited private projects including Rindamere Homes and Falcon Trails (about 40 new units planned), and projected more than $100,000,000 in combined public- and private construction in coming years.

Jones touched on education and public safety as well: he restated that Grandview has two school districts within its limits (Grandview C-4 and Hickman Mills), recalled a previously approved $50,000,000 no-tax-increase bond for Grandview C-4, and said the district is building a new learning environment. He said the city's major crime rate fell by about 6% and emphasized that public safety depends on partnerships and improved coordination on behavioral-health responses.

Jones closed by inviting the Board of Aldermen and citizens to meet after the address and announcing a new downtown "Fall Harvest Feast" on Main Street featuring local chefs, pit masters and musicians.

The speech contained no formal votes or ordinance actions; Jones described grant awards, private development agreements and planned capital work that will return to the usual funding and procurement processes before construction proceeds.