UMKC Downtown Arts Campus Funding to be Considered by Governor in Mid-May
May 4, 2017 | Kevin Collison | 2 min read
By Kevin Collison
State funding for the planned downtown Conservatory of Dance and Music, called the “largest project in UMKC history,” is expected to be considered by Gov. Eric Greitens after lawmakers adjourn May 12.
“I’m not quite ready to uncork the champagne until after the governor’s signature,” Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council, said Thursday.
Dietrich told the Downtown Council board the governor is expected to review the funding plan after the legislative session ends next Friday.
The $48 million in matching state funding for the $96 million project planned near the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts already has won overwhelming support from the Missouri House and Senate. The remaining $48 million is coming from private sources and the city.
Outgoing UMKC Conservatory Dean Peter Witte was saluted by the Downtown Council for pushing the project, which supporters believe will be a major new downtown asset with 700 students and faculty.
Witte is leaving for a new post at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. this summer.
He told the council the idea was first suggested to him in 2009 by Jonathan Kemper, chairman of the Commerce Bank Kansas City Region.
It later was boosted by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce when the downtown arts campus was named one of its “Big 5 Ideas” in 2011.
Julia Irene Kauffman, who spearheaded the Kauffman Center that opened in 2011, provided a vital funding boost when the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation pledged $20 million to the UMKC downtown conservatory proposal in 2013.
“We are staring at the precipice of the largest project in UMKC history,” Witte said.
The conservatory dean praised Warren Erdman, the Kansas City Southern railroad executive and veteran of state and federal politics, who led the lobbying effort in Jefferson City.
“Warren Erdman took this from a city and arts perspective to a statewide education perspective,” Witte said. “Next time you see Warren, buy him lunch, he’s really remarkable.”
This article appeared originally on the KCUR public radio website.
Reading these stories is free, but telling them is not. Start your monthly gift now to support Flatland’s community-focused reporting.
Related Stories
Nick’s Picks | Messi, Jail, Buses, and More …
World Cup Team(s) Arrive It’s starting to feel real. The first World Cup team has landed in Kansas City. Defending champions Argentina touched down at KCI airport on Sunday and will begin practicing today at Sporting KC’s training facility in Wyandotte County. Much of the attention, of course, is focused on Lionel Messi. The soccer…
World Cup ‘Statement Piece’ Evokes Best Version of Kansas City
Before I moved to Kansas City almost 56 years ago, I had been here only once — for a brief visit to the Kansas City Press Club when I was attending the University of Missouri School of Journalism. But because of that visit and the fact that I grew up in the Midwest (Woodstock, Illinois,…
KU Center Helps Women Gain Foothold After Incarceration
A flier from her probation officer was the turning point for Jodi Whitt, who had spent more than two decades in and out of the criminal justice system. The piece of paper introduced Whitt to the Technology Education Program offered by the University of Kansas’ Center for Digital Inclusion. Since 2019, Whitt has risen through…