KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Lee's Summit is making strategic preparations for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, focusing on sustainable community impact rather than temporary solutions.
The city has already taken several steps to prepare for the influx of international visitors, including upgrading its local airport with an additional hangar and larger equipment, like a new tug, to accommodate bigger jets.
Lee's Summit also updated the airport's name to Kansas City-Lee's Summit Regional Airport to be an easier find for out-of-towners.
In anticipation of increased tourism, Lee's Summit recently formed the Visitors Bureau to help market the city even beyond World Cup events.
"We don't want to just kind of do fly-by-night type of activities. We want to do something that is more sustainable in the community... How do we prepare and make sure that we're keeping our community safe and keeping our community clean, and all of those things, when you have an influx of visitors?" said Donna Lake, assistant city manager.
The city's Amtrak station provides a direct connection to downtown Kansas City and other host cities, offering another transportation option for World Cup attendees.
While Lee's Summit may not serve as a team base camp, it is being considered as a park-and-ride location, which would more directly involve the city in daily World Cup operations.
"We want to have a World Cup here," Lake said. "We want to have in Lee's Summit the opportunity to welcome visitors to our community... I think until we know what teams are actually coming to our region, then I think that will ... have a big impact on our planning process."
The Lee's Summit City Council will discuss these preparations and remaining tasks at Tuesday's 6 p.m. meeting. Lake said topics include further work at the regional airport, planning for short-term rentals, and identifying how the city can assist in the bigger picture when resources are strained.
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