KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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The City of Independence is considering a proposal to sell some of its historical sites, including the Vaile Mansion and Bingham Waggoner Estate, due to expensive maintenance needs.
The proposal comes a year after voters almost passed $12 million in General Obligation bonds to support the city's historical sites. Without that funding, consulting firm PGAV put together a newly proposed Historic Sites Master Plan with recommendations for the properties.
PGAV noted the Vaile Mansion and Bingham Waggoner Estate have expensive maintenance needs. The firm recommends finding a private buyer who could fund the necessary work while keeping the spaces protected through deed restrictions or preservation easements. The firm even pitched selling the sites for a token price of $1.
If the sites are not sold, PGAV estimates improvements would cost $12 million to $15 million at least.
The master plan also recommends transferring five other sites to a conservancy. Those sites include Historic Fire Station 1, the Chicago Alton Train Depot, Pioneer Spring Cabin, the Waggoner Gates Building, and the Truman Depot.
The Independence City Council will discuss the proposal at its study session Monday at 6 p.m. The plan is currently just a proposal and the council will not be voting at the study session.
Societies for both mansions posted on social media encouraging people to attend the meeting.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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