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If it weren’t for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Union Station probably would still be a decaying, boarded-up leaky-roofed white elephant.
But, thank goodness, The Chamber decided to take the leadership role in spearheading a Bistate effort that led to its renovation.
I know firsthand, because it was The Chamber’s president and chairman who recruited me about 15 years ago, at a breakfast, to head up the Kansas part of the Bistate campaign, which passed in 1996 and provided half the funds for the renovation of the landmark, completed in 1999.
Now, The Chamber has a golden opportunity to make the struggling Union Station a financial success, by moving its offices there, along with the Kansas City Area Development Council, after its downtown lease expires at the end of this year. Such a move is under consideration, but no decision has been made.
Union Station is finally on the verge of breaking even, thanks to the strong management of George Guastello and a no-nonsense board of directors. After squandering a $40 million endowment with millions of losses each year under earlier management, Union Station lost only a quarter million dollars this year and is on track to break even next year.
But breaking even does not pay for the deferred maintenance. The building needs constant attention and care, or it will lapse back to a gray, decaying building.
So, Union Station needs to make a profit, not just break even.
Were The Chamber and KCADC to relocate their 30,000 square feet of space, at, say, $15 to $20 a foot, that could mean up to a $600,000 annual windfall for Union Station, enough to put it comfortably in the black.
There are those who argue that The Chamber belongs downtown.
But quite the contrary is true.
The Chamber is a regional chamber and is quite active in Johnson County, as well as other suburban communities. The Bistate effort merely affirmed what The Chamber had been saying all along: That it is not a downtown Chamber of Commerce. It is a Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, serving the entire region.
Even more to the point, to put it bluntly, The Chamber has a moral obligation to move to Union Station. It was The Chamber that helped make the renovation possible, but it was also The Chamber, among others, that endorsed the flawed idea that Science City alone could cover the expenses at Union Station.
That turned out to be way too optimistic, and it has taken a decade to put Union Station on its feet. Union Station now rents space to the Post Office, National Archives, Amtrak, Pierpont’s, and other companies who rent office space. The ballet also has plans to move to a site on Union Station’s adjacent land.
There are still 60,000 square feet of vacant office space available, and they need to be filled.
Is it the role of The Chamber to help bail out Union Station? You bet it is.
The Chamber is in the unique position of making the final part of the dream a reality – a viable, self-supporting icon for the entire region to embrace with pride.
What a statement it would be for Union Station to be home to one of the most influential organizations in all of Kansas City. What a statement it would make to the entire region that The Chamber is way beyond a myopic, downtown-focused organization.
This is a match, if ever there was one.
Contact Steve Rose at
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