|
April 2026
In this edition . . .
- Social Events Include Egg Hunt, TGIFs. Garage Sales, Dumpster Day
- Surveys Show Preferences
- Pool Closers Needed
- Repairs Fix Underwater Pool Light and Key Fob Backup System
- Long-Time Neighbors Britt, Calkins Pass Away
- Mecklenburg Explains New Sidewalks, Trailhead
- Side Hustles: Tobin Brest – Math Tutoring; Wyatt Lowther – Lawn Mowing
- Honoring Graduates
|
|
Social Events Welcome Spring
|
|
|
Nearly 30 egg hunters scoured the area around the swimming pool on March 28, 2026 after posing for the traditional group photograph. Besides munching on candy, they drew with chalk on the pavement and enjoyed snacks and drinks. Thank Jenny Netherton for organizing.
The next social event on the calendar is the TGIF Social Hour on April 10, but no one has volunteered to host yet. Hosts also are needed for May 8, November 13, and December 11. To host, contact Shawna Varner Pierce (816-694-4138).
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be at 5pm, Sunday, April 12, hosted by the Meier family at 1907 NE 82nd Terr. Any neighbor who wishes to attend is welcome, but is asked to call ahead (816-718-4076) to make sure enough chairs are ready.
Looking further ahead, you can dispose of stuff at the Garage Sales on Saturday, May 9. What you don’t sell or donate can be discarded on Dumpster Day, on Saturday, May 30.
2026 Bridge Pointe Calendar of Events
|
|
|
Suitably attired, Judy Meier managed the snacks and drinks at the March 28 Egg Hunt.
|
|
|
Survey says . . .
Volunteers, Ideas, Concerns
Emerge in Surveys.
|
|
Neighbors so far have returned 32 surveys, identifying dozens of volunteers and proposing lots of nifty ideas. Blank surveys were distributed at the January 12, 2026 Annual Meeting, and to every household by U.S. Mail in February. See the summary of all results at this link: Survey Summary Report.
The activities and programs which attracted the largest number of volunteers are: Preparing the swimming pool for opening (nine volunteers), helping with Dumpster Day in spring and autumn (15), becoming a Block Captain (7), and updating the five-year plan for capital improvements (8).
A variety of ideas also surfaced: Put a pickleball court near the swimming pool, replace the pool’s music system, and get snow removal. Lots of new activities are drawing interest: Playing bingo, hosting Chiefs football tailgates in homes, walking, making crafts, playing kitchen table poker, bowling, attending Starlight Theatre,
|
Royals baseball, and the World War I museum, playing softball, creating a book club, playing bridge, forming a tea group, organizing a garden club. Hosts for some of the monthly TGIF Social Hour also volunteered.
Some neighbors are concerned about the bad appearance of a few properties, failure to keep dogs off lawns, pet noise, and waste disposal.
The surveys will be extremely helpful in guiding board members’ decisions about how to improve and maintain the neighborhood. Neighbors who expressed interest in an event, activity or project are urged to review the survey results at Survey Summary Report, and contact neighbors who have similar interests.
Didn’t get a chance to fill out the Bridge Pointe survey? No worries—click the link and jump in! Bridge Pointe Neighborhood Survey
|
|
For Just a Few Minutes Each Evening . . .
Swimming Pool Closers
Are Needed for One-Week Shifts.
|
|
|
Volunteers are needed to close the pool nightly this summer for a week at a time (Saturday–Sunday.) The process is quick and simple — just lowering the umbrellas, straightening the pool furniture, and making sure the gates are secured.
Pool Closing Sign Up
Four households volunteered in the recent Member Survey. The season is 15 weeks long, maybe longer if weather permits. So about nine volunteers are still needed.
|
|
Pool News . . .
Lifeguard Returns to Fix Underwater Light
|
|
|
|
Jacob in 2011
|
|
Jacob Johnson, of Johnson Pool Service, worked on repair of an underwater swimming pool light. If the name and face are familiar, that’s because he was a lifeguard at Bridge Pointe’s pool in 2011. His dad, Jeff, owns the company which will be providing pool management and service this summer.
The project required draining water to a level below the light, carving a hole in the concrete deck, replacing electrical parts, and filing the hole. The job was completed on time and under budget.
The key-fob entry system also will be repaired. The backup battery died, resulting in occasional malfunctions last year.
|
|
|
Bridge Pointe Loses Two Long-Time Neighbors: Roger Britt, Terry Calkins
|
|
Roger Britt, a Bridge Pointe resident since 1997, died on March 1, 2026, leaving his wife, Susan, and daughter, Tracy.
Roger was born in 1944. At Smithville High School, Class of 1962, he was active in sports. He became an Eagle Scout. He met his wife of 57 years in Maryville, where he graduated from Northwest Missouri State University. In 2005 he retired after 32 years with Hallmark Cards. He was Company Commander of the 325th Hospital Unit in the Army Reserves.
He was a member of Hillside Christian Church, where he was an Elder Emeritus, for 55 years. He traveled extensively with Sue. He was a Missouri Tigers fan. He loved his three grandchildren, Shea, Ryan and Noah.
Services were on March 14, 2026.
|
|
|
Maj. Terry Calkins, who moved to BridgePointe in 1988, died on February 25, 2026 after a distinguished career as a pilot.
Terry was born in 1947. After graduating from Bonner Springs High School in 1965, he attended Miami Flight School and completed training in Oklahoma. He joined the Army Reserves, piloting a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
Meanwhile, he was a commercial pilot for Frontier Airlines and then for Continental Airlines, when he met his wife, Susan Korecky Calkins. He retired in 2007. They enjoyed walking their dog, Spot, around the neighborhood. Terry has two sons, Chris and Nick, and a grandson, Winston.
Services were on March 4, 2026.
|
|
|
Mecklenburg Knows How to Get Things Done:
Sidewalks, Trailhead.
|
|
Did you ever wonder how and why BridgePointe got snazzy new handicapped- accessible sidewalks last year when much older neighborhoods did not?
Longtime neighbor Dave Mecklenburg knows exactly.
It started at a meeting of Northland Neighborhoods, Inc., where he has been a board member for 15 years – eight years as president. Uday Manipalli, then a deputy director for Kansas City’s Planning and Development Department, attended. Dave inquired: “I’m from a neighborhood called BridgePointe, but I’ve seen mail addressed to ‘Ridgefield.’ Does the City even know we exist?” Mr. Manipalli, a senior engineer who works with sidewalk projects, said, “I’ll have to look into this.”
Eventually he called Dave to say he wanted to walk through the neighborhood. The two men identified broken, heaved, irregular and jagged sidewalks. The first thought was to grind concrete to remove trip hazards. But, having served on the Kansas City Parks Board of Commissioners for ten years, Dave knew a quite bit about how the city operated; he figured there could be a way to make the sidewalks even better.
The Public Improvements Advisory Committee receives and controls money for projects which it approves upon application. If approved projects cost less than the money in the fund, cash is left unused. He discovered that about $500,000 was available, more than enough to fund Bridge Pointe’s sidewalk job.
But when inspectors checked progress, they noted that the sidewalks did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA,) for which more money was available from the federal government. The project changed to include ramps at corners. By that time, Dave’s involvement had ended -- limited to directing focus on the sidewalks, but not controlling or influencing progress.
You’ve probably seen Dave’s name on a sign at the trailhead on Happy Rock Trail within Maplewoods Greenway, 2001 NE Barry Road, adjacent to the Bridge Pointe neighborhood. The sign was unveiled on May 5, 2023, honoring his long service as a Parks Commissioner. The three-mile hiking trail follows Shoal Creek, and accommodates strollers and bicycles.
So why was the trailhead named after Dave? “I have no idea,” he says. “I didn’t ask for it. It never entered my mind. (On the board,) I tried to stay in the background. I didn’t care who got credit for what was accomplished. So, I was surprised.”
|
Dave’s road to the parks board began with his membership in the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce. Chamber projects introduced him to city officials, including council members and parks personnel. Mayor Sly James appointed him to the Board in 2011. Since 1892, only four of 111 commissioners served longer than him.
The city’s website says this:
Commissioner Mecklenburg had a large influence on the park and boulevard system, working diligently for the city as a whole, constantly expressing his concern, that the Parks and Recreation Department provide the best in the Park and Recreation Services to the citizens of Kansas City. Commissioner Mecklenburg is a true advocate for trails and linear parks.
Dave and Susan, his wife of 56 years, and children, Amy and Brad, moved to BridgePointe in 1988. He graduated from North Kansas City High School in 1959, and earned a biology degree from Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri. He wanted to be a forest ranger, but the U.S. Army preferred that he work in military intelligence in Germany during his four-year hitch. He has been an insurance agent for 55 years. Susan retired as Director of Surgical Services at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
When BridgePointe’s land developer released control of the Homes Association to homeowners, Dave was its first Vice President in 1992, then President in 1993. He’s quietly been helping the Association ever since, providing insurance services, unloading cars on Dumpster Day, and assisting in other ways.
Even though Dave no longer is on the city’s park board, he still is serving the public with his considerable experience. Clay County Presiding Commissioner Jerry Nolte tapped him for the County’s Parks Advisory Board, which primarily manages the many golf, camping, hiking, and other facilities near Smithville Lake. Specifically, he is working on a Clay County Parks Master Plan. His term expires at the end of 2026.
|
|
Youth Services...
Tobin Brest, Math Tutor
During his summer break from Missouri State University in Springfield, new neighbor Tobin Brest is accepting students at any level, kindergarten through high school, for math tutoring. He can teach in person in Kansas City and in Springfield, and anywhere virtually. He’s a junior, studying actuarial mathematics. He’s great with kids and patient when explaining math concepts.
Contact him on What’s App at 1 913-301-6900; on Facebook at Tobin Brest. Math Tutor, or email at tobin.brest@gmail.com.
Wyatt Lowther, Lawn Mower
Eagle Scout Wyatt Lowther, 16 years old, has a lawn-care business. He’ll do mowing, edging, blowing, fertilizing, and bush trimming.
For large lawns he charges $45; small yards, $35. Cost for spreading fertilizer vary, starting at $25. Bush trimming starts at $25. Edging without mowing costs $10, but $15 if overgrown. Going on vacation? He’s available for one-time mowing while you’re gone.
Text him at (816) 780-8926.
|
|
Honor Graduates with Notices in The Pointe.
Graduation season is coming soon, so it’s time to congratulate and honor students for their accomplishments. Please send a photograph, name, name of school, degree, plans for the future, and parents’ names to ken@nelsonlawkc.com.
|
|
|
|
April 12, Sunday, 5:30 pm, Board of Directors Meeting, at Meier home, (718-4076) 1907 NE 82nd Terr.
|
|
|
If you know about or see anything which should be considered for publishing in The Pointe, please contact Ken Nelson at ken@nelsonlawkc.com.
|
|
|
Current news, announcements, helpful comments, neighbors’ recommendations are available on the “Bridge Pointe Neighborhood” page on Facebook.
|
|
|
|
|
|
