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May 2026 Newsletter
In this edition . . .
May Events
Garage Sales – May 9
BBQ – May 16
Pool cleaning – May 16
Pool opening - May 23
Dumpster Day – May 30
All Neighbors Q&A Board Meeting – June 7
Pool News
New Volunteers
Meet Officer Gates
Registration with KCMO, Northland Neighborhoods, State
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May is Bridge Pointe’s busiest month with activities every Saturday.
Neighbors can sell their stuff and socialize at the annual Garage Sales on Saturday, May 9, 8am-5pm. Contact Mike Palikij (825-8968) for information or to offer to help.
Pool Cleanup and Preparation is set for May 16, Saturday, 9am-4pm, when volunteers power wash the deck and furniture. Call Jason White (696-9041).
Those volunteers will be enjoying the aroma of smoking ribs and chicken in the swimming pool parking lot during the annual Barbeque Showdown on Saturday, May 16. Anyone who wants to join the fun is welcome. Cooks should bring their own grills and grilling gear. Cooking starts at noon. Dining starts at 5pm. Meat, plates, flatware, napkins (LOTS of them) will be provided. All neighbors are invited to bring a side dish or dessert to share, and their preferred beverage. Volunteers always are appreciated for setting up tables, chairs and canopies, and stowing them afterward. Contact Larry Cockerel (585-2248) for information, to sign up, or to help.
A week later, at 10am, Saturday, May 23, the swimming pool season begins, weather permitting. (By city law the combined temperature of the swimming pool water and ambient air must be warm enough.) Just like many prior years, the occasion will be celebrated with free hot dogs, chips and soft drinks. Contact Ken Nelson (718-3976) for information or to help.
Finally, the popular Dumpster Day will begin at 8am, Saturday, May 30. A dumpster will be parked near the swimming pool for neighbors to dump their junk. The dumpster likely will be full by 10am, so be sure to arrive early. Hazardous waste, tires, electronics and yard waste cannot be accepted. Mario the Metal Man will have his trailer available to haul metal items to a recycling center. Volunteers always are needed needed to unload cars swiftly. Contact Bob Hiatt (305-4176) for information or to help.
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Annual Q&A Session will be at 5:30pm, Sunday, June 7
Traditionally, the Board of Directors meets in the swimming pool parking lot in June, not just to conduct ordinary business, but also to hear questions, comments and concerns. A lot has happened since the annual meeting in January, and a lot is planned for the future. This is a great chance for all neighbors to hear about what’s happening and to provide suggestions and ideas. Everyone is welcome to attend.
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Preparation is moving quickly before the swimming pool opens at 10am, Saturday, May 23 (weather permitting.) Ron Paulick stained the pergola by the baby pool. Jason White is activating entry-gate key fobs for the 189 neighbors who have paid dues. Volunteers are welcome and needed for as much or little time as they can spend between 9am and 4pm on Saturday, May 16. Work includes power washing the concrete deck and furniture, and other cleaning.
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Lots of volunteers helped to fill a dumpster with household junk on a Dumpster Day.
More Volunteers Step Forward
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Many hands make for light work, and many hands can accomplish a lot. BridgePointe is blessed with neighbors who recently have said they’ll lend their hands. At the risk of overlooking someone (advance apology!) here are some of them.
Matt Ryan has offered to be The Sign Guy, keeping track of event signs, planting them to inform neighbors about events, and removing the signs after the events. Until now, signs have appeared at some neighborhood entrances, but not others. They have been posted in time for some events, but not others. And they have been removed promptly after some events, but not others. The signs have been stored at many locations, leaving confusion about who has which signs. Matt will keep them in a closet at the swimming pool. Be sure to thank him or, better yet, offer to help him with handling signs.
Meanwhile, Curtis Stock, a real estate agent for decades, offers to be the primary contact for information about BridgePointe when a house is listed for sale. Realtors and potential home buyers want to know about the neighborhood and the Homes Association. They can have difficulty finding someone who can help them. As an agent, he knows what they want to learn, and is able to provide it. So, when a “For Sale” sign appears, he’ll contact the agent. He’s also preparing a packet of information, including Homes Association details, schools, utilities and other useful information, to provide and to post on the neighborhood’s website, www.bridgepointekcmo.com.
Since June 2005, TGIF Social Hours have been hosted by volunteers monthly, usually on the second Friday of each month, except during the COVID pandemic. Since last year, Shauna Varner Pierce has been recruiting and coordinating. Hosts still are needed for August 14, November 13 and December 11.
In recent summers, food trucks have been popular at the swimming pool parking. This year, Maureen Rucker has been trying to schedule them as outdoor TGIF Social Hours. Thanks to her efforts, trucks will come on June 12 and July 10.
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Readers can get a book, or leave a book, at the book station posted at the swimming pool parking lot – but not just yet. In 2017, Jim Schnitz used his considerable skill to build the attractive little box. He had help from retired educators Susan and Bob Hiatt with stocking it. Now Jim offers to repair the book station following weather damage.
Over the years, Bob Hiatt may be the most prolific volunteer in Bridge Pointe. Presently he’s coordinating, with Steve Purviance, the installation of American flags on lampposts. On Dumpster Day, he also arranges for a dumpster and for volunteers to fill it. In the past he has served as the Association’s President, and the board member who oversaw landscaping. He organized several golf tournaments, greeted new neighbors with welcome baskets, and hosted, with his wife, Susan, several TGIF Social Hours.
Kristy Cofer has labored continuously for years to support the website and to distribute email notifications, including this newsletter. She also served as the Association’s Secretary.
Pat Rainey shared his considerable expertise several years ago by helping to develop the last long-range plan for capital improvements. He now is working with a new consultant and neighborhood volunteers to create a much-needed replacement plan for using the Association’s reserve fund as major projects become due.
Larry Cockerel, a decades-long veteran of barbeque competitions, proposed the first annual Barbeque Showdown in 2010 and has been involved in every BBQ since then.
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Meet Community Interaction
Officer Megan Gates
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If you hesitate about calling the Kansas City Police Department, thinking officers are too busy or understaffed, don’t worry.
Make the call.
Also, lots of resources are available on-line. For instance, if you’re going on vacation, and would like additional police presence at your address, you can submit a request at this site: Make a Police Report Online.
Community Interaction Officer Megan Gates says resources are allocated according to how many calls are received. Fewer cases mean fewer officers and patrols.
“If people have a small issue, I try to be available before it becomes a large issue,” she said in a recent interview.
Her position in the Shoal Creek Patrol for the Community Engagement Division involves more than responding to individual calls for service and fighting crime. She deals with ongoing and continuing issues, including neighbors’ disputes, connecting citizens with various services as needed.
She appears at school events, neighborhood gatherings and civic group meetings, being seen and engaging with the community. She tries to build connections which can improve the quality of life, apart from responding to emergencies, apprehending suspects and investigating incidents. Still, she may execute an arrest warrant on one day, and then refer a homeless person to essential services on the next day.
“No two days are the same. I’m not behind a desk,” she says before quoting a sergeant who joked, “It’s like a circus with a different show every day.”
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Officer Gates has accumulated a fascinating variety of experience in her 15 years with KCPD. She grew up in Platte County, where her childhood home was near Northridge Farms. So, she was around horses from an early age. She is in the Park Hill High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
She first served in the East Patrol Division for ten years. For her work in an officer-involved shooting, she received the Medal of Valor for apprehending a guy who was shooting into an occupied van. Scary, huh? “Your training kicks in,” she said matter-of-factly.
Officer Gates employed her horsemanship skills in the mounted unit before it disbanded. Her patrol partner, Bravo, now retired, still lives with her. More recently she worked for a little more than a year on the security detail for Mayor Quinton Lucas.
Besides her regular duties, she occasionally still provides security for the mayor, and is part of the crisis negotiation team. “I like soccer,” she says. So, not surprisingly, she works KC Current games. She also expects some extra duty when the FIFA tournament arrives next month.
Her husband, Daniel Gates, is retired from KCPD and now works with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department. They have two children.
Megan Gates #5534
Community Interaction Officer
816-859-4853
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Bridge Pointe Registers with City, State, and Northland Neighborhoods, Inc.
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In recent weeks, the Homes Association has registered with the City of Kansas City, Northland Neighborhoods, Inc. (NNI,) and the Missouri Secretary of State.
Kansas City’s Neighborhood Services Department provides a variety of services and programs to promote and improve neighborhoods. NNI provides free crime watch training, publishes neighborhood garage sales listings weekly, prints neighborhood newsletters for free, offers meeting spaces at its office, and holds public meetings to keep in touch with local government.
Registration with the Missouri Secretary of State is required by law for a corporation to exist and conduct business. When it is in good standing, a corporation can have bank accounts, buy insurance, and enter contracts.
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Article Ideas are Welcome!
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If you know about or see anything which should be considered for publishing in The Pointe, please contact Ken Nelson at ken@nelsonlawkc.com.
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Current news, announcements, helpful comments, neighbors’ recommendations are available on the “Bridge Pointe Neighborhood” page on Facebook.
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