Much of the talk around town these days is focused on the Kansas City Royals, but not necessarily about their product on the field — which is on the verge of their worst performance ever.
Rather, the conversation is: Should the team build a new ballpark in downtown or North Kansas City, or should they hold back and remodel existing Kauffman Stadium? Where should a new stadium go? How good would it be for the community? How much of a game-changer would it be for downtown Kansas City, or for North Kansas City?
Opinions are fierce on this topic, running in both directions. For an idea of what regular folks think about what should happen, KCUR's Up To Date invited listeners from all over the metro to chime in through our texting service.
"What type of benefits are they going to have for the community, to protect them?" asked Fran Marion, a Kansas City resident with two kids. "Because, wherever you build a stadium, that community that you have around it... you're going to be trying to move them out and relocate them."
As for the team's prospects for choosing a site north of the river, Clay County resident Bridget Hughes thinks the necessity of a sales tax increase could be a sticking point.
"They're going to have quite a bit of pushback when it comes to this sales tax," Hughes said. "Folks are already struggling to pay the increased rental prices, the increased prices of goods, the cost of living."
- Kevin Collison, reporter and founder of CitySceneKC
- Bridget Hughes, Clay County resident
- Fran Marion, Jackson County resident
Have questions or show ideas? Text with Up To Date!
Sign up for texts from the Up To Date team to suggest show ideas and weigh in on important issues facing Kansas City. Text UTD to 816-601-4777 to join the conversation. Get more information here.
