KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Hispanic Contractors Association is adding its voice to opposition against Edgemoor, the company selected to build a new terminal at KCI.
The group is calling on City Council to reject an updated agreement with the developer. It is expected to go up for a vote on Thursday.
The Hispanic Contractors Association feels the Edgemoor team hasn't adequately included them in its community outreach efforts. Chairman Alex Gonzales also said an early meeting with the developer didn't go well, leaving businesses feeling like they weren't valued.
"If they would have reached out to us, to more Latinos, they would have been more open, more clear... I think it would have been a different story," Gonzales said.
On its website for the project, Edgemoor lists the Hispanic Contractors Association as one of the local business organizations with which they've spoken. A spokesperson for the team said they have not received any complaints from the group.
Edgemoor emphasized its collaboration with other minority business groups, like the Baptist Ministers Union, Hispanic Contractors Enterprise (KCHACE) and the Minority Contractors Association.
The developer ran an ad this week in local publications The Call and The Globe with support from those groups, plus the Black Agenda Group and the Concerned Clergy Coalition.
Nevertheless, the Hispanic Contractors Association believes Edgemoor hasn't shown a commitment to the local Latino community.
"I don't have a problem with a contractor that comes from out of town as long as they're giving opportunity to everybody. That's the problem we're having right now. I don't feel like they're giving the opportunity to all minority contractors," Gonzales said.
The group joins the Black Chamber of Commerce, an outspoken opponent of Edgemoor since its selection. The Black Chamber is also a vocal supporter of the KCI Partnership, formed by AECOM and Burns & McDonnell.
