KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At the corner of West 36th Street and Wyandotte Street in Kansas City, Missouri, residents remained without power Monday night after the weekend storm.
"They’ve known and they’ve just not done anything about it," said Midtown resident Alex Crowell.
He's lived in his apartment since 2016 and loves the neighborhood.
In 2017, he and his neighbors experienced tree damage to the building.
"These are all city trees, and they seem to be very overgrown for the space that they have here," he told KSHB 41.
For the last two years, he has submitted numerous complaints to Kansas City 311 regarding the two trees on the corner adjacent to his apartment.
Crowell said he hasn't received a response to his safety concerns.
During the weekend storm, branches from the trees knocked out power lines and the building's power box.
"I immediately knew exactly what happened," Crowell said about the storm damage. "They’ve known and they’ve not done anything about it."
Crowell submitted his own paper trail, including dates, complaint numbers and communications with the city of Kansas City, Missouri, and Evergy to KSHB 41.
The reports date back to 2023.
KSHB 41 reached out to Evergy, which said the power in Crowell's building will go back online when apartment managers fix the power source. Crowell said management is expected to fix it on Tuesday.
KSHB 41 also reached out to the city of Kansas City, Missouri, for comment. On Tuesday, the city provided the following statement:
The Forestry Division assigned the tree for removal, but the process was delayed due to utilities in the area that required coordination before work could proceed. Because the tree was declining but not completely dead, fully dead trees—considered higher priority for safety reasons—were addressed first. This case remained open longer than it should have, and the contractor has been directed to complete the removal by the end of the week.
Kansas City manages over 200,000 right-of-way trees, and funding constraints sometimes lead to delays in removals. The Forestry team is reviewing older cases where external challenges, such as power lines or work area restrictions, have caused backlogs and is working to improve the process moving forward.
"If someone had been walking on the sidewalk here when that line came down, the live wire would have hit them. It burnt a hole in the metal fence," Crowell explained. "It feels like our little corner here has been neglected a fair bit... It’s still a disaster waiting to happen after one disaster.”
Crowell is asking that the city fulfill his delayed complaints and remove both trees.
"I don’t like that the city owns these trees that threaten my building," he added. “It’s good to be in the heart of everything. I want Kansas City to grow and thrive... It’s been a letdown. It’s different than the Kansas City I want to live in.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.