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," Midtown resident Alex Crowell says.
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, the two trees on the corner adjacent to his apartment, he has submitted numerous complaints to Kansas City 311.
Crowell says 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 damage during the weekend storm. "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, who says 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 a solution and has not received a response.
"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," explained Crowell. "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.”
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.
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