Rangers At Work

The House on East 60th Street

The house at 3309 East 60th Street sits in the middle of “The Model Block.” The Model Block, which is the 3300 block of East 60th Street, consists of ten homes and two corner lots (on the west end of the block). It is within the “Focus Area,” that is, the specific neighborhood in which the Urban Ranger Corps provides work experience and community serviced opportunities for Urban Rangers.

The Model Block is a demonstration project of the Urban Ranger Corps. Our goal is to demonstrate one strategy of how our central city neighborhoods can be restored to quality places where one can raise a family and seniors can maintain the value of their “nest egg.” The Model Block is also a way to provide an affordable homes for lower income families, homes in the range of $70,000 rather in the range of $150,000 of current “in fill” new construction which no lower income family can afford.

The house at 3309 had been destroyed by fire (although every timber in it and its foundation were structurally sound). Its lot was an overgrown jungle-like site. The vacant house had been used for drug dealing and other illegal activities. The house had been the major impediment to completing the work of The Model Block. In the summer of 2008, the City of Kansas City after many City code citations (including health hazards) declared the house a “dangerous building,” removed all of the utilities (water, gas and electricity) from the property, and scheduled the house for demolition. At that point, the Urban Ranger Corps intervened, with the assistance of Legal Aid of Western Missouri, and asked the Jackson County Circuit Court to award control of the house to us for the purposes of renovation. On November 14, 2008 the Court so ordered.

The Urban Rangers went to work with the help of several local businesses. The property was cleared of all weeds and shrubbery, the outside of the house primed and painted and a back deck added, the inside gutted and all new flooring, windows and fixtures were installed. A new hot water heater was also installed, and carpeting and tile were laid. New kitchen and bathroom fixtures were completed. Today is it the “pride and joy” of the Model Block.

During summer 2009, through a special Kansas City grant (PIAC), new curbs and sidewalks, and driveway pads were installed in The Model Block. The house is now ready to be sold! On November 19, 2009, the Court deeded the property to the Urban Ranger Corps.

If you would like a tour of The Model Block or the house, please contact

Rev. John Wandless, CEO
816-305-1879
John.wandless@urckc.org