| The
Community Courtyard has been serving the
people of the area
since 1994 when a citizens group sought to
establish a community center in Plattsburg. They
formed a not-for-profit corporation (then
known as “The Friends of the Community
Library”) with the intention of buying a
historic building in downtown Plattsburg and
converting it for use as a multi-purpose
center that would include a library, community
action center and youth activities facility.
The
group raised more than $300,000 using tax
credits supplied by the state of Missouri’s
Neighborhood Assistance Program. The
building was renovated over a period of two
years and opened its doors in 1996 as The
Community Courtyard. Much of the renovation
was done by employees of the Hallmark, Inc.,
in exchange for tax credits.
The
Courtyard’s first tenants are still there:
The local food pantry serves hundreds of local
families, and the Economic Opportunity
Commission (which has since changed its name
to Community Action Partners) helps citizens
with utility bills, job searches and other
financial demands.
The
community has been unable to pass a tax to
fund a library, so that part of the
building’s mandate remains unfulfilled. The
Board hopes one day the building will house a
public library.
Over
the years, the Community Courtyard has been
home to the Clinton County Genealogical
Society, GED classes, alcohol and drug
rehabilitation classes, youth activities,
public meetings, art fairs, baby contests and
community dances. The Community Courtyard
has hosted events for the Fall Festival,
economic development groups and public
meetings.
A
volunteer board oversees the Community
Courtyard’s affairs. It holds monthly
meetings and employs a part-time events
coordinator to rent the building’s
facilities. Major expenses include an annual
insurance bill of more than $8,000, building
maintenance and a salary for the events
coordinator. |
As
the project evolves, more community oriented
activities develop. The Board is open to
suggestions on how the building can better
serve the community.
Operations
and maintenance are funded by the generosity
of local citizens and by rental fees charged
for private functions such as weddings,
anniversary parties and family reunions. In
recent years, rentals have become more and
more important to funding the Community
Courtyard. Without those fees, the Board could
not pay the building’s utility bills or
insurance premiums.
Due
to a lack of capital funds, the second floor
banquet kitchen remains unfinished, first
floor restrooms are only partially finished
and the concrete floor in the atrium is
unpainted. A current project, which the
board hopes to fund this year, is a chair lift
to allow disabled access to the second floor.
The
Board welcomes community input. Visitors
are welcome to monthly meetings, which are
held in the building at 6 p.m. on the fourth
Thursday of each month. The community also can
provide input by contacting any of the board
members listed below.
The
Community Courtyard is duly registered in the
State of Missouri and by the Internal Revenue
Service as a 501 (c) (3) corporation.
Contributions are tax deductible.
For
information questions or suggestions, contact
secretary for the Board, Jim Patrico at
816-539-3656 or contact
us by e-mail.
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Larry Freeman1993-1994
Carol Kamer 1993-1994
Lucy Mabrey 1993-1994
Wesley Norton 1993-1994
Suzanne Sayre 1993-2001
Tony Stone 1993-2006
Kitty Crouch 1994-1998
David Garrett, 1994-1996
Judy DiLorenzo 1994-1996
Charlotte Apple 1994-1996
Mary Graham 1994-1996
Grace Hobbs 1994-present
Jim Hobbs 1994-present
Jim Patrico 1994-2000, 2001-present
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Mike Brown1999-2001
Elette Ferguson 1999-2001
Sheryl Feutz-Harter 1999-2003
Wanda Williams 1999-2001
DeLayne Wilson 1999-2001
Tim Spellman 1999-2002
Jack Armstrong 2001-2006
Jim Richerson 2001-present
Randy Broyles 2002-2007
Scott Smith 2002-2004
Jean Saunders 2004-present
Pat Farris 2004-present
Kate Long 2007-present
Alan Hall 2006-present
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