Cemeteries prevail over Kansas City Airport

An ongoing fight between the Kansas City International Airport and relatives of individuals buried in homestead cemeteries which are in the path of proposed airport expansion has recently been resolved.

According to Glenn E. Rice and John Shultz, Platte County judge halts city’s plan to relocate KCI grave sites, Kansas City Star, April 18, 2008:

A Platte County judge has ruled that four homestead cemeteries near Kansas City International Airport will remain intact and not be disturbed to make way for economic development.

Kansas City officials had sought a court order to move the graves from those cemeteries to a five-acre site near Tiffany Springs Park.

Circuit Court Judge Abe Shafer ruled Thursday that among other things, the city “failed to demonstrate good cause for the disinterment and movement of the individual remains.” The city also failed to provide evidence that the public would benefit from moving the graves. * * *

Kansas City Aviation Director Mark Van Loh said they were disappointed in the ruling because the city had planned to consolidate the cemeteries, which are often vandalized and used for illegal dumping. Van Loh said they would proceed with plans to build fences around the cemeteries.  * * *

The court appointed Platte City attorney Robert H. Shaw to represent any unknown dead. In his ruling signed Thursday, Shafer also blocked the city from disturbing or disinterring any remains located “in, around and in the vicinity of the cemeteries.”