Press Releases

The City of Lee’s Summit has selected Ryan Elam as assistant city manager, infrastructure and development effective Aug. 20. Elam will replace Mark Dunning who will begin serving as the city manager on Sept. 17. For the past six years, Elam has served as the director of development services, where he oversees planning, codes administration, development engineering, inspections, property maintenance, business services and grants administration. Prior to joining the City of Lee’s Summit, Elam spent nine years in the private sector taking on progressively responsible roles including project manager and project engineer with BHC Rhodes, and design engineer with Schlagel and Associates, P.A. "Ryan has a keen understanding of infrastructure and development and has demonstrated he has the experience to lead these environments as we continue to provide quality growth...

It is my understanding that a full investigation is underway by Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation regarding a scheduled private event at Summit Waves this past Saturday, August 6. Based upon my initial observations in connection with that investigation, I have urged Parks and Recreation to not only address certain processes that should have been undertaken, which could have alleviated obvious safety concerns, but I have also encouraged them to reevaluate their approach to communicating and interacting with patrons of our park system, including Summit Waves so that everyone is treated with dignity and respect.    Unfortunately, statements were made by a Parks and Recreation manager at Summit Waves that were inappropriate and insensitive. We must intentionally embrace a culture that is welcoming and inclusive, and we must continually denounce any urge or impulse...

A teen party rental scheduled for the evening of August 6 at Summit Waves was canceled by Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation after it became aware of social media posts advertising the event. This raised serious concerns about the safety of party guests and the possibility the event would grow beyond the capacity of staff.

After multiple attempts to reach the renter in advance of the event to discuss safety concerns, a connection was not made until the hours leading up to the event. At that point, the only recourse was to cancel the event. Despite the cancellation, approximately 500 teens arrived in the Summit Waves parking lot.

Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation is committed to ensuring the safety of all patrons and will continue to work with the renter. 

The City of Lee’s Summit is excited to announce Mayor Bill Baird has selected Dr. Elaine Metcalf as the 2022 Citizen of the Year recipient in recognition of her work educating, supporting and mentoring the youth in the Lee’s Summit community.

The City of Lee’s Summit Historic Preservation Commission is proud to announce the selection of Cityscape Residential for the 2022 Graves/Hale Historic Preservation Award. The award is presented annually to individuals or organizations that demonstrate a significant contribution to preserving the history of Lee’s Summit.