KC Black Chamber concerned about lack of commitments for minority hiring at KCI

The leader of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City said on Wednesday that he’s troubled by the absence of firm agreements for minority contracting on a proposed single terminal at KCI less than a week before voters decide whether the city can build the $1 billion project.

Kelvin Perry, president of the Black Chamber, spoke to a crowd of about 25 gathered at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center on Wednesday evening. Perry said the Black Chamber has misgivings about Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate’s proposal because the selected developer of the single terminal project and City Hall have not reached a written agreement on minority contracting and hiring goals.

“We support the terminal project, but we do not suppor the Edgemoor plan because it is not transformative,” Perry said.

Perry said the Black Chamber’s expectation is between 33 percent to 40 percent minority participation in all phases of the project, along with consideration for retail contracts, prevailing wage and a community benefits agreement.

Edgemoor’s Geoffrey Stricker could not be reached for comment on Monday evening.

Edgemoor’s initial proposal did not state the firm’s minority participation goals. The firm is currently negotiating a memorandum of understanding with city officials, a process that’s not expected to wrap up before the Nov. 7 election.

Alissia Canady, a 5th district councilwoman, said Edgemoor had every incentive to agree to what the council asked for during negotiations. AECOM, a Los Angeles firm that was the runner-up to Edgemoor in the contract selection process, is a backup option for City Hall.

“If Edgemoor does not agree...we can vote it down,” Canady said. “If they don’t, we will go to the AECOM proposal if we have enough votes.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 9:09 PM with the headline "KC Black Chamber concerned about lack of commitments for minority hiring at KCI."