Travis Tritt Cancels Joplin Appearance Over Use of Recovery Funds

On May 22, an EF-5 tornado roared through the heart of Joplin, Mo. With winds of over 200 mph, it tore buildings apart and took over 150 lives. Since then, Joplin has been recovering but it has not been a smooth process.

The latest bump in Joplin's road to recovery is the cancellation of his appearance at a free concert by country artist Travis Tritt. The concert is scheduled for Sept. 11.

According to a report in the Joplin Globe, the performer expressed doubts about the city's use of $60,000 of recovery money to pay expenses for the various acts to appear. The money was borrowed by the city from the Community Foundation fund for Joplin's recovery. City officials hope to replace that sum with corporate sponsorships. Tritt questions the appropriateness of the use of these funds for the concert in a Facebook response to the issue.

The City of Joplin has also set a deadline for property owners in the city to demolish or plan to demolish storm damaged structures on their properties. By Oct. 15, about 1,200 property owners must have responded to the notice or the city may take action to condemn the property as unsafe.

The Joplin School District is battling with several local property owners to obtain land on which to rebuild destroyed schools. Federal funding assistance is needed and the new buildings have to be moved on the sites to comply with floodplain and other requirements. The district has been able to purchase most of the parcels that it wants.

The district received a temporary restraining order on Sept. 9 to prevent one landowner from rebuilding. The Joplin Globe reports that the owner, Cynthia Turner, has stopped reconstruction of her home on that site. The District, in its court filings, is quoted that it intends to exercise its "power of eminent domain " if a sale cannot be negotiated.

The Joplin School District is the recipient of a grant from the United Arab Emirates to permit purchase of laptop computers for the high school students of the district. The $500,000 grant to the Joplin Public Schools "One to One" initiative also includes a dollar for dollar match up to an additional $500,000. The 2,200 students will be able to use these computers in "virtual classrooms" and to access educational materials not available due to the tornado's destruction of the high school.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency closed its Multi-Agency Resource Center in Joplin effective Sept. 10. FEMA will continue to be available to assist organizations and individuals through their help line 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).