We are progressing as an artistic community that values both its newer and older neighborhoods and is investing in both.</p><p>There has to be some positive takeaway after the agonizing bond issue ballot planning for this April, right?</p><p>And there is.</p><p>Our cultural arts plan is the envy of many other surrounding cities. We&#x2019;ve put together a corridor that stretches from Legacy Park through downtown Lee&#x2019;s Summit and over to Longview, one that includes performing, visual and many other artistic offerings that a creative community should be exhibiting.</p><p>Some don&#x2019;t &#x201C;get&#x201D; the need for cultural arts in a community, although most see some benefit to promoting this.</p><p>Encouraging painting, music, theater, sculpting, poetry and other artistic endeavors brings a creative element to Lee&#x2019;s Summit that will ultimately lead to minimizing the brain drain and encouraging families to come here &#x2013; or simply stay here.</p><p>That our city council put such an emphasis on the arts should be applauded. We cannot lose sight of this in all the other distractions they&#x2019;ve given us.</p><p>And now that the ballot measure is in place for April 2, several community organizers have met and are starting the process of educating voters on what&#x2019;s included in the no-tax-increase bond and why it would benefit the voter to say yes to the projects.</p><p>Lee&#x2019;s Summit is chock full of parents who have kids in band, theater, forensics, orchestra, vocal, painting and other artistic endeavors.</p><p>Every one of these parents should be voting yes on this measure.</p><p>The ballot also includes a noble project for Orchard Street near the core of the town, a road that needs rebuilding in a neighborhood that will surely appreciate the facelift.</p><p>These projects &#x2013; commitments from the city to the citizens it serves &#x2013; will all ultimately be the benefit of each of us.</p><p>I realize as the arts swirl around us, we sometimes have a difficult time grasping just what art &#x201C;does&#x201D; for Lee&#x2019;s Summit. We have a sense of it. We know it when we see it. But how do we benefit from it?</p><p>Improving Legacy Park&#x2019;s amphitheatre, building an outdoor performance space downtown and giving a new home to the historical society and a place for artists to work and show work is at the heart of the artistic promise we made many years ago.</p><p>Improving our streets also benefits the masses.</p><p>So the good news is this: we are still following through on making Lee&#x2019;s Summit a better place to live, work and visit.</p><p>Amidst the political jockeying and games, we cannot lose sight of that.