Independence chooses to leave Sermon Center out of GO bond proposal [Video]

KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.

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The Roger T. Sermon Center serves as Independence’s current community center.

When a local theatre group found out about the city’s idea to tear it down and replace it, they started speaking up.

Powerhouse Theatre Foundation comprises three performance groups: City Theatre, Children’s Theatre and Encore. It has called the stage inside the Sermon Center home for decades.

When the group heard the city of Independence was considering demolishing the Sermon Center and funding a new center with the upcoming April 2025 General Obligation Bond, they didn’t feel included.

“We saw the proposals for the new rec center that they were looking at, and it is more of a sports center,” Sandy Dempsey, with Powerhouse Theatre Foundation, said. “There was no theater involved into that at all.”

Powerhouse Theatre …