Quiet Subdivision Braces for Thomas Sale
March 28, 2001
Most days, this neighborhood on the southern tip of Independence is the picture of tranquility.
A quiet community, residents say. Not much going on.
But for much of the day today, at the former home of late Chiefs star Derrick Thomas, thousands of people will descend upon The Cliffs subdivision. They'll be parking their cars on side streets, in driveways, perhaps even in yards. They'll be walking the streets, snapping pictures...and buying what's left of Thomas' personal belongings.
At 9 a.m., estate administrators will begin an elaborate estate sale of Thomas' possessions. Their hope is to sell everything from Thomas' memorabilia to his Mercedes, from his four-wheelers to his refrigerator. Administrators expect to generate more than $650,000, some of which will go to Thomas' seven children.
The neighbors can do little more than watch.
"They have a right to have the sale, and people have the right to come out and buy the stuff," said Mo Kroner, who lives just a few houses away from Thomas' home. "But it's going to be a mess.
"What are we going to do with all those thousands and thousands of people?"
For starters, 10 police officers will be on hand to handle the traffic congestion. The cul-de-sac where Thomas lived will be barricaded, allowing only residents to drive down Maybrook Court.
There will even be two portable restroom facilities set up outside Thomas' house.
"I'm sure the neighbors are going to be glad when this has passed," said Karen Rieger, co-owner of the company that's handling the sale. "But we're taking every precaution to make this a respectful event."
Sale organizers aren't sure what to expect in terms of attendance. What they do know is that Thomas' possessions were ornate, often lavish. That, coupled with Thomas' celebrity status, has organizers bracing for an onslaught of sightseers.
People like Christine Hess of Manhattan.
Hess, 28, said by telephone Wednesday that she planned to be up by 4 a.m. this morning and on her way to Kansas City with a friend.
"I'm doing this for DT," Hess said. "He was my everything.
"I would like a pillow case, a toothbrush, anything. I just want to be in the vicinity of his house and his belongings."
To deal with that sort of interest, sale administrators even considered setting up a shuttle service to ease the glut of traffic. They ultimately opted against the idea, leaving potential shoppers to fend for themselves in finding a place to park.
That's what scares Sherry Roberson, a receptionist at an animal hospital less than one-half mile from the sale.
"If they're packed in here, which I expect they will be, I don't know what we'll do," she said. "It's going to be a nightmare."
But this isn't the first time since Thomas' February 2000 death that his home has bubbled with activity. The house and its possessions, for example, have been under 24-hour surveillance for more than three weeks.
"Police have have been here day and night, every day," nearby resident Charles Cook said.
It's all been a bit of a shock for this pleasant neighborhood, where a sign in one yard announces the upcoming community Easter egg hunt and a sign in another identifies the house as a winner of the "Independence Beautification Award."
"It's pretty quiet around here," said Kenny Davis, who lives in a cul-de-sac near Thomas' home. "But this sale is going to be a mess.
"I can't believe they're having it at his house, and I'm not really happy about it."
Ron Bronstein, one of Thomas' estate attorneys, said administrators considered conducting the sale at a warehouse type of location.
"But there's a tremendous number of items in this sale," he said. "To move it, store it and insure it all would have been very, very expensive."
Besides, sale administrator Sara Pennington said, having the sale at Thomas' home rather than a "sterile atmosphere" might attract a bigger crowd.
So estate administrators are ready for a crush of people.
In addition to the 10 traffic-control police officers, there will be 12 more inside the house to make sure the sale goes smoothly. Only 75 people will be allowed to be in the house at a time, at least until officials are comfortable they can safely accommodate more.
The administrators will also charge patrons $10 to get in, in part to defray security costs and in part to dissuade "tourists."
"We have a lot of items to be sold and a limited amount of time to sell it," said Greg Spies, one of the estate attorneys. "But people have to respect that other people live around here.
"This is a neighborhood."
from kc star
