Cape council approves scaled-down list of park projects

The Cape Girardeau City Council approved a trimmed-down plan Monday night to spend extra sales-tax money on park projects.

Council members approved a revised plan that calls for spending $1.58 million in parks and stormwater sales-tax revenue on five projects rather than eight and phasing in Shawnee Park sports-complex improvements.

City manager Scott Meyer told the council, “This is smaller because we are only appropriating money for this fiscal year.”

Mayor Harry Rediger voiced support for all of the park projects, including a proposed skate park at Arena Park.

Parks and recreation director Julia Thompson said construction of a $300,000 to $350,000 skate park could occur in 2017 or 2018. Plans call for spending $200,000 in city tax money on the project, with monetary and in-kind donations to cover the remainder.

Both Ward 1 Councilman Joe Uzoaru and Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard said they would like the city to proceed with construction of the skate park. But the council unanimously voted to move ahead with other projects this fiscal year.

Meyer said before the council meeting the revised list of projects is “time-critical projects that we need to get out and under contract.” Work on those projects could commence by summer’s end, officials said.

Cost savings on projects, conservative fiscal estimates and higher-than-expected tax collections have fueled the additional funding, city officials said.

The original spending plan proposed by Thompson called for spending $3.9 million in additional sales-tax money on eight parks projects.

Ward 6 Councilman Wayne Bowen questioned the original plan last month, suggesting some of the money should go to stormwater improvements. Bowen did not attend Monday’s meeting.

But according to officials, the city will have spent an estimated $4.8 million on stormwater projects by the end of 2018.

The revised parks plan includes about $750,000 for improvements to Cape Splash water park, $480,000 for field improvements at the Shawnee Park sports complex, $150,000 for mechanical/pump room renovations at the Central Municipal Pool, $107,000 for drainage and gym-lighting improvements at the Osage Centre and $100,000 for a paved parking lot at the Arena Park 4-H exhibit hall.

The remaining projects will be reviewed next year as part of the annual capital-improvements planning process.

Besides the skate park, the projects on that list include construction of restrooms and other improvements at Capaha Park, proposed for 2018, and additional improvements at Shawnee Park, projected for 2017 and 2018.

The Cape Splash project will transform the water park’s island by adding a pavilion and a ship that squirts water. Improving the space, which is unused, would eliminate a mowing problem and increase daily capacity at the water park by 100 to 200 people, Thompson said.

She said the city also wants to move ahead with planning for a new restroom/concession stand at Cape Splash, with a view to building it in the coming years.

City officials have no firm cost estimate for that project.

The city plans to renovate several Shawnee Park softball fields this year, with additional improvements at the park projected to occur in 2017 and 2018.

“It is a pretty full list of items to be completed in the next few years,” Thompson told the council at a study session before Monday’s meeting.

City officials said the recommended projects would improve efficiency, reduce maintenance costs and, in the case of Cape Splash and Shawnee Park, bring in additional revenue.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.