Cape County park shelter will be removed for new playground

Cape Girardeau County commissioners approved Monday the first major change to Cape County Park North in the building of Melaina's Magical Playland.

Shelter No. 7 will be torn down to make room for play structures. According to project co-founder Andrea Cunningham, shelter No. 8 was also planned to be removed, but engineers found a way to spare it. Equipment is set to begin arriving this week, and the playground will ideally be ready to open by late spring or summer.

The website for Melaina's Magical Playland says it will be the only playground that accommodates children and adults with special needs for almost 100 miles. It will have activities for all ages and ability levels, including flat, rubber safety surfacing, swings with extra back and arm support, ramps to allow access to higher elements of the play structure and handicapped-accessible restrooms and parking.

Melaina Cunningham and Friends Park Fund Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established in 2009 with the goal of building a local, fully accessible public playground. Cunningham said donations are about $130,000 short of total project expenses, which have exceeded the initial estimate of $750,000. The next event in ongoing fundraising efforts will be a trivia night at 6 p.m. Friday hosted by Buckner Brewing Co. in Cape Girardeau.

Commissioner Jay Purcell, who oversees the county's parks, said he is striving to make plans for maintenance. He said Melaina's Magical Playland has pledged half of the donations it receives to upkeep after it opens.

Purcell said the project has opened his eyes to the needs of many parents and children in the area, such as disabled veterans with able-bodied children.

"This is something people will travel to," Purcell said.

In other business, Chris Koehler of Koehler Engineering and Land Surveying recommended the county commission award the job of replacing a bridge on County Road 233 to Vern Bauman Contracting, pending approval by the Missouri Department of Transportation. State review is required because federal money will fund around 80 percent of the job. The commission approved the $224,936 bid, the lowest of the 12 received last Thursday. Koehler prepared an estimate for the work of $360,942. The highest bid was $429,129.

The highway department is hiring two people to replace several retired longtime employees. Commissioner Paul Koeper said he hopes to have them on board by Monday. Efforts will be made in the new year to fill remaining positions.

salderman@semissourian.com

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