Cape Girardeau County park system operates with limited budget; park board meets infrequently

Melaina's Magical Playland in Cape Girardeau County Park North has become a popular destination for families. County officials envision the same success with Levi's Adventure Trail, which is taking shape in Cape Girardeau County Park South.

Along with construction of a veterans memorial in the north park and a plan to upgrade the lake in the south park, there is no shortage of projects on the drawing board for the county's park system.

These projects are not the result of an orchestrated master plan, but they are projects that depend heavily on private donations, partnerships with other organizations and government grants.

Cape Girardeau County's park system operates on a limited budget that makes outside funding essential to pay for major projects, park superintendent Bryan Sander said.

Sander said he consults with county commissioners on major park projects.

The county also has a park board, which serves in an advisory role but does not drive the direction of improvements.

The park board used to meet monthly, but more recently, it has met just a few times a year, he said.

Sander said he calls meetings only when there are major projects or issues he wants to review with the board. Last year, the board met three times, according to a schedule posted on the county's website.

Budget breakdown

Sander said the park system is funded annually with $300,000 in tax money from the county's general fund, about $20,000 from park shelter fees and $11,000 in revenue received for mowing the Missouri Department of Conservation grounds adjacent to county-park property.

A staff of eight, including Sander, maintain the county's three parks -- Cape Girardeau County Park North, County Park South and Klaus Park. The three parks, which county officials often refer to as one park, encompass more than 200 acres. County Park North contains the majority of that land, some 130 acres, Sander said.

Cape Girardeau County government's top funding priorities are to maintain county roads and fund the sheriff's department and other essential services, he said.

"The park is at the bottom of the barrel," Sander said, adding, "There is not a lot of extra funding."

Unlike the city of Cape Girardeau, the county has no dedicated sales tax to support its parks.

The county maintains 14 park shelters. The park system has eight restrooms, with another scheduled to be built soon.

Mowing is a major chore.

"We have two guys who mow here all the time," Sander said.

Sander's staff does much of the park construction work.

"We do our own plumbing, our own electric," he said.

Sander said, "I am always looking for ways to generate revenue to improve something."

The county charges from $20 to $40 to rent a shelter, depending on the size of the structure, he said.

The park department handles about 700 to 800 shelter reservations each year, most of them in County Park North and County Park South.

Park shelters host birthday parties and other events.

"You have schools that bring in four or five buses at a time," Sander said.

Tens of thousands of people use the county's parks each year, he estimated.

While runners, hikers and mountain-bike riders frequent Klaus Park, County Park North and County Park South draw the most visitors, Sander said.

County Park North and County Park South have playground equipment. Klaus Park does not.

Sander said playground equipment is expensive. A swing set alone can cost $2,000 to $3,000, he said.

Melaina's Magical Playland, which was designed for people with all levels of physical ability, cost about $1 million. It was funded in large part through donations and grants from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The county also provided some money for the project.

Major projects

The county is building a new, themed playground in County Park South. Levi's Adventure Trail will replace an old playground, which was torn down recently, Sander said.

A local charity formed after the death of 3-year-old Levi Collum donated $150,000 toward the $350,000 project. A federal grant provided another $150,000.

The county is paying the remaining cost, Sander said.

The project includes a nature-inspired play area, a bathroom and two shelters.

The project is expected to be completed later this year, Sander said.

Another project underway is construction of Veterans Plaza in County Park North.

The memorial to Cape Girardeau County's veterans will include a concrete wall with a granite finish that will carry the names of the approximately 600 veterans from Cape Girardeau County who have died and who are honored with the posting of American flags in the park.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau is spearheading the project, which also includes a 32-ton, painted "Freedom Rock."

VFW member David Cantrell said the veterans group has raised close to $30,000 for the project. Cantrell said the entire project will cost about $100,000.

The county likely will have to help fund the project if it is to be completed in time for Veterans Day in November, according to those involved with the project.

But Cantrell said the VFW plans to continue raising money for the project and ultimately intends to pay for future maintenance of the memorial.

Sander and the county park board developed an eight-page, three-year master plan last year that outlines future improvement plans. Among other things, the briefly worded plan calls for updating all playground equipment.

The county is partnering with the Missouri Department of Conservation to upgrade the south park lake.

Plans call for placing rock around the edge of the lake to prevent erosion.

Other improvements on the drawing board include a lighted walkway, new fishing piers and a new gazebo.

Sander said the project is just in the conceptual stage, and cost figures have yet to be developed. The scope of improvements will depend on funding, he said.

Park board member Nadine Davis praised Sander, who has worked for the park department for 15 years in a variety of positions.

Sander has been park superintendent for the past five years.

"He has been such an asset for the park," Davis said.

Davis, who has served on the board for at least a decade, acknowledged the board meets less often now.

A recent proposal to cut down hundreds of trees in Klaus Park has yet to be brought before the park board. Davis said she was unaware of the plan before it surfaced in news reports. "That was a complete surprise," she said.

But Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy said the issue will be discussed with the park board once the Missouri Department of Conservation makes a recommendation on possible logging in the park.

After the park board reviews the report and makes its recommendation, the county commission will take up the issue, Tracy said.

At this point, there is no timetable on when that might occur, he said.

Few meetings

Park board member O.D. Niswonger said the board meets infrequently because "supposedly there wasn't anything we needed to discuss."

He added as an advisory board, members have "no power particularly."

County records show board meetings were scheduled last year in March, June and July. Agendas for those meetings were displayed on the online calendar, but minutes are not always taken, and none are posted.

Board member Nancy Collier expressed confidence in how the system is managed.

She said it has become a "well-oiled machine."

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape County Park North, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Cape County Park South, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Klaus Park, Cape Girardeau County, Mo.