Parkville officials received a ‘thanks, but no thanks’ from citizens last week during a public meeting held both in person and online regarding the future of athletic fields in Platte Landing Park.
Late last year, after concerns from the public, the city backpedaled on decade-old plans to construct athletic fields at the park on the Missouri River.
Director of public works Alysen Abel presided over the Wednesday, Feb. 16 meeting, which included an informational presentation from Vireo, the firm contracted to handle the planning process.
The city received input from about 400 people during community outreach in early 2021, but during the public input sessions and online survey that followed after the controversy, Vireo received more than 900 responses.
The majority of respondents say they want passive nature-based uses, to enhance the riverfront and are in support of multi-use park options. Athletic fields were still on the list, but with only a quarter of respondents saying they were interested in seeing new fields in the park. Nearly 60 percent said they didn’t want fields in the park at all.
When asked about their concerns with park plans, respondents cited traffic, flooding, safety and budgets. While people don’t seem to want athletic fields, they do want restrooms and they want the wetlands project completed by the Army Corps of Engineers to be repaired as it currently does not drain properly. The city is in talks with Corps to address that situation.
Several traffic counts were also conducted with a traffic study of existing traffic conditions presented. The study cannot be completed until amenities are chosen.
Resident Sheryl Biermann said the survey conducted in 2016 addressed both riverfront parks, but the current survey focuses on Platte Landing without English Landing. She said the two parks are very different and respondents were paying more attention this time around.
She suggested the restoration of Grigsby Field in English Landing and the use of Platte Landing for enjoyment of nature. An observation tower could be built to allow views of the wetlands and river, a pollination station could be installed to encourage monarch butterflies.
“I think the citizens of Parkville have spoken extremely loudly that the answer to the question of whether they want more ballfields and the answer is ‘none,’” Biermann said.
Biermann also called for the city to hire a parks director to spearhead future park development.
Liberty resident Gene Gentrop, representing I9 Sports, said his youth sports league has used fields in Parkville for several years and encouraged residents and city officials to remain engaged in the process. Gentrop said so long as Grigsby Field remains available they have few complaints.
Harvey Greer asked what needed to be done to Grigsby Field to improve it. Gentrop said after the 2019 flood the fields were repaired.
“As long as it’s flat, the grass is mowed and there are restrooms nearby we’re good,” Gentrop said.
Greer said those opposed to the fields have been painted as being opposed to youth sports. That was not the case, he said, and that the city should maintain what it has and revisit the need for future fields at a future date – after a parks director is hired.
Residents also called for more maintenance in general, the relocation of the parks maintenance building into a less visible location and updating existing signage.
Abel said new city administrator Alexa Barton just started work last week and will have input in the process as she gets settled. She said engagement with the public will continue as the city works to determine a path forward for the park.
Vireo will continue to assist in crafting a new plan, including the board of aldermen, the Community Land and Recreation Board (CLARB) and the public.
Mayor Nan Johnston, as well as long-time alderman Marc Sportsman, chose not to run for re-election, so the city has a new administrator and will have a new mayor and potentially several new aldermen after the April municipal election.
Abel said with all this in mind, the city will regroup after the election when new officials are in place.
The board of aldermen meets in the summer to set budget priorities for the coming year, so Abel — and various audience members — said that would be an ideal time for more in-depth conversations.