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07-17-2003, 04:14 PM
THE STORY (http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=38637)
By Dena Sloan
Globe Staff Writer
NEOSHO, Mo. - After a decade of waiting and paying, city residents will soon begin to see projects under way at Morse Park.
The city has bought 175 acres of property bordering the park, and plans are in the works to develop more baseball and soccer fields, playgrounds, picnic tables, fishing areas and possibly an amphitheater, said City Planner Vickie Larkin.
A preliminary development plan by an Overland Park, Kan., consultant was received in early July, and officials hope to get the final design in about a month, clearing the way for work to begin.
The park development plan is just one piece of the city's long-term goal of clearing flood-plain land and reducing flooding. Other elements include building water retention ponds and bridges to control water flow. So far, the work has cost about $10 million, with the city paying about a quarter of that.
The city began its flood-plain buyout program in 1993, purchasing 142 properties bordering and near Morse Park, and removing buildings and debris. Clearing the area allows rainwater to go into streams and be absorbed into the ground. Turning that land into a park will ensure that buildings cannot be constructed in the flood plain, helping reduce the threat of future flooding, Larkin said.
"The ultimate goal was the clearing of the flood plain," she said. "The goodies you get out of it is that you get to develop it into a park."
Work at the park is to begin in the fall, said City Manager Jim Cole. A $100,000 grant from the National Resources Conservation Service will help pay for trails, picnic tables and other projects, he said.
Cole estimated the park plan will ultimately cost $1 million. Funding will come from city, state and federal sources, and from local donations.
"We'll do it as funding becomes available," Larkin said. "We'd like to develop it as quickly as we can, but it's definitely a long-term project."
Larkin said that adding the 175 acres - almost doubling the park's size - could draw more visitors into the city and improve the quality of life for those in town.
By Dena Sloan
Globe Staff Writer
NEOSHO, Mo. - After a decade of waiting and paying, city residents will soon begin to see projects under way at Morse Park.
The city has bought 175 acres of property bordering the park, and plans are in the works to develop more baseball and soccer fields, playgrounds, picnic tables, fishing areas and possibly an amphitheater, said City Planner Vickie Larkin.
A preliminary development plan by an Overland Park, Kan., consultant was received in early July, and officials hope to get the final design in about a month, clearing the way for work to begin.
The park development plan is just one piece of the city's long-term goal of clearing flood-plain land and reducing flooding. Other elements include building water retention ponds and bridges to control water flow. So far, the work has cost about $10 million, with the city paying about a quarter of that.
The city began its flood-plain buyout program in 1993, purchasing 142 properties bordering and near Morse Park, and removing buildings and debris. Clearing the area allows rainwater to go into streams and be absorbed into the ground. Turning that land into a park will ensure that buildings cannot be constructed in the flood plain, helping reduce the threat of future flooding, Larkin said.
"The ultimate goal was the clearing of the flood plain," she said. "The goodies you get out of it is that you get to develop it into a park."
Work at the park is to begin in the fall, said City Manager Jim Cole. A $100,000 grant from the National Resources Conservation Service will help pay for trails, picnic tables and other projects, he said.
Cole estimated the park plan will ultimately cost $1 million. Funding will come from city, state and federal sources, and from local donations.
"We'll do it as funding becomes available," Larkin said. "We'd like to develop it as quickly as we can, but it's definitely a long-term project."
Larkin said that adding the 175 acres - almost doubling the park's size - could draw more visitors into the city and improve the quality of life for those in town.