City Celebrates New Equipment at Memorial Park

It was a beautiful afternoon to spend in the park.

The celebrated the official reopening of Tuesday with a ribbon cutting. Mayor Paul Lambi honored Henry Staley, calling him instrumental in aiding the city's efforts to get grand funding for the new equipment.

The event was attended by Kevin McHugh, Missouri Department of Natural Resources; Chris Buckland, MoDOT; Alderman Rick Stokes; Parks and Recreation Director Mary Jo Dessieux and several city employees.

Members of the also attended the ribbon cutting.

Memorial Park was purchased for $2,250 in 1968 with monies awarded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, over the years the park increased in size and several amenities were added. McHugh noted the renovation and new equipment cost $30,802. It was paid for with grant funding and local contributions.

"It is a pleasure to work with communities that come together to get things done," McHugh told the crowd.

In 2009, the Parks Department recognized a need to renovate and update some of the amenities and applied for another grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is administered through the state of Missouri by the State Interagency Council for Outdoor Recreation (SIACOR) and the Department of Natural Resources. The city was awarded a grant to renovate the park through removal of old building foundations, installation of soccer/football goals, park benches, an ADA accessible side walk, and replacement of the 15 year old playground.