Jefferson County residents will have to wait a few more years for a new High Ridge Civic Center.
The County Council voted 4-3 on Aug. 25 to approve the Jefferson County Capital Program and Strategic Plan for 2026-2030, but amended the plan to delay construction of a new civic center to replace the existing one.
Instead of spending $3 million to replace the Civic Center, the amended capital improvement plan for next year’s capital projects calls for the county to spend about $2.6 million to purchase a hazmat vehicle.
Council member Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) called for the amendment to delay replacing the High Ridge Civic Center and buying the hazmat vehicle instead. He and fellow council members Lori Arons (District 3, Imperial), Tim Brown (District 6, De Soto) and Bob Tullock (District 7, House Springs) voted in favor of the amended plan.
Councilmen Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge), Billy Crow (District 2, Arnold) and Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) voted against it.
County Executive Dennis Gannon, who proposed the original plan to the council, said the document represents a list of priority projects for county staff to pursue in the coming years, but it is not a binding document. Each capital project outlined in the plan needs to be included by the council in the annual budget and then approved after the county seeks bids for construction.
“This is a list of strategic items we think will benefit the county,” Gannon said. “If we don’t have them on a list and we don’t start planning for them, the projects will never happen.”
The county purchased the High Ridge Civic Center, 2800 Community Lane, from the High Ridge Improvement Association for $1 in 1994. The facility was built in 1965. It offers fitness classes; basketball and pickleball courts; a playground; a pavilion and a walking trail. About 4,000 people use the facility annually.
According to county documents, the center building has “aged beyond repair,” and keeping the existing facility safe and functional has become cost-prohibitive.
County officials estimate that it would cost $3 million to replace it, and the amended plan now calls for $1.5 million of that to be spent in 2029 and another $1.5 million in 2030. The original plan called for construction of the new civic center to begin in 2026.
Hazmat vehicle
Groeteke said the hazmat vehicle is a necessity for the Office of Emergency Management and would benefit everyone in the county if an emergency arises.
According to the capital improvement plan, the Office’s current hazardous materials response vehicle is nearing “end of service life” due to its age. It has become a challenge to find replacement parts for the vehicle, the plan states.
Warren Robinson, director of the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management, said he didn’t know the exact age of the vehicle, but estimated it was from the mid-2000s.
He said Jefferson County received regional counter terrorism grant funding to help pay for it at that time, and the county would try to secure grant funding for the new vehicle.
Robinson also said the vehicle is shared among eight counties in the region. The new hazmat vehicle would also be shared with that eight-county region.
Robinson estimated that the hazmat vehicle responds to an emergency in the region about once a month, not counting when it’s used for training or at planned, large-scale events.
Tullock, who voted in favor of the amendment to stall the new civic center’s construction, said his decision was a matter of prioritization. He said people in his district, from areas like Hillsboro, Grubville and Dittmer, have told him the High Ridge Civic Center does not benefit them because of its distance from their homes.
However, people filled the Assembly Room for the Aug. 25 council meeting, and many of them spoke in favor of replacing the Civic Center next year.
“We had 23 speakers this evening who spoke out in favor of this; that’s out of 232,000 people (in Jefferson County),” Tullock said. “That’s a pretty low percentage. Does that adequately represent the need for all of Jefferson County? I don’t want to see this thing disappear, but we do need to prioritize.”
Crow, who voted against the amended plan, disagreed with Tullock and said that in addition to the crowd at the meeting, the council received numerous e-mails and saw many social media posts from residents who wanted the Civic Center replaced sooner rather than later.
“Councilman Tullock, your comments are just rich,” Crow said. “Yes, only 20-something people came here and spoke, but you know as well as everyone else up here that over 60 people sent in e-mails, which is way more than we get on any given project at any given time. To present this falsity, that only 20 people are for it, is ridiculous.”
Cost-benefit analysis
Many public officials spoke in favor of replacing the Civic Center at the four-and-a-half-hour-long meeting, including District 111 state Rep. Cecelie Williams, Northwest School District Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor, Mercy Health Foundation Jefferson Board Chair Bill Seek, Government Affairs Director Clinton McBride with Laborers Local 110, Northwest Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce President Danny Tuggle and Recreation Division Manager Chelsea Wallis of the Parks and Recreation Department.
Williams said that High Ridge and the western portion of the county is a fast-growing area that needs a community center. She said the Civic Center “isn’t just a building; it’s an investment in our people and the social heart of western Jefferson County.”
“I have seven children myself, and they use the pickleball and basketball courts,” she said. “Their only complaint is that the lights turn off at 9 p.m. When we provide a civic center, we’re not just adding a building; we’re strengthening the social structure for our county. We’re giving Jefferson County residents a place to gather; a place to exercise, learn and celebrate; a place that says you belong, we care; you matter.”
Multiple council members have discussed whether spending $3 million in one district is fair to residents in other districts who may have a harder time reaching or regularly using the Civic Center.
Tullock said the county should consider creating a community improvement district “where the people who actually use (the Civic Center) are paying for it” instead of all Jefferson County taxpayers.
Those who attend classes at the Civic Center may purchase a $125 punch card good for 25 classes. People may also pay for individual classes for a small fee.
Gannon said the county government doesn’t build amenities or take care of parks to generate revenue.
“Look, you build a county by doing stuff like this,” Gannon said. “You’re not going to be rich by building a civic center up there; it’s not going to bring in a ton of money, but Jefferson County is not in the business of making money; we’re in the business of providing a service for our residents.”
Haskins, who has advocated for more amenities and services at the High Ridge Civic Center for years, such as a new playground and pickleball courts, said rebuilding the center makes sense.
The county purchased the land and the center for $1 more than 25 years ago, he stressed.
“When you show up at a park, you don’t put a quarter in the machine for the kids to get on the swing set,” he said at the Aug. 11 work session. “Parks are part of a community. Parks provide health, wellness and community spirit.”
Justine Bell of Arnold has taught yoga classes at the Civic Center for four years. She said at the Aug. 25 meeting that a third of her income comes from the five classes she teaches there a week.
“It’s so important that our yoga program keeps going,” she said. “I’ve had people come from Kirkwood, Pacific and Bonne Terre (for classes), ages 9 to 92. You won’t feel what we have in just any gym. You can work out in your backyard or with YouTube, but we have something special going on.”
Councilman Scott Seek called out council members who approved the amended plan, saying projects that could improve the county don’t survive under their leadership.
“Jefferson County, we’re getting our lunch handed to us,” he said. “We are the armpit, we are made fun of, and we shouldn’t be. We are a large county that acts poor. Poor people have poor ways, and we’re not supposed to be like this. I hope everyone in Jefferson County sees this, and I hope their apathy for voting for these people is over next election cycle.”