Jefferson County has a new park in its lineup.
Parks and Recreation Director Tim Pigg said the sale of Baptist Park in the Festus area near Mapaville was completed on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31.
The county renamed the 28-acre property to Christine Eoff Memorial Park when the sale went through, Pigg said. The county purchased the property for $600,000 from Dwain Eoff, who owns a construction business called Madison Michael Homes LLC in High Ridge.
The park, 3627 Baptist Park Road, has three junior-sized soccer fields; a baseball field; gravel and paved parking lots; a concession stand and restrooms.
The Jefferson Baptist Association originally owned and operated the property and sold it to Eoff about four or five years ago.
Two additional buildings on the property are being leased out, Pigg said, one as a private residence and office space, and the other to Impact Church for religious services.
He said the county plans to communicate with the renters and currently has no plans to terminate their leases.
With the new acquisition, Pigg said, the county now has 15 public parks. Unlike roughly two-thirds of the county’s other parks, this property lies completely out of the floodplain.
The county will hold youth soccer games and practices at the park, Pigg said.
Previously, the county leased fields from the Festus-Crystal City Elks; however, a year and a half ago, club representatives said they “had other ideas of what they wanted to do for the area,” Pigg said. The county had to find a new home for soccer programming on the eastern side of the county and began using the fields at the Baptist Park.
The county offers youth soccer programs for residents on the western side of the county at the Northwest Sports Complex in House Springs.
Pigg said the county formed an agreement with Eoff last year to host the spring and fall soccer sessions at Baptist Park, allowing the county to use Eoff’s fields in return for mowing the grass and taking care of the property. Pigg said he spoke with Eoff about the county purchasing the property, and he was receptive to the idea.
“(Owning the park) gives us a solid home for our soccer program on the east side of the county,” Pigg said. “Now we have a permanent home for our soccer, and we’re going to work on expanding that.”
The council voted 5-0 during a Dec. 29 special meeting to approve the sale. Councilmen Billy Crow (District 2, Arnold) and Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) were absent.
Crow abstained from voting on the sale during a preliminary vote held Dec. 18. Crow, who co-hosts the Jeffco Patriot Radio show, along with Tim Jones, said he had a conflict of interest with Eoff.
“Dwain Eoff, who owned the property, is one of the sponsors of Jeffco Patriot Radio. He’s one of the producers on it, too,” Crow said. “I didn’t feel right voting one way or the other because, in theory, there is a financial tie. If he sells the property, that’s money he could spend on the show for advertising or something.”
Pigg said the special meeting was called on Dec. 29 because Eoff wanted to complete the sale before the end of the year for tax purposes.
Eoff could not be reached for comment before the Leader deadline.
On the day the sale was finalized, Councilwoman Lori Arons shared on Facebook that the acquisition represents “a significant asset for the county’s residents.”
“Jefferson County will have a county park almost in the center of the county,” she said. “There will be many youth sports programs that will be offered to the communities.”
County Executive Dennis Gannon said he’s had his eye on the park for many years and is pleased the county now owns it.
“I’ve been in this job for seven years now, and I’ve always thought that piece of property would be great to own as a county park,” he said. “I think it’s a great addition, right between Festus and Hillsboro.”
Crow also said the acquisition was a great deal for the county.
“This land is ours; we don’t have to hope that someone will allow us to use their facility,” he said. “Being able to stay and having a really nice park area is a huge thing for the county.”
Next steps
The county will immediately work to clean up excess brush and overgrowth on the property, Pigg said, along with resealing the paved portion of the parking lot.
He said preliminary plans are in the works to add walking trails around the park and reopen the shuttered restrooms. Those enrolled in the soccer programs will have access to portable toilets in the meantime.
The county may add fill to create an additional soccer field on a lower portion of the property in the future, Pigg said, but the goal right now is to maintain the park for this spring’s soccer programs.
“There’s room for us to expand as we move forward,” he said.
A playground could also be added at some point, Pigg added.
“We’re going to make it a full park,” he said. “I don’t anticipate a bunch of work there, other than cleaning up, for the next year or two, because I’ve got to replace some of those monies that I just put out. For immediate use for us, it’s going to be for programs.”
Gannon said the park acquisition fits well into the Walk Bike Jefferson County Plan, which was adopted in February 2025 to improve and add to the county’s walking and biking trails.
“The road to access (the park) has great extra-wide shoulders, and it would not shock me if there are a lot of bicycles going back and forth to the park,” he said. “As we move forward, this is one more step to having a full (walking and biking) system, being able to provide a lot of really great things for the county.”
Soccer programs
Registration opened Jan. 2 for the county’s spring youth soccer seasons held at the Christine Eoff Memorial Park and Northwest Sports Complex. The season runs from March 28 through May 16. March 15 is the final day to register for the spring season.
Children in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade will have three practices and play five games during the season. It costs $65 to participate. Those interested may sign up at jeffcoparks.recdesk.com.
Pigg said the youth soccer program is an opportunity for children to have fun and exercise at an affordable price for families.
“With all the fancy leagues going around, and the travel teams, we are providing that niche with the rec league,” Pigg said. “We try to keep it affordable. You know, you’re not paying the $400 or $500 to get on a travel team.”