By this time next year – if not sooner – Jefferson County should have its first park devoted to owners of radio-controlled devices.
The Jefferson County Council voted 5-2 at its meeting on Monday to designate River Bend Park off Hwy. PP (Twin River Road) in the Eureka area as the site of a county park dedicated solely to RC devices such as planes, cars and drones.
With the approval of the amendment to the county’s parks codes, the use of RC devices in every other county park is restricted, Parks Director Tim Pigg said.
“It’s a restriction,” he said. “Let’s not call it a ban.”
The Jefferson County Parks Board had voted unanimously on Jan. 8 to dedicate River Bend Park as the possible site of an RC-dedicated park.
The approximately 40-acre site was donated to the county more than 20 years ago for a future park site. It is undeveloped, is wooded and is in the 100-year flood plain of the Big River, so Pigg said its use as a full-service park would be impractical.
“We can’t even put in a bathroom there, because it’s in the flood plain,” he said. “But it’s a good site for the RC people. This is a good compromise for everyone concerned.”
Pigg said he hoped that work to develop the park would start soon and wrap up before the end of the year.
“We’re going to start studying it and come up with a plan,” Pigg said. “We want to work with the RC enthusiasts to figure out what they need and want. If it’s going to be a place that they want to go play, we need their input.”
He said while part of the property had been partially cleared of trees, more will have to be removed to provide a clear area to fly planes and drones.
“There’s no budget numbers for this,” he said. “We’ll have to take a look and see what kind of trees are there and which ones would need to be taken down. If there are some hardwoods such as oak there, we might be able to contract that out to someone who would pay us for the trees.
“Most likely, it will be scrub trees there, where someone will agree to clear them for us if they can keep the trees for firewood.
“It may be that some of the enthusiasts will help clear trees for us. We’ll have to see,” he said.
The idea of devoting a space to RC devices came up last fall, when Pigg asked the County Council to prohibit the use of RC devices (except for boats) in county parks, because of safety concerns.
After a group of RC enthusiasts protested, Pigg agreed to revisions, but the County Council passed an amended set of rules that did not include the ban.
Under the new ordinance, devices powered by an internal combustion engine would be allowed only in the new park, but not in other county parks.
That restriction would take effect immediately, with passage of the ordinance, and not be held until the new park opens.
“We’re not talking about the small cars you buy for $49 at Walmart that are battery powered,” Pigg said. “Those don’t pose a safety risk. It’s the larger, more powerful devices that if they’re not operated properly, can be a danger.
“That’s why they need their own area. The people who want to run them won’t have any fun if they’re sharing spaces with playgrounds, picnic areas and other features that people expect in full-service parks,” Pigg said.
RC-operated boats are allowed in all county parks under the ordinance.
Pigg said people or organizations that want to operate devices such as drones in other county parks, such as for photography projects, can apply through his office for a special-use permit.
“They can apply online, and we’ll get back with them as soon as possible,” he said. “We’ll decide each application on a case-by-case basis. But really, most of our parks are not well suited to flying RC devices because they’re too wooded.”
Pigg said River Bend will not be developed as a full-service park.
“We might put a couple of picnic tables there, maybe a small pavilion and a port-a-potty, but there won’t be a playground there, or we’ll be running into the same concerns that we have at our other parks,” he said.
Pigg said he hopes that a group of RC enthusiasts will draw up rules for, and eventually manage, the affairs at River Bend.
“They know what it will take to have a good park, and they will be able to police themselves,” he said. “I know we’re going to rely on them to help develop this new park.”
To that end, the council also voted unanimously to appoint Tim Brown of De Soto to fill a vacancy on the county’s Parks Board.
Brown, 44, who was elected to his third three-year term on the Grandview R-2 Board of Education in April, said he has been an RC enthusiast for more than 20 years and has spoken with parks officials about establishing a dedicated park site.
“With the talk about an RC park, I figured that if they needed ideas, I can provide some expertise,” Brown said. “It seemed like a good fit.”
Pigg said he supports the addition of Brown to the board.
“It’s always good to get people with different areas of expertise on the board,” he said. “We’ll be leaning on him to help us with River Bend.”
Brown said he’s happy that River Bend will be dedicated to RC devices.
“I’m excited about it,” he said. “I’ve spoken with Mr. Pigg and we have talked about the questions concerning it. What do we need to clear the land, for instance. Once the weather clears up, we’ll get in there and see what we have to do.”
Council members Tracey Perry (District 5, Festus) and Renee Reuter (District 2, Imperial) cast dissenting votes against the amendment.
“I want to stress that I believe our staff did a wonderful job coming up with this compromise, and that I think a park for RC vehicles is a great idea,” Perry said. “It’s just that I think it’s a matter of personal responsibility. I understand the safety issue, but people should be held accountable. If a dog bites someone in a park, do we ban all dogs from all of our parks? No, that owner is held responsible.”
Reuter also said she has no qualms about setting up a park devoted to RC usage.
“The amendment sets up a process in which you can apply to only one person to get a (special-use permit to use the devices in other parks),” she said. “If he refuses you, you have no appeals process. I have a problem with investing that much authority in one person.”