Jefferson County is a first-class place. It says so in the county government charter document.
We do have areas that could use some refurbishing or real development, and voters in the unincorporated parts of the county have an opportunity on April 5 to help the county live up to that top billing.
Proposition P for Jefferson County Parks creates a sales tax in the unincorporated areas to build the parks and recreation opportunities in those areas that are currently underfunded and underserved.
Municipalities throughout Jefferson County have great options for their residents to enjoy public places. City parks in Festus, Crystal City, De Soto, and Arnold are busy locations that boost the value of living in those communities.
The unincorporated areas in the county have facilities, too, but since the Parks and Recreation Department was established in 1965, those public places have been maintained but not upgraded or improved. The county has more property in a land bank, through donations, than it has in developed facilities.
Waiting for development are the 125-acre Beck property in the northwest corner of the county, 40 acres near Kimmswick, 30 acres of property at River Bend Acres, and more. Projects to be funded by the new revenue include playgrounds, trails, ballfields, soccer fields, volleyball courts, pickleball and basketball courts, camping facilities, fishing, swimming and other uses to be determined by a board of volunteers from throughout the county.
Statewide and across the country, parks and recreation and conservation funding issues have been popular with voters when specific plans are presented. Currently the county has only two playgrounds and about two miles of hiking trails, so there is enormous room for improvement in those types of facilities.
Let’s take inventory. Jefferson County operates 10 parks that offer a range of activities. The Northwest Sports Complex has baseball and softball fields, pavilions for group gatherings, a playground and a skate park. The Big River Saddle Club park includes a horse arena and pavilion. High Ridge Civic Center has a multi-purpose court and pavilions. Pleasant Valley Nature Preserve has a pavilion and Sunridge Park has a pavilion and playground.
Other county park facilities center on their river access opportunities. Morse Mill Park has five campsites available for reservation. Brown’s Ford, Cedar Hill and Rockford Beach parks provide places for visitors to enjoy Big River. Winter Park in Fenton is on the Meramec River.
While all these places have their attractions, they could be so much more with additional dedicated funding. The current 2.73 cents per $100 assessed valuation property tax rate raises about $1 million each year for parks in the county. The proposed three-eighths of one cent sales tax would raise the annual budget to about $5 million per year.
The benefits of available parks go far beyond places to play and worlds to explore. Visitors from outside the county would spend money at local businesses, and through their purchases help to provide funding for the parks. Most of the funding will come from county residents, but they will also reap most of the rewards. Property values are improved with parks in the neighborhood.
Beyond the exercise that can be found in open fields, hiking trails and other park facilities, just getting out of the house and into the natural areas provides physical and mental health advantages. Anything that can pull people away from their computer, TV and phone screens and out of their climate-controlled homes, and into the fresh air of outdoors can cut stress levels and restore our human connection to the environment.
Proposition P is at the top of the April 5 ballot and as the ballot language points out, there has been no increase in funding for county parks since 1979. Three-eighths of a penny is a small price to pay.
John Winkelman is Marketing Director for Liguori Publications near Barnhart, Mo., and Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas to share for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.