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Aldermen advance park master plan and Garrison Springs site planning; youth urges skate park
Summary
The Board of Aldermen placed two park-related bills on first reading — a systemwide parks master plan and a site plan for Garrison Springs — and heard public support for both projects, including a young resident’s plea for a skate park. Both bills were held over for a future meeting for additional review.
The Ozark Board of Aldermen on first reading moved forward two park planning contracts with SWT Design: a systemwide Parks Master Plan (bill 3652) and site planning services for Garrison Springs Community Forest (bill 3653). The aldermen voted to place both bills on first reading and later held them for a future meeting.
Hayden Ponser, Ozark parks director, told aldermen the master plan will “provide a long term road map for our parks, trails, and recreational facilities” and noted the city’s previous plan was adopted in February 2018. He described the Request for Qualifications process and the selection committee that recommended SWT Design and said SWT will both lead the system plan and partner with local firms for Garrison Springs work.
Nut graf: The bills would contract SWT Design to lead public engagement, produce systemwide recommendations and a site-specific plan for Garrison Springs, and produce cost opinions and an implementation action plan. Aldermen did not vote on final contracts; the items were placed on first reading and will return for later consideration.
SWT representatives described a four-phase planning approach — discover, balance, build, connect — emphasizing public engagement and implementation. “We want to help be conduits to to think about and envision and and really develop what the future, what the vision of those parks, can be and should be, for the community,” said Jay Walshleger, partner and landscape architect with SWT.
During public comment on the master-plan bill two young residents urged the aldermen to include a skate park in long-range planning. Ten-year-old Clayton Robertson said the nearest skatepark is a 30-minute drive to Springfield and asked aldermen to support building a skate park in Ozark so kids can “ride with friends and learn and practice cool tricks.” His brother, Rhett Robertson, also spoke in favor.
Other community supporters raised Garrison Springs specifically. Mark Hartzok, representing the Sertoma Club, said the organization “would love to see a nature center for Christian County, not just for Ozark.” A representative from Friends of Garrison Springs told the board the group has raised funds and stands ready to support site planning and future needs.
Board action and next steps: Alderman Autumn Hutchison moved to place bill 3652 on first reading by title and description only; Alderman Bruce Galloway seconded and the motion carried by show of hands. Later in the meeting the mayor moved that bill 3652 be held over to a future meeting. The board took identical first-reading procedural action on bill 3653 (site planning at Garrison Springs) and also held that item for a future meeting. No final contract awards were approved at the meeting.
Ending: City staff said both planning efforts will include public engagement, cost estimates and phased implementation steps; aldermen and several community groups signaled support but will consider the contracts and funding at a later meeting.
