Ad hoc group narrows Pertner Park master plan: new entrance, limited parking, trails and outreach next

Chair Rambo and members of the Pertner Park ad hoc group reviewed an updated base map and technical analyses on Feb. 4, 2025, and directed staff and consultant Ken Keitel to revise the draft master plan before public outreach to Ward 6 residents.

The Department of Planning and Parks staff member Joe Vineach said the packet sent before the meeting included a site-distance analysis, a base map derived from earlier meeting drawings, and structural photographs of an existing bank barn. Vineach said the structural engineer’s assessment showed the bank barn “is a little too far gone” to reuse as-is and that the site around it could serve as the location for a larger, new shelter.

Why this matters: the group is preparing a draft master plan that staff intends to present to Ward 6 residents and use for grant or capital planning. Members emphasized safety at the street access, minimizing paved area, ADA access where feasible, and keeping the project within a likely budget envelope.

Site access and parking

Keitel described a semicircular or semicircular-style drive with two points of ingress and egress on Hankin Road. The new exit was sited to meet sight-distance requirements so vehicles can leave the site safely; Keitel told the committee the sight-distance profiles “are based on Saint Louis County's criteria.” Committee members agreed the existing access is adequate for entering but not for exiting and that a second, east/south exit is needed for safety.

The plan shows a limited number of parking spaces intended to avoid "over-parking." Keitel said the layout as shown uses parallel parking on both sides of the drive to reduce pavement area; he estimated the plan would yield roughly 8–10 spaces. Members discussed converting the west-side parallel stalls into angled (45-degree) spaces to simplify parking for users and to reduce the amount of pavement and retaining-wall work required. The group also asked staff to identify one accessible parking space that meets code; Keitel said the site below the bank barn has a 14–15% slope and cannot accommodate ADA-compliant parking or ramps without costly retaining walls.

Materials options and stormwater

Committee members and Keitel discussed lower-impact surfacing alternatives for a handful of spaces: permeable pavers (sometimes referenced as Ritter rings or similar modular products), porous concrete/porous asphalt, and compacted aggregate. Participants noted tradeoffs: permeable pavers are more costly but durable and visually natural; porous concrete and asphalt can deteriorate faster. One member noted examples in local parks and schools where permeable pavers performed well. Keitel said he favored minimizing visible pavement while retaining emergency and service access.

Trails and accessibility

Keitel mapped a 5-foot-wide ADA-accessible loop around the meadow areas and a network of narrower, natural-surface single-track trails into steeper woods (described in the meeting as a “bushwhacker” route). He said the ADA loop would be exposed-aggregate concrete or similar material with a maximum cross-slope of 5% and would provide circulation between meadows, a small gazebo, parking and the primary trailhead. Keitel and members repeatedly noted that direct ADA access to the pond is not feasible without major earthwork; the steep side slopes and cross slopes prevent a compliant route to the water.

The group debated a longer, higher-cost bike spur intended to take cyclists off Hankin Road. Several members opposed building an explicit bike route into the park because earlier guidance discouraged bicycles on park trails; the committee directed staff to retain a pedestrian soft-surface connection along the hill rather than the more expensive, engineered bike path and boulder retaining walls.

Bank barn, salvage and facilities

Photographs from the structural engineer show that the bank barn’s foundation has deteriorated. Keitel and staff proposed a new bank-barn–style shelter roughly at the barn’s location and using salvaged timber where feasible. Vineach read the engineer’s finding: "the bank building, according to the structural engineer, is a little too far gone," and suggested using the lower level for park storage if ADA access issues can be resolved.

Members asked staff to explore salvage of intact wood members for reuse in the shelter, but Keitel and staff cautioned exposed reclaimed timber will weather faster than clad, sheltered members.

Dam, ponds and minor hydraulics

Keitel reported an engineering assessment of the small dam and overflow is in progress. Staff said they had previously installed riprap at the overflow and rerouted a portion of the drainage back to the creek. Consultations with a wetlands/pond specialist (Karen Frederick of Monarch was cited) indicated that removing trees on the dam could accelerate problems and that a monitored repair approach is appropriate: identify leakage early and repair local failures rather than rebuild the entire dam immediately.

Public outreach and schedule

Staff told the group it will produce a second draft plan incorporating tonight’s edits, then run an electronic outreach and short survey for Ward 6 residents. The department intends to mail postcards with a QR code and web link to the survey and hold an optional open-house meeting. Debbie Ward of Silver Tablet Marketing was engaged to prepare the survey questions; staff expects a proposal and draft questions before the March meeting.

Cost and next steps

Staff said the city currently has approximately $1,000,000 identified in a future year of the five-year capital plan as a placeholder for this park; the committee repeatedly urged cost-conscious design choices to improve the likelihood the park moves forward. Keitel will reconcile tonight’s feedback, refine parking/trail alternatives, identify a revised restroom location closer to parking, and return with an updated master plan for the March 4 meeting at Old Pond School.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes from Jan. 7, 2025: Chair Rambo declared the minutes approved after no corrections were offered (approval noted during roll call/discussion). Outcome: approved. - Motion to adjourn (Feb. 4 meeting): motion moved and seconded; the committee voted in favor and adjourned. Outcome: approved.

Sources and attribution

This report draws on the department presentation and the consultant’s comments recorded in the Pertner Park ad hoc group meeting transcript of Feb. 4, 2025. Direct quotes in this article are attributed to speakers on the record at that meeting.

Ending

Staff and the consultant will update the plan and survey questions and return to the ad hoc group on March 4, 2025, for additional guidance before launching the Ward 6 outreach and refining cost estimates.