Dardenne Prairie delays decision to release GRG lease as Saint Charles Community College outlines campus expansion

DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo. — Aldermen discussed a proposal to return a parcel now under lease from Great Rivers Greenway (GRG) so Saint Charles Community College could expand on land adjacent to its Darden Creek campus, but postponed action to the next meeting.

A municipal official opened the work session by summarizing the parcel’s history: earlier use by Barrett Academy for athletics, subsequent ownership changes and a current lease held by GRG. The official said the college has added culinary programming, plans a new roughly 15,000-square-foot classroom building south of its existing facility and seeks additional land for ag and program use.

John Wiehmann, vice president of operations for Saint Charles Community College, told the board the college has experienced vandalism, trash and parking pressure from weekend users of the fields and wants secure, proximate space to expand agriculture and culinary instruction. "It's just not a good situation for really all parties," Wiehmann said, urging that the college could maintain the trail and keep the area open to the public if a long-term arrangement is reached.

Wiehmann said the college has been working with a landscape architect on a master plan for the roughly 3-acre parcel and is considering classroom space, an outdoor kitchen and a cafe market near its field-to-table institute. He also said the institution does not want to displace the Cricket Academy and that the academy has agreed to relocate to an underused soccer field in Cottleville that offers parking and restroom facilities.

Board members pressed staff on legal and property constraints. One alderman asked whether the city actually owns the land; the reply from staff was that the parcel belongs to Great Rivers Greenway and the city holds the current lease, which includes reinvestment obligations for revenue generated from the property. Members noted the site sits in the floodplain, limiting buildable uses.

Alderman Mike moved that the city attorney draft paperwork to authorize the mayor to release the lease back to Great Rivers Greenway for the board’s consideration at the next meeting. The motion to postpone the item was then made and seconded; the board voted and "we got 4 ayes," and the postponement carried. No final legal action on the release occurred at the session.

The discussion left several items for follow-up: confirmation of GRG’s requirements for lease release, formal review by the college’s counsel about what the political taxing district can legally provide (including any residency discounts or program partnerships), and documentation of the alternative site and agreed transition for the Cricket Academy. The board scheduled further consideration at the next meeting.