Land
bought for regional park project
The Platte County Commission has completed the purchase
of 60 acres of property near the intersection of N. Platte
Purchase and N.W. 100th Street.
The land is adjacent to 80 acres of park land already
owned by the county.
The purchase price for the 60 acres was $270,000 and
was funded by the county’s half-cent sales tax dedicated
to parks. The county commission approved the purchase
of the land in their April 4 session and completed the
real estate closing on Thursday, May 15.
According to Parks and Recreation Director Brian Nowotny,
the county plans to use the property to develop a multi-use
regional park. In fact, the county will partner with the
City of Kansas City to develop a master plan.
It is anticipated that the site could have numerous family-oriented
amenities, including walking paths, playgrounds and ballfields.
Part of the site is currently occupied by ball fields
used by the Clay/Platte Baseball Association. These fields
will be incorporated into the overall plan for the site.
2nd District Commissioner Steve Wegner said there is
great potential for a park on the site.
“First of all, this site is in a good location as
far as future growth is concerned,” said Wegner.
“But it also fits what we would like to do in our
overall parks and recreation master plan.”
The county will begin developing the master plan for
this site immediately.
It is anticipated that actual construction would start
at the beginning of 2003. In the meantime, the county
will begin interviewing consultants to assist with the
architectural and engineering phase of the project. The
county also plans to schedule a public meeting later this
summer to gather citizen input on preliminary plans.
The Platte Purchase Park project is just one of several
land acquisitions undertaken by the county this year.
Several months ago, the county purchased land near Riverside
that will eventually be used as a wildlife preserve. The
parks and recreation department is also working on several
other projects, including the development of multi-purpose
trails in several key locations.
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