Crewmen were busy at work moving dirt and adding shelters at Platte Landing Park in downtown Parkville this week.
The wetland construction project is part of Parkville’s Park Master Plan and should be completed by early July. The City of Parkville has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer to enhance the natural habitat for a wide variety of wildlife.
The wetland ecosystem flooded with water will “complement recreational features in the riverfront parks, enhance the existing trail system, restore two wetland areas and the riparian corridor along Rush Creek, and improve the aesthetic value of the parks and downtown Parkville,” said Alysen M. Abel, Parkville’s public works director.
The wetland ecosystem is designed to play several important functions and support aquatic plants and animals.
“All the areas will be planted with native vegetation that will help improve water quality and add flood plain storage space along the Missouri River,” added Abel.
The biologically diverse ecosystem will serve as a respite for many walkers and cyclists along the two-mile trail that wraps around the park.
Abel said construction of two shade structures will continue this week inside the off-leash dog parks so dog owners can enjoy them by late June.
“In 2019, the City of Parkville was awarded a Parks Outreach Grant from Platte County to construct two shade structures in the city’s two dog parks located in Platte Landing Park. The shelters will provide refuge to the dog park users during hot summer days and inclement weather conditions,” said Abel.
The construction of the shade structures was “delayed due to the excessive flooding of the Missouri River in the spring/summer of 2019,” and the necessary cleanup of the dog parks due to flooding, she added.