Vlasis Park Master Plan Unanimously Approved by Ballwin Board
Date Posted: June 14, 2022
Posted In: News, Projects,
From West Newsmagazine: Producing a 200-page book is never a piece of cake. It’s even more challenging when done by a rapidly-growing city with a wide variety of issues to tackle. However, Ballwin just accomplished that task in the form of its Vlasis Park 10-year Master Plan.
Director of Parks and Recreation Chris Conway offered a general presentation of the plan at the May 23 Board of Aldermen meeting prior to its unanimous approval.
The lengthy process of drafting the plan began with a July 8, 2021, kickoff meeting, followed by an Aug. 8 community survey, an Oct. 20 stakeholder meeting and a Nov. 16 design review open house at the Ballwin Golf Club that same year. After several tweaks, the task was complete and ready for approval.
“Tonight, we’re seeking adoption of the Master Plan of Vlasis Park,” Conway said. “As you are aware, we made a presentation on April 11 in which suggestions were made for minor changes; most notably the stage location. We went down the hill a little bit closer to the parking lot for better access.”
The stage is now by the sand volleyball area near the current police station, instead of back-to-back with the ballfield as initially presented in one of the two concepts from Lawrence Group, the planning, design, architectural and construction firm tasked with envisioning the park’s improvements. Pickleball courts are a new feature for the park and are expected to be met with enthusiasm from local players.
In addition to Lawrence Group, Ballwin sought help from Bax Engineering to address stormwater and other issues.
Ballwin previously was able to get a $525,000 grant for improvements at Ferris Park and a $100,000 grant for New Ballwin Park. Now, the city will use the new Vlasis Park Master Plan as a tool to secure grant money for the building phase of those improvements.