City Council approves southeast regional park plan

COLUMBIA — A master plan to develop the 460-acre southeast regional park gained unanimous approval at the City Council meeting on Monday.

Mike Hood, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, urged council to consider the plan a "conceptual guide for future development of the park."

The plan, which coordinates the development of the A. Perry Philips Park and the Gans Creek Recreational Area, will rival Cosmo Park in size and opportunity.

Its vision includes a water park, ice rink and a dog park, as well as multiple athletic fields, hard surface courts and multi-use trails. Specific projects will require future council approval, Hood said.

The parks department started shaping the plan in November 2007, using 18 public meetings and more than 600 survey results to create the approved plan. Both the Parks and Recreation and the Planning and Zoning commissions unanimously approved the plan following different public hearings.

The staff report didn't outline any projected costs or construction dates at this time.

The council voted 6-0 to approve the plan; First Ward Councilman Paul Sturtz was not in attendance.