Council mulls park planning

Initial responses to a recent public discussion of evolving plans for the future of Mozingo Lake Recreation Park were mixed when the Maryville City Council addressed the topic this week.

Councilmen Jeff Funston and Glenn Jonagan were the most vocal during a brief discussion that concluded this week’s regular city council meeting — and both expressed their impression that the planners were a bit ahead of schedule in proposing a location for a new lodge and conference center, should one be built in the park.

The council has retained RDG Planning & Design to write a development plan for the park. The Omaha firm earlier assembled a comprehensive plan for Maryville, outlining projected growth and development.

RDG is now charged with developing a similar vision for the 3,000-acre park located east of the city.

“RDG has done a good job so far, and I thought we had a good discussion during the public part of the meeting,” Funston said. “There were positive comments, and some that were not.

“But that is what those kinds of meetings are all about,” he added. “There were lots of interested people from the community.”

Funston joined Jonagan, however, in expressing concerns that perhaps the planners are premature in siting a proposed hotel and meeting facility in the Mozingo Lake area popularly known as The Point.

“For RDG to set the plan for potential developers where RDG wants it, before anyone has even looked at it — I think they are jumping way ahead,” Jonagan said. “I hate to see them drawing in where an $11 million investment would be located.”

Jonagan cited the high traffic count in the area and the potential for excessive noise from boats and other watercraft.

“Do you want to locate a lodge next to a camping area?” he asked. “You’ve got people roasting wieners in one area, while others are at a five-star restaurant.

“In my opinion, we have something extraordinarily unique,” he said. “Together with two great golf courses.

“I fully understand we need to have a plan, but that one location (for a lodge) seems silly to me,” he said. “Not appropriate.”

Funston noted that Mozingo Lake is a community park, “and the community has gotten used to having the point for its own uses.”

Funston said he thought some of the RDG ideas “were good, some bad, but we are not making a decision today on where to put a lodge. We all know it will come down to where the eventual developer wants to locate it.”

The councilman was quick to point out, however, that the discussion revolving around the placement of a lodge at The Point “was the only area with any differing opinions. For the most part, RDG had great ideas.”

Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel said comments received from the public and the staff are being shared with RDG.