Mozingo Visitors Center opens

GEOFFREY WOEHLK/THE FORUM
The main level of the Visitors Center includes a convenience store along with staff offices, conference rooms, break room and some storage space.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — The city of Maryville celebrated the opening of the new Mozingo Visitors Center last week, which houses a convenience store, arcade and storm shelter.

The 3,200-square-foot building at the entrance to the park also includes staff conference rooms, offices and storage space.

“This is really an important building for Mozingo,” said Interim City Manager Ryan Heiland. “It finally gives us that centralized location for staff, for visitors.”

Heiland said the project was originally designed in 2015, but was put on the back burner until 2023. That’s when the building trades class at Northwest Technical School was looking for a project, and city officials thought they had the perfect one lined up. In addition to three cabins, it’s the fourth project the class has helped build at Mozingo.

“What’s really cool is for our students, we’re able to go out and do real-world work and they get that training,” said NTS Director Jeremy Ingraham. “This is their learning platform, their lab, their classroom.”

One of the most important features of the building, Heiland said, is that it’s built to be a storm shelter for anyone visiting the park. The doors can be unlocked remotely even if no staff are in the building so that visitors can take shelter, he said.

The project was made possible through an approximately $331,000 grant awarded in 2023 by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The department’s Community Revitalization Grant Program is funded via the state’s allocation of federal American Rescue Plan funds.

“I’m just excited to help the Mozingo community,” Mozingo Park Director Jordyn Greenhaw said. “A lot of people call this home, especially during the summers, and I hope that this building will make it even more a home.”

GEOFFREY WOEHLK/THE FORUM
Stetsyn Brown, of Hopkins, tries out one of the arcade games in the basement of the Mozingo Visitors Center he helped build as part of the Northwest Technical School building trades class. For the record, he won the race.

GEOFFREY WOEHLK/THE FORUM
The basement area of the Mozingo Visitors Center includes storage spaces and an arcade, and can be used as a storm shelter during severe weather. The exterior doors can be unlocked remotely by staff in the event of an emergency.

GEOFFREY WOEHLK/THE FORUM
Surrounded by students in the Northwest Technical School building trades class, Mozingo Lake Recreation Park Director Jordyn Greenhaw cuts a Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce ribbon on Friday celebrating the opening of the Mozingo Visitors Center. The center was constructed in part by the building trades class.