County Considers Closing Parks in Budget-Saving Move

In an effort to close a $10 million shortfall in a $483 total budget, County Executive Charlie Dooley included closing 19 county parks and a community center in the 2012 proposed budget.

Dooley's budget would also close St. Vincent Community Center, the pools at North County and recreation centers and the farm animals exhibit at , according to the budget summary. Of the 175 jobs that would be eliminated county-wide, about 135 would come from the Department of Parks and Recreation.

"This is the most difficult decision I have had to make in my more than a quarter century of public service," Dooley wrote in a letter accompanying the budget.

The County Council meets Tuesday at 6 p.m., but county spokesman Mac Scott said since the 300-page proposed budget only came out this morning, the council will not discuss it in-depth.

Residents will be able to comment on the proposed budget at the first public budget hearing immediately after the County Council meeting on Nov. 15 at 41 S. Central Ave. in Clayton. County Council meetings usually end at about 6:30 p.m.

Residents' Reactions

County residents took to social media to express their disappointment over potentially losing their favorite parks.

“While Pujols is asking for millions of more dollars, St. Louis County is considering closing 20 public parks,” tweeted Manchester resident Emily Anne Cooper. “Just a sad juxtaposition.”

Chesterfield resident Liz Pund said she was “shocked and disappointed” when she heard the news. She spread the word on Twitter, asking others to help brainstorm solutions.

“It would be a real, tangible loss to St. Louisans to lose these important spaces,” she said.

For now, Pund says she thinks Dooley might just be angling for tax increases.

“It’s hard to tell how real the threat is,” Pund said. “If it turns out that this is a real threat, I would like to help organize St. Louis County residents in opposition to it.”

Alex Ihnen, a University City resident who visits Lone Elk Park several times a year, called the potential parks closures “the narrative that best reveals the current and future challenges” for St. Louis County.

“Parks need advocates,” Ihnen wrote in a blog post titled “The Canary in the Suburban Coal Mine.” But when parks can only stay open because of private funding, he said “our community becomes a reflection of the values of regional wealth, of those who can raise and give money."