Even though Waynesville no longer has a functioning recreational vehicle park, members of the Waynesville Park Board learned Thursday evening that park department officials are working to accommodate an annual reunion of Vietnam engineer veterans.
Park Superintendent Rick Sallee told park board members Thursday evening that he’s making extra efforts to accommodate the 19th Combat Engineer Reunion since the group brings veterans from all over the United States to the Fort Leonard Wood area each year, and the group has provided significant assistance to the Waynesville park system. The veterans will be given a place to set up their reunion in the city park and will still be able to meet from Sept. 4 to 6.
“We just like to support them for the simple fact that they protected our country,” Sallee said. “We’re paying a bill that is well past due as far as we’re concerned; these guys never got the appreciation they deserved when they came back.”
Sallee said the group has been meeting in Waynesville for about half a decade.
“We are centrally located in the United States. They came here one year, then they went back to Illinois and they’ve been coming back here since then,” Sallee said. “This was the place a lot of them shipped out of before they want to Vietnam and it brings back a lot of memories for a lot of them.”
While the recreational vehicle park flood damage hasn’t yet been fixed following massive spring flooding, Sallee said park repairs are mostly complete. Sallee said the Waynesville soccer fields are being repaired and the goals need to be moved back from St. Robert; local developer Tom Campbell is tearing down the old city pool without charge, even though he had to borrow another piece of equipment from another company to do it.
Other park needs aren’t due to flood damage but rather due to maintenance needs. That includes algae growth in the new spray park that is making the floor slippery, according to Park Board Chairman Roger Olney.
The person reporting that algae growth wants to help the city, Olney said.
“She loves the facility, she’s down there almost every day with her kids, she’s not whining and complaining; she’s just worried somebody is going to get hurt,” Olney said.
Other damage was deliberately caused. Olney said the local scoutmaster who helped build the city’s disc golf course was upset about vandalism but said it may be possible to replace the PVC piping on goals with steel piping.
Responding to board members, Olney said the damage has been significant.
“They broke the pipes, torn them down, knocked them in pieces, cut the chains,” Olney said.
That’s frustrating for volunteers, Olney said, but he said he’s glad to have received a request by the Fort Leonard Wood installation volunteer coordinator’s office to have 10 to 12 engineer officers in an advanced engineer course assist in the city park.
“We’re going to try to leverage these volunteer projects for smaller and less equipment-intensive projects,” Olney said.
Other options include helping residents clean up their property.
“Maybe there are people who are having trouble complying with the city code and have trash and weeds in their yard and maybe we can get some people out there to help them out,” Olney said.
In other business:
• Councilman Mike France said he’s like to explore non-traditional options that could be used by city officials to repair the RV park: contracting with a private business owner to run the park.
“There are so many projects going and there may be an opportunity for someone to come in and contract and make some money,” France said.
• France and Councilwoman Luge Hardman both said there’s no safe place in Waynesville where residents can safely ride their bicycles. Hardman said she’s like to see the city build a biking and walking trail, possibly along Mitchell Creek.
• France said something must be done to make upgrading the city parks department buildings a priority in the comprehensive plan being drafted by the Waynesville Planning and Zoning Commission.
“There’s no question that our park department employees work in conditions that are not adequate,” France said.
Olney agreed.
“I don’t see a mesh on any of our existing goals, so maybe we need a new goal that talks about operational facilities for the park,” Olney said.
• Olney noted that two of the city park board positions are vacant.
“If you guys know of anyone who wants to subject themselves to abuse, submit their names to me,” Olney said.