Empty land, no more.
Monday, the St. Charles County Parks Department announced plans to move forward to develop Sammelmann Farm into a new park for residents of St. Charles County.
The 120-acre park will be surrounded by residential development, including neighboring facilities Heritage Park, College Meadows, and the Youth Activity Park.
Sammelmann Farm was acquired by St. Charles County in July 2014, purchased through the County's Park Fund. The fund was created to be local tax use, approved by County voters in 1997 with a dedication towards park acquisition, development, and operations.
The St. Charles County Parks Department surveyed residents in the summer of 2014 asking what they would like to see in the proposed park. With the help of SWT Design of St. Louis, organizers held public meetings with residents, as well as releasing conceptual plans for the space, to build a park accessible for all residents.
As mentioned in a press release, the new park will include such features as:
- A 1.6 mile walking and biking trail system
- A destination playground for children of all abilities, including an interactive water play area; a music play area; an adventure play area; as well as swing and a 'hillside' slide.
- Two fish-stocked lakes.
- An off-leash dog park.
- Three open play fields with at least 6 acres of space.
- A 100-person picnic shelter overlooking a lake, as well as a 50-acre picnic shelter.
A silo that sits on the land will be preserved and further integrated into the design of the park. Organizers hope to build a boardwalk from the silo into the park, overlooking various features of the facility.
90 acres will be developed initially, with the other 30 acres to be used for later use with future development. The cost of the park will run at around $9 million, mostly being funded through the County Park Fund.
Construction is expected to begin in February 2017 and run through Spring 2018.
