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KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- The Lakes, Parks and Recreation Committee met at Jaycee Park Tuesday to discuss the master plan for the park.

Committee members say the first thing they need to work on is drainage issues at the park.  They also want to replace some of the playground equipment.

Member also discussed ways to enhance the accessibility of the park to attract more residents.

One suggestion was to move the playground equipment around and create more green space.

“We want to make sure it doesn’t conflict with any other uses in the park.  So we wouldn’t want it to be too close to the baseball field or too close to the wading pool where that might be a safety hazard.  We also don’t want it to be too close to the road where it’s a hazard with folks coming in,” said Community Services Director Melanie Smith.

Smith says they’ll discuss the plan again at their next meeting and then bring it before the council for final approval.

LPRC also discussed the need for a community center in Kirksville.  Members say there is a limited amount of space for certain meetings and events in Kirksville.    City Manager Mari Macomber has visited two community centers in other parts of the state including Maryville and West Plains.  Next week she will visit Fairfield to learn about the Steven Sondheim Center.

“There’s lots of user groups that are involved and I think right now we’re really in the exploration phase of figuring out what other towns have that might work for Kirksville and which area do we need to explore for the community,” said Smith.

The LPRC decided that the best action is to conduct a formal survey of citizens to learn what the needs are for a community center.  From there they will explore their options further.