Buehler Park Newsletter, Winter 2022

Buehler Park Newsletter — Winter 2022
	Buehler Park (the three-acre park that set legal precedent) lies one block East of Exit 184 on the South side of Interstate-44 in Rolla, Missouri

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March 5, 2022

Dear Friends of Buehler Park:

In this newsletter is:

1. EDITOR'S NOTE
2. NEW PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT COMING TO BUEHLER PARK
3. TREE PLANTING
4. HOLLY JERNIGAN NEEDS A KIDNEY DONATION
5. GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER
6. CONTACT INFO FOR CITY OFFICIALS

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1. EDITOR'S NOTE

My sincere apologies. This is the first Buehler Park newsletter since the summer of 2019. Going forward, I'll try to be more prompt.

If you are having trouble reading this, it is posted at buehlerpark.org/BuehlerParkNewsletter_Winter2022.html

2. NEW PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT COMING TO BUEHLER PARK

The existing playground structures are getting old. Eventually, they will all fail to pass inspection and need to be removed. This Spring the entire plesiosaur structure with its four tunnel slides will be removed.

She will be replaced by a new dinosaur-themed structure. The new equipment will include:

5 slides,
5 climbers,
shaded tree house with leafroof,
dino and rock climber structures.

Here's a mock-up of what to expect.

It's a shame to see our poor plesiosaur go; but the safety of out children must remain of primary importance.

For more information contact Floyd Jernigan, Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Rolla, fjernigan@rollacity.org, 573-364-6901

3. TREE PLANTING

We lost several young trees and a few aging pines during the construction; but most of the trees we planted survived and are doing well.

Two ideas for future planting:

a) The dog park area would really benefit from a circle of trees around it. Some of the trees we planted previously provide shade to the dogpark, but there is room for many more. I think dogs and their owners would really appreciate the shade and oxygen during our hot summers.

b) There is still far too much noise from the car wash across the parking lot. I think a thick eight-foot high hedge between the pavilion and the parking lot would provide both a sound barrier and beauty to the park.

Note: Successful tree planting requires nurturing, sheltering and watering the young trees, particularly during their first year while they root into the soil. I think our high success rate was at least partially the result of the care we gave the young trees after planting.

For more information contact Floyd Jernigan, Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Rolla, fjernigan@rollacity.org, 573-364-6901

4. HOLLY JERNIGAN NEEDS A KIDNEY DONATION

Holly Jernigan and her parents, Floyd and Barbara Jernigan of Rolla, are searching for a living kidney donor.

Holly was born with only one kidney due to having Williams Syndrome, a genetic condition that brings with it a host of medical issues. For years, her kidney function has been declining, and her kidney is now only 10 percent functional. To stay alive, Holly needs a kidney transplant.

Her only other option is dialysis, which could possibly keep her alive another 5 years. Dialysis would be 3 times a week, for 4 hours at a time, and she would remain on her already strict diet (some vegetables, some fruits and white rice.) A transplant would offer her a more “normal” diet and the ability to live a longer, healthier life.

In November 2020, her family went to the Mayo Clinic to explore a possible transplant. Holly had to be approved by a team of doctors at their Transplant Center. The Transplant Team met just after Christmas 2020, and found her to be an eligible candidate. That decision added her to the National Transplant waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor, with 100,000+ other people, and an average wait time of 3 to 5 years.

Holly has blood work done every 4 to 6 weeks and hopes that her diet and lifestyle keep her kidney function steady to avoid dialysis. A living donor improves her chances for long-term success with the new kidney, as it typically lasts longer and has better function. The transplant could happen sooner, before her kidney fails completely. Her chances of a successful transplant increase dramatically without being on dialysis.

“We understand a donor will face fears about the surgery and have questions about what living with one kidney will mean,” said the family.

Here’s what the National Kidney Foundation says:

• The typical donor age is 18-70. Each transplant center sets its own range.
• You only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life.
• Statistically, kidney donors tend to live longer and healthier lives.
• Donor surgery is done laparoscopically, through tiny incisions.
• A typical recuperation period is 2 weeks, with a hospital stay of 1-2 days.
• Medical expenses are covered by the recipients’ insurance.
• The donor has a separate team of healthcare professionals to help the donor understand the risks and benefits while putting the donor first.

You don’t have to be an exact match to help Holly get a kidney. For those considering donation, Mayo has a program called Paired Donation. If someone is willing to give Holly a kidney and it doesn't match, the doctors will find another donor who does match Holly, and give her donor's kidney to someone else who matches them.

You can initiate the process and get more answers by contacting Mayo Clinic's living donor coordinators via www.mayoclinic.org/livingdonor and click the link to the Health History Questionnaire, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., or call 866-227-1569.

For more information contact Floyd Jernigan, Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Rolla, fjernigan@rollacity.org, 573-364-6901

4. GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER

And let's not forget our friends and attorneys at GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER, without whom Buehler Park would have ceased to exist decades ago.

Great Rivers is the public-interest law center that saved Buehler Park from being turned into a restaurant and won a landmark victory when the Courts ruled for the first time since 1910 that users of public property have standing in Missouri's Courts to maintain that public use.

Great Rivers is working to keep PFAs (dangerous forever chemicals) out of our waters, to accelerate the retirement of coal and its replacement with clean renewable energy and on many other important projects.

If you have not done so recently, please consider making a donation to Great Rivers Environmental Law Center. Checks can be mailed to Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, 319 No. Fourth St., Suite 800, St. Louis, MO 63102. Great Rivers is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Donations can also be made online from Great Rivers' website. Please help Great Rivers so they can continue to help others as they helped us.

5. CONTACT INFO FOR CITY OFFICIALS

Follow this link for contact information for City officials: Click here

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If you don't wish to receive occasional notices about Buehler Park and related topics, let me know and I'll take you off this list.

If you want to be added to this list, let me know.

Have a great day and thanks for your support for Buehler Park.

Tom Sager, Secretary/Treasurer/Webmaster/Editor
Citizens for the Preservation of Buehler Park
yushasager (at) yahoo.com
http://buehlerpark.org

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