Buehler Park Quarterly

Summer Solstice, 2015

Buehler Park

lies one block East of Exit 184
on the South side of Interstate-44 in Rolla, Missouri

Dear Friends of Buehler Park:

          In this newsletter is:

1. DEFENDING BUEHLER PARK
2. PARKS TAX PASSES
3. SCOTT CARON LEAVES ROLLA FOR LONGVIEW, TEXAS
4. TREES
5. PHOTOS
6. BUEHLER PARK LOSES FOUR FRIENDS
7. GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER
8. CONTACT INFO FOR CITY OFFICIALS

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1. DEFENDING BUEHLER PARK

In the last two issues of the Buehler Park Quarterly, I reported that Buehler Park was under attack again by the City of Rolla. City Administrator John Butz and Mayor-To-Be Lou Magdits were so sure of themselves that they began laying the groundwork for building an animal shelter in Buehler Park even before the election. Due to our opposition and the Court Injunction against the City, the attack appears to have petered out, at least temporarily. I have not heard a word about this for almost a year.

However, make no mistake. There are powerful forces at City Hall bent on the destruction of Buehler Park. The only thing preventing them is the court injunction and our vigilance and willingness to go back to court to defend Buehler Park. Recall that last May a motion by council member Susan Eudaly to remove Buehler Park from consideration as an animal shelter died for lack of a second (minutes of May 5, 2014 Rolla City Council meeting, page 6).

After a lengthy hiatus, I've started attending council meetings again. I remind them every now and again of the Court order enjoining them “from taking action that is inconsistent with the property [Buehler Park]'s use as a public park.” (Public means people — not dogs, cats, birds or other animals.)

This month I posted a tribute to the late Robert Nash, a fervent supporter of Buehler Park and a critic of city government, and a cartoon about the wastefulness of City Hall on my website. The city needs these reminders. They need to know that we are watching them and ready to defend our park again, as necessary.

Phone calls and emails are also helpful. Click here for contact information for city officials.

2. PARKS TAX PASSES

In April, the Parks and Recreation tax passed by a greater than 2 to 1 margin. Rollaites love their parks and all it took was ballot language dedicating the entire tax to Rolla's parks for it to pass with flying colors. The 1/4 cent sales tax will be collected beginning October 1; but Rolla's parks are already being spruced up. Besides maintenance, revenues from this tax should be used to replace equipment that has been damaged or removed over the years and to repair the broken water line and construct new bathroom facilities in Buehler Park.

3. SCOTT CARON LEAVES ROLLA FOR LONGVIEW, TEXAS

Rolla's director of Parks & Recreation, Scott Caron, has left Rolla for Longview, Texas. Scott assumed the position of director of The Centre 12 years ago and later when the Centre was combined with Parks and Recreation became director of Parks and Recreation. I have enjoyed working with Scott on the reforestation and beautification of Buehler Park. We wish him well in his new position as director of Parks and Recreation in Longview, Texas, a city about four times the size of Rolla.

Ken Kwantes who retired a few years ago has been named interim director of Parks and Recreation. We look forward to working with Ken again. According to City Administrator, John Butz, the search for a new director will be held later in the year with the new director coming aboard in November or December.

4. TREES

After a year's hiatus, we are planting trees in Buehler Park again. This Spring, our chief forester, Ross Melick, planted seven flowering dogwoods under the pines in the Northeast corner of the park. Six have leafed out nicely and we have a replacement for the seventh that didn't make it, which we intend to plant in the Fall when the trees go into dormancy. The four dogwoods we planted two years ago are doing nicely. In a few years, they should be flowering and adding spring color to the park.

We also planted two Kentucky coffee trees on the western border of the park. These will replace two older trees, one dead and the other dying. They are doing so well that we may add a few more Kentucky coffee trees in the Fall.

We now have a total of 43 young trees we've planted since 2007 when the Court enjoined the city from alienating Buehler Park. Copious Spring rain has been good for the young trees. They are growing fast.

5. PHOTOS

For those of you who can't get to Buehler Park, I'm including links to several photos. As you can see from these photos, Buehler Park is heavily used in spite of the lack of water.

One park user with two very young children remarked to me on the need for more children's swings. Another, traveling from Illinois to Oklahoma, remarked on how nice it is to be able to stop for a rest in such a beautiful park. A third was collecting aluminum cans which were plentiful on an early Monday morning following a beautiful weekend. All told I must have met a dozen park users this Monday morning in late June.

6. BUEHLER PARK LOSES FOUR GOOD FRIENDS

IN MEMORIAM

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