Kansas City Parks & Recreation: Commissioners Meeting (Aug. 11, 2026)

By Bunny Pederson, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

• Public comment raised issues about Swope Park and the condition of baseball fields.
• The board approved extending the agreement with Friends of the Zoo to operate and maintain the zoo for an additional five years and provide the $2 million subsidy annually to maintain the physical structures and equipment necessary to operate the zoo.
• The cost to fix or replace HVAC systems in the city’s community centers is $10.17 million. The city will explore securing a loan to pay for the work.
• Discussion about Starlight Theatre focused on security improvements, and the board also heard an update on renovations to the theatre.

Notes

Workshop 

• Open Discussion/Board Project List
  • The board discussed at length how the parks department should handle sponsorships, advertising and streetlight banners. They want a formal process rather than a case-by-case approach. Concerns were expressed about whether organizations could have their names put on public assets such as trails or community centers.
  • The board discussed Grove Park Pool’s recent break-ins and vandalism, which did about $15,000 worth of damage to computers. They are exploring options including fiber installation, permanent security cameras and a continuously monitored mobile camera system.
  • The board discussed a policy problem involving revenue from tickets issued by park rangers. That revenue goes to the general fund, not to Parks & Recreation. The board wants Parks & Recreation to get that revenue.
  • Concerns were expressed that the board had been insufficiently involved in discussions about the Royals stadium development. Board members want to be better notified when big decisions are made.
  • The cost to fix or replace HVAC systems in community centers is $10.17 million. The city will explore securing a loan before September to pay for the work.

• Starlight Theatre
  • Capital Campaign Update: Construction is set to resume in October and be finished by April 30.  About $1 million remains to be raised. 
  • Financial Position: Starlight has operated at a deficit since the COVID pandemic. It has added a $4 “preservation fee” to each ticket to help fund deferred maintenance and improvements beyond Parks & Recreation funding.
  • Programming: Broadway and concert mix and community programming pilots.
  • Starlight is asking permission to use a small amount of revenue from eligible food and beverage sales to help pay for perimeter fencing. Starlight wants the fencing to control access, provide security for staff and artists, protect city parkland and help with the flow of guests.

Board Meeting

Agenda

The board approved the following resolutions:

• Extending the agreement with Friends of the Zoo to operate and maintain the zoo for an additional five years and provide the $2 million subsidy annually to maintain the physical structures and equipment necessary to operate the Kansas City Zoo.
• Facility use with concession agreement with Waldo Area Business Association to celebrate their 34th annual Waldo Festival.
• A $956,625 contract with Sprinturf to replace synthetic turf on Fields 5 and 6 at Swope Soccer Village.
• Change order with MegaKC for the Yvonne Starks Wilson Park improvements project in the amount of $56,549.88 and extend the contract completion date to Aug. 31.
• Sponsorship and advertising guideline policy effective immediately upon Board approval.
• Facility uses:
  • Light Christian Center of Kansas City Inc. for use of Mary Williams-Neal Community Center.
  • VIP Patel Family Volleyball for use of Tony Aguirre Community Center.
  • Freedom Hoops for use of Marlborough Community Center.
  • Cristo Rey Kansas City for use of Tony Aguirre Community Center.
  • Fatman Rowdy Enterprises LLC for use of Line Creek Community Center.
  • Exalting Truth Ministries for use of the Southeast Community Center.
  • North Suburban Youth Football and Cheer for use of Waterwell Athletic Complex.
  • Guadalupe Middle School for use of Gage Park.
  • Guadalupe High School for use of Gregg/Klice Community Center.
  • Midwest Cricket League for use of Minor Park.
  • American Stroke Foundation for use of Kansas City North Community Center.
  • Notre Dame de Sion Schools of Kansas City for use of Minor Park Tennis Complex courts 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12.
  • Kansas City Public Schools for use of MLK Jr. Park tennis and Gillham Park tennis courts for practices.
  • Stonewall Sports Kansas City for use of Penn Valley Park.
  • Kansas City Youth Hockey for use of Line Creek Community Center.
  • Cristo Rey Kansas City Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth High School for use of Southeast, Tony Aguirre, Gregg/Klice and Marlborough community centers.

Director’s Update

Director Chris Cotten said:

• Total unique summer camp enrollments was 609 compared with 460 last year. 
• The fall activity guide has been uploaded to the department’s webpage and postcards have been printed. 
• Gregg/Klice Community Center pool was scheduled to begin filling that week. The department was waiting for the new dehumidifier to be installed before it could open. That timeline was still at least two weeks out.
• Assessments of cart path conditions at Minor Park, Hodge Park and HOA golf courses are underway.
• MyGolfSpy.com ranked Swope as the best municipal golf course in the state of Missouri. 
• The Brush Creek crew cleaned up brush around the Bruce Watkins Cultural Heritage Center.
• Staff removed houseless camp trash in a few areas.
• Gates have been installed at Kessler Park to help curb late night activity around the reservoir area.
• Work continues on removing invasive growth at Riverfront Park.
• The department removed graffiti from the Scout statue. 
• A contractor repaired a sinkhole near the spillway at Lakewood Greenway. Ten yards of flowable fill were poured around the wall of the dam, and the hole was backfilled with clay soil.
• Projects and design:
  • The Barry Road playground request for proposals is completed. Bid advertisement is scheduled for September. 
  • Bruce Watkins skate park design is 95% complete. Bid advertisement is scheduled for November. 
  • MLK Park pedestrian bridge fabrication is underway. Site construction is expected to begin in mid-September.
  • Indian Creek Trail construction is expected to be completed by Aug. 18.
  • Roanoke Park improvements construction is expected to be completed by the end of August.

Public Hearing

• Speakers criticized the closure of Swope Park gates at 5 p.m. on Sunday. A parks representative told the board that the department instituted the policy after discussions with the police department to curb activity of “younger kids with cars.” The gates are opened later in the evening to let people exit.
• But one speaker said the change caught many of the people in his group unawares. He is part of a group of people who hang out in their classic cars on Sundays in the park. 
• “On Sundays, we’ve always looked forward to having a car culture of, ‘Hey man, we’re going out to the park, we’re gonna barbecue, we’re gonna sit down, we’re gonna drink a few beers, we’re gonna laugh, we’re gonna joke, and we’re gonna go home,’” he said.
• The speaker said he’s had to drive around and look for a way out sometimes when the gates are closed. 
• He also said there seemed to be a double standard for people who want to hang out in the park and audience members coming to Starlight. He said he did not want to turn the issue into a racial argument, but said that “when the white people come to your neighborhood when Starlight is having something, they drive right on in. Zoom, zoom, with no problem. Why can’t we have that same thing going on in our community?”
• A board member asked Cotten how the department could “communicate and manage expectations and work with the community” and it sounded like there are “some improvements that can happen on both ends.”
• Pat Clarke, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, said it seemed like members of the Black community were once again being discriminated against. But he also said authorities need to take steps to make the park safer.
• Clarke’s main reason for attending was to point out the poor conditions of baseball diamonds in the urban core. He said lack of maintenance at the field at 43rd and Agnes streets means that even a little rain leaves a small lake.

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• How soon could the department begin making repairs at the community centers?
• What changes could the department make to ensure safety while still allowing neighborhood residents consistent access to Swope Park? 
• How will the department ensure that its interests — and the interests of nearby residents and park users — are included in future negotiations about the stadium and community benefits agreement?

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