George Winter Park, Unger Park on Charlie Dooley's Parks Closure List

In an effort to close a $10 million budget shortfall, County Executive Charlie Dooley included closing 19 county parks and one community center in his 2012 proposed budget.

Dooley's budget would close St. Vincent Community Center, the pools at North County and recreation centers and the farm animals exhibit at , according to the budget summary. Of the 175 jobs that would be eliminated county-wide, about 135 would come from the Department of Parks and Recreation.

"This is the most difficult decision I have had to make in my more than a quarter century of public service," Dooley wrote in a letter accompanying the budget.

Residents will be able to comment on the proposed budget at the first public budget hearing immediately after the County Council meeting on Nov. 15 at 41 S. Central Ave., Clayton. County Council meetings usually end at about 6:30 p.m.

In and near Fenton there are two parks on the list for closure including George Winter Park, which is in the city limits and is a popular destination for boaters in the metro area, and Unger Park, which is just outside the boundaries of Fenton along the Meramec River. Unger Park is a more passive park, with a disc golf course, a picnic pavilion and a large lake.

Fenton Mayor Dennis Hancock said the city has not discussed acquiring either of the two parks, mostly for the same reason Dooley says the county may be closing them -- cost.

"Our funds are limited just like everyone else," Hancock said Tuesday, adding that the county probably could reduce its budget by making the same sort of cuts in many areas that Fenton has made in the past few years as a way to reduce its expenses.

Depending on the outcome of Dooley's park closure plan, Hancock said any thought of acquiring the parcels for the City of Fenton, which is known as The City of Parks, "would kind of depend on the deal." "We don't know whether they would give us the park or whether they would expect us to buy it," Hancock said.

Residents will be able to comment on Dooley's proposed budget at the first public budget hearing immediately following the county council meeting Nov. 15 at 41 S. Central Ave., Clayton, County council meetings usually end at about 6:30 p.m.

Residents' Reactions

County residents took to social media to express their disappointment over potentially losing their favorite parks.

“While Pujols is asking for millions of more dollars, St. Louis County is considering closing 20 public parks,” tweeted Manchester resident Emily Anne Cooper. “Just a sad juxtaposition.”

Chesterfield resident Liz Pund said she was “shocked and disappointed” when she heard the news. She spread the word on Twitter, asking others to help brainstorm solutions.

“It would be a real, tangible loss to St. Louisans to lose these important spaces,” she said.

For now, Pund says she thinks Dooley might just be angling for tax increases.

“It’s hard to tell how real the threat is,” she said. “If it turns out that this is a real threat, I would like to help organize St. Louis County residents in opposition to it.”

Alex Ihnen, a University City resident who visits Lone Elk Park several times a year, called the potential parks closures “the narrative that best reveals the current and future challenges” for St. Louis County.

“Parks need advocates,” Ihnen wrote in a blog post titled “The Canary in the Suburban Coal Mine.” But when parks can only stay open because of private funding, he said “our community becomes a reflection of the values of regional wealth, of those who can raise and give money."