DARDENNE PRAIRIE — Residents here gathered on Tuesday and gave city leaders a lengthy list of what they want and what they don’t want built on a 10-acre farm field in the center of Dardenne Prairie.
The crowd of about 30 people said “no” to smoke shops, car washes, gas stations, RV and boat storage lots, apartment complexes, health care facilities, drive-thru coffee shops, veterinary clinics, fast food restaurants and stand-alone bank buildings.
Residents also balked at the idea of the city selling the property to a developer.
Instead, several attendees at Tuesday night’s meeting told city leaders they wanted to see the property at the corner of Post Road and Town Square Avenue transformed into a city park with walking trails, fishing, a pavilion, an amphitheater, community garden space, and a dog park.
Others said they thought Dardenne Prairie needed a community recreation center or a senior center, especially because the local monthly bingo games held inside the City Council’s chambers have grown so popular that they are at capacity. There is a wait list for the bingo games, city officials said Tuesday.
Some suggested the senior center could be used for fitness classes, activities and be a space for family gatherings, birthday parties and anniversary celebrations.
Other residents, including Laura Outman, said they hoped the city would build a recreation center with a pool on the property.
“We need something for our citizens to do,” Outman told the Post-Dispatch after the meeting.
“It would be nice to have a facility like a recreation center in Dardenne Prairie that would accommodate the entire family,” she said. A grandmother of competitive swimmers, she said local swim teams struggle to find times to practice because of the lack of swimming pools in the area.
Dardenne Prairie, a city of about 15,000 residents is about 40 miles west of St. Louis, is wedged between Lake Saint Louis and O’Fallon in St. Charles County.
While the recreation center idea had some supporters on Tuesday, city leaders have said the city lacks the financial resources to build it and maintain it. A recent study found that Dardenne Prairie would likely need to spend between $8 million and $15 million to build the recreation center. It would also cost between $500,000 to more than $1.5 million annually to operate the facility, with personnel costs accounting for the largest chunk.
Dardenne Prairie Mayor Keith Widaman said Tuesday’s gathering of residents gave city leaders “a pulse on the community.”
“You don’t really know how everyone feels until you get everybody in the room and start talking about things,” Widaman told the Post-Dispatch.
He said it was clear based on the comments received Tuesday that residents did not want the city to sell the property, which has been owned by the city since 2007.
Initially purchased as a potential site for a new city hall, those plans were later scraped. The new city hall is a short distance away, on North Hanley Road, just south of Highway 364.
He said city leaders will review the comments they received Tuesday night, and will soon release an online survey and will look to hold additional meetings to discuss the property’s future. He said the city has no timeline for when a decision might be made.
“I think that corner in Dardenne Prairie is very special,” Widaman said. “The city was founded around the old Incarnate Word Chapel, which is one of the oldest landmarks in the city. That’s the center of our city, and I think it is our responsibility to make sure that we’re good stewards of the land and this opportunity.”
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Ethan Colbert | Post-Dispatch
St. Charles County reporter
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