City of St. Louis Leppien Park

In December 2011, Spicer Group began the process of completing a fully integrated Recreation Plan with the City of St. Louis. This plan was a combined Recreation Plan for the City and the School District. In its continuing effort to provide quality recreational opportunities for its citizens, the City of St. Louis sought to develop this Recreation Plan as a tool to guide the development of community parks and recreation over the next five years. During this process, Spicer Group also completed concept plans for the City’s Pathway, Waterfront, the Velsicol site, Leppien Park and Barnum Park. Spicer worked with the Parks and Recreation Commission through the course of the project. Community input was collected via an online survey conducted in late summer-early fall of 2012. Goals, objectives, and an action plan were written to respond to the unique needs and desires of the St. Louis community. After further opportunities for public review the plan was adopted in January 2013.

Great things came as a result of this recreation planning effort. In 2013, the City of St. Louis was awarded a $161,000 DNR Trust Fund Grant for park improvements at Leppien Park. This site is a community park, used as a host site for the City’s annual fishing derby. The design is composed of universally-accessible developments including a large pavilion, replacing a deteriorated boat launch and dock to improve boating access to the Pine River, and rock slabs along the river bank to improve fishing access and stabilizing the river bank.