Chesterfield City Council approves $360,000 for 2013 park improvements

A VIP deck at the Chesterfield Amphitheater, a pedestrian bridge at Central Park Lake, and bleacher covers at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex (CVAC) are among the improvements to Chesterfield parks that residents can expect to see in the coming months. At its Feb. 20 meeting, the Chesterfield City Council approved paying for these park enhancements by transferring $361,500 from the reserves of the city’s Parks Fund, which is supported by a half-cent voter-approved sales tax. In a memo regarding the park improvements, Mike Geisel, Chesterfield’s director of public services, wrote that bleacher covers for the F Athletic Quad were “the single most requested addition” to the CVAC.

“The bleacher covers provide not only shade, but also provide refuge from foul balls and errant throws,” Geisel wrote.

At a cost of $154,000, the bleacher covers are the most expensive item on the list of improvements. The new bridge at Central Park Lake, which will allow pedestrians to walk the entire circumference of the lake without doubling back, is expected to cost $75,000. And the new double-tiered deck at the amphitheater, which will provide special seating for guests of event sponsors, will cost an estimated $35,000. Other items include new signage at the two main entries to the amphitheater and the five entry points to the CVAC, as well as raised planter beds, large planters, irrigation and other beautification efforts throughout the CVAC.

Geisel anticipates that some of the improvements will be complete prior to the start of the 2013 athletic season and that all should be finished by year’s end.