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Slide contribution; City gives pool equipment to Joplin
The city of Fort Scott is doing its part to help Joplin rebuild its oldest community park.
In response to a request made last month by the Joplin Parks and Recreation Department, the city of Fort Scott is donating two water slides, lifeguard stands and pumps from the current municipal pool to Joplin to help the city rebuild Cunningham Park after it was destroyed by a devastating May 22 tornado.
About three weeks ago, Joplin city officials contacted Fort Scott Assistant City Manager Susan Brown about possibly purchasing the pool equipment for the pool at Cunningham Park that was devastated by the tornado, Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin said.
The slides from the current pool had previously been listed on the Internet-based Purple Wave auction site.
Martin said he talked with Brown and other city officials and the decision was made to ask the Fort Scott City Commission to work with them to donate the equipment to Joplin.
"We feel very privileged as a city to get such a chance to help," he said. "It's very humbling ... It's a neat feeling."
After the destruction of Cunningham Park, located across from Mercy St. John's, Joplin Parks and Recreation Director Chris Cotten said he viewed photographs of the Fort Scott city pool slides on Purple Wave and contacted city officials here to ask if they would "consider donating them."
"We thought it would be something for the pool to entice kids to come back," he said. "The pool did not have any water slides previously. We reached out to the city."
Cotten said he and his staff then got an opportunity to actually see the slides up close to check their condition and decide if they could be reused.
The donation of the pool equipment is "appreciated" during a difficult time as Joplin goes through the rebuilding process, Cotten said.
"We're very grateful," he said. "We appreciate Fort Scott reaching out to us. Rebuilding the parks alone is a daunting task. Two of our major parks were wiped out. Two other parks were severely damaged. Two cemeteries were damaged. The help from the city of Fort Scott will help us rebuild that much faster."
Cotten said the pool at Cunningham Park suffered about $780,000 worth of damage from the category EF-5 twister and most of the pool's equipment was demolished.
Prior to that horrific day, the recreation area included the pool, a historic band shell, tennis courts, a shelter house and other features. Cotten said Cunningham Park was an "absolutely beautiful park" and is the oldest park in Joplin's inventory.
There were also more than $800,000 worth of trees planted in the area, some 150 years old, and now officials are seeking funds to replace those trees since they aren't insurable, Cotten said.
"The only thing left standing is the bathroom structure," he said. "The playground equipment was not destroyed, but damaged beyond repair so we had it removed."
The shell of the swimming pool is still intact but the bathhouse will have to be completely rebuilt and staff has had "some pump issues." A child's play structure at the pool was destroyed, Cotten said.
Plans are to turn part of the park into a memorial for the tornado victims, he said.
Martin said another benefit of the situation is that labor and equipment needed to disassemble the slides and transport them to Joplin is being provided free by several Kansas and Missouri towing companies that heard about the project and offered to join forces to haul all the items to Joplin.
"It's all being donated," he said. "It's a joint effort between two cities."
Martin said the city of Fort Scott also "reached out to Joplin" the day of the tornado and in the weeks that followed.
"We had public works people there the night it happened," he said. "I got a call that evening."
Local fire and police personnel, as well as public works staff, helped out in Joplin for about two weeks after the storm, Martin said.
Several workers toiled Tuesday and Wednesday at the pool to remove the equipment from the current pool and load it onto trucks. The existing pool will be replaced by a new facility next year.
Jared Ennis, president of Allstar Towing and Recovery Inc., in Platte City, Mo., said about 15 representatives of 12 companies that are part of the Missouri Tow Truck Association, as well as some Kansas companies, worked on the project. He said it was a "community service to help out Joplin."
"We wanted to do something after the tornado in Joplin," he said. "We knew they needed some park equipment so we donated our time and equipment to take it down and haul it down there to get their park built back up after the tornado."
Along with representatives of the towing companies, some Joplin Parks and recreation department staff members also helped out, with the city of Joplin overseeing the project, Ennis said.
"We wanted to use our equipment and expertise to move it and help them down there," he said. "We had the specialized equipment and workforce to do it in half a day."