South Meadow Concept: A big slide into sand, play boulders and seating, and a path behind the tennis courts along a pollinator planting.

South Meadow Concept Submitted to PIAC

Since it was founded the Roanoke Park Conservancy has worked with the parks department to seek PIAC funding for improvements throughout the park with great success. These requests have aligned with the 2011 Master Plan, and benefited from the strong support of nearby neighborhoods. The focus of the past few years has been improving the "south meadow," the lobe of the park southwest of the community center. These improvements include: renewing the tennis courts, new sidewalks, additional lighting, and entry pillars and signage.

The Roanoke Park Conservancy’s 2020 PIAC request was for further improvements to the South Meadow.

We hope to add amenities to the tennis court / playground area including: a path around the back side of the tennis courts to view the cliffs and a planned pollinator planting; and a sand play area south of the tennis courts with a naturalistic play set and a big slide coming down from the sidewalk.

Because of the unique natural setting (bluffs, caves, and springs) we feel this provides a unique and inclusive play opportunity for all ages and abilities, especially younger children in Kansas City’s urban core. More fun, and more ways to enjoy Roanoke Park. 

Click the images below to view pdf documents of the 2020 request. 

If you have time and are interested in helping make space for native plants in Roanoke Park, now's the time to pull one of the worst offender weeds: Garlic Mustard. Every flowering plant you pull now will prevent hundreds in the future. This one can really take over and the time to pull it is now, before it drops its seeds.

Just be sure to positively identify what you're pulling. We need all the good green we can find. Tamp the soil back down after pulling anything. Watch out for poison ivy of course. Wearing gloves is wise.

Garlic Mustard, Allaria petiolata. Photo taken in Roanoke Park.

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard, Allaria petiolata, is an edible plant imported from Europe that is highly invasive and just becoming common in our area. It kills competing plants and can completely take over. It inhibits beneficial fungi in the soil and weakens adjacent native plants and trees. Native butterflies are fooled into laying eggs on it but the larvae do not survive. Pull the whole plant, being sure to get the main part of the root. A trowel or dandelion puller is helpful to loosen the soil slightly before pulling. Garlic mustard can self pollinate and produce seed even after being pulled from the ground. Put in black plastic trash bags, trash immediately or leave to cook in the sun for a week or longer, then discard with trash. DO NOT COMPOST. It's more commonly seen on the middle and lower half of slopes in Roanoke Park. For more detail on Garlic Mustard, see these two pdf info sheets from Wisconsin, a state where garlic mustard is further along than it is here: garlicmustard-wisc.pdf and garlicmustard-wildones.pdf.

Identifying non-native Garlic Mustard

• 2-3” kidney shaped leaves, growing at ground level on first year plants. Garlic scent to crushed leaves. Green all winter.
• Second year plants flower on a bolting multi-leaved stem, up to 4’ tall. Small white 4-petalled flowers.
• 2nd year leaves on the central stem are more triangular or heart shaped and toothed.
• Shallow horizontal tap root with “J” or “S” bend at ground level.
• Upright thin long cylindrical seed pods holding tiny seeds, black when ripe, 400-500 per plant.

In memory of Judy Widener, founder of Dance in the Park

Judy Widener memorial tree. Click for a gallery of images.

A native serviceberry memorial tree was planted in the spring of 2018 by the parks department within view of the current location of Dance in the Park. Enjoy the blooms it has in spring and its elegance in all seasons, and give thanks for neighbors who add beauty and life to the park. A multi-trunked serviceberry was chosen for it's delicate features. Can a tree dance?

(2018's drought conditions haven't been kind to this new tree but we believe it will bounce back.)

Here's a memorial page from Bridging the Gap with more information about Judy.