Twin Lakes Recreation Area Improvements

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Consultation has concluded

The second public input meeting for Twin Lakes Recreation Area improvements was held Saturday, June 8. Staff shared proposed plans and answered questions.

Proposed improvements include dog park enhancements, replacement of the existing playground, parking lot asphalt repairs, repurposing Little Mates Cove aquatic facility and shelter renovations.

The project is funded by the voter-approved 2021 Park Sales Tax.

The second public input meeting for Twin Lakes Recreation Area improvements was held Saturday, June 8. Staff shared proposed plans and answered questions.

Proposed improvements include dog park enhancements, replacement of the existing playground, parking lot asphalt repairs, repurposing Little Mates Cove aquatic facility and shelter renovations.

The project is funded by the voter-approved 2021 Park Sales Tax.

Consultation has concluded

Please share any questions you have about this project, and our staff will answer as soon as possible.

  • Share Can the city request additional funding to completely restore Little Mates Cove? It is clearly something that many residents valued and continue to request. Funds could be raised or rebudgeted from other parks projects. on Facebook Share Can the city request additional funding to completely restore Little Mates Cove? It is clearly something that many residents valued and continue to request. Funds could be raised or rebudgeted from other parks projects. on Twitter Share Can the city request additional funding to completely restore Little Mates Cove? It is clearly something that many residents valued and continue to request. Funds could be raised or rebudgeted from other parks projects. on Linkedin Email Can the city request additional funding to completely restore Little Mates Cove? It is clearly something that many residents valued and continue to request. Funds could be raised or rebudgeted from other parks projects. link

    Can the city request additional funding to completely restore Little Mates Cove? It is clearly something that many residents valued and continue to request. Funds could be raised or rebudgeted from other parks projects.

    angelajoh asked 6 months ago

    At this time, we do not have any additional Park Sales Tax funds to allocate to the Twin Lakes Recreation Area project.  All funding allotments are determined as part of the 2021 Park Sales Tax implementation schedule and there are no funds that can be moved from other park projects. Staff will explore alternate funding sources, such as grants and donations, and could allocate future Park Sales Tax funds if available.  This is why it is important to have the improvement plans for Twin Lakes Recreation Area show phase I and phase II improvements so that park staff has a plan in place to move forward with phase II improvements as soon as possible.

  • Share I see a lot of focus being placed on the dog park and that’s ok as I know lots of people love and use it. My question is about what will change with the main lake. I and my children as well as many others go and fish there. Are any improvements or changes going to be made to the large lake. Also I wanted to know how you plan on maintaining the large lakes current water level? I saw that you plan on pumping water from the large lake to the small one to increase its size and decrease water temp. Do you have a plan to keep the current water level in the large lake! It is currently lower than in previous years and I fear pumping water out will only further drop the water level unless you have a plan to divert water to it. on Facebook Share I see a lot of focus being placed on the dog park and that’s ok as I know lots of people love and use it. My question is about what will change with the main lake. I and my children as well as many others go and fish there. Are any improvements or changes going to be made to the large lake. Also I wanted to know how you plan on maintaining the large lakes current water level? I saw that you plan on pumping water from the large lake to the small one to increase its size and decrease water temp. Do you have a plan to keep the current water level in the large lake! It is currently lower than in previous years and I fear pumping water out will only further drop the water level unless you have a plan to divert water to it. on Twitter Share I see a lot of focus being placed on the dog park and that’s ok as I know lots of people love and use it. My question is about what will change with the main lake. I and my children as well as many others go and fish there. Are any improvements or changes going to be made to the large lake. Also I wanted to know how you plan on maintaining the large lakes current water level? I saw that you plan on pumping water from the large lake to the small one to increase its size and decrease water temp. Do you have a plan to keep the current water level in the large lake! It is currently lower than in previous years and I fear pumping water out will only further drop the water level unless you have a plan to divert water to it. on Linkedin Email I see a lot of focus being placed on the dog park and that’s ok as I know lots of people love and use it. My question is about what will change with the main lake. I and my children as well as many others go and fish there. Are any improvements or changes going to be made to the large lake. Also I wanted to know how you plan on maintaining the large lakes current water level? I saw that you plan on pumping water from the large lake to the small one to increase its size and decrease water temp. Do you have a plan to keep the current water level in the large lake! It is currently lower than in previous years and I fear pumping water out will only further drop the water level unless you have a plan to divert water to it. link

    I see a lot of focus being placed on the dog park and that’s ok as I know lots of people love and use it. My question is about what will change with the main lake. I and my children as well as many others go and fish there. Are any improvements or changes going to be made to the large lake. Also I wanted to know how you plan on maintaining the large lakes current water level? I saw that you plan on pumping water from the large lake to the small one to increase its size and decrease water temp. Do you have a plan to keep the current water level in the large lake! It is currently lower than in previous years and I fear pumping water out will only further drop the water level unless you have a plan to divert water to it.

    James asked 6 months ago

    The current water level in the large lake is due to 2.5 years of severe drought conditions. The National Weather Service recently annouced that Mid-Missouri was no longer in drought conditions. However, recovery from the past few years will take some time, but the lake will eventually come back up to accustomed levels. Pumping water to the small pond will have no effect on fish populations in the large lake. The added aeration between the two water bodies will on improve conditions. 

  • Share Please consider planning a large pool/aquatic center. The area already exists, parking lot in place and great trail access. Not every family can afford private swim access and there are no public swimming facilities south of Broadway. A splash park is nice but a poor replacement for the facilities other areas have. Thanks! on Facebook Share Please consider planning a large pool/aquatic center. The area already exists, parking lot in place and great trail access. Not every family can afford private swim access and there are no public swimming facilities south of Broadway. A splash park is nice but a poor replacement for the facilities other areas have. Thanks! on Twitter Share Please consider planning a large pool/aquatic center. The area already exists, parking lot in place and great trail access. Not every family can afford private swim access and there are no public swimming facilities south of Broadway. A splash park is nice but a poor replacement for the facilities other areas have. Thanks! on Linkedin Email Please consider planning a large pool/aquatic center. The area already exists, parking lot in place and great trail access. Not every family can afford private swim access and there are no public swimming facilities south of Broadway. A splash park is nice but a poor replacement for the facilities other areas have. Thanks! link

    Please consider planning a large pool/aquatic center. The area already exists, parking lot in place and great trail access. Not every family can afford private swim access and there are no public swimming facilities south of Broadway. A splash park is nice but a poor replacement for the facilities other areas have. Thanks!

    Jones27 asked 6 months ago

    The infrastructure under Little Mates Cove needs complete replacement to be functional, which would require removal of all the current pools, sidewalks and trees. This cost would exceed current available funding by 3-4x. In addition, flooding of the park has increased over the past several years, making a swimming/wading pool impossible to build and maintain pump equipment. A non-circulating Splash Park doesn't have this equipment or required floodplain restrictions and would be a free facilty from April to October, open to the public much longer hours than any pool facility.

    Parks and Recreation staff will be updating the 2013 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan over the next couple of years which will include potential sites of new aquatic facilities. A new full service aquatic facility comes with a pricetage of $5-15 million.

  • Share Could a big splash ground be part of the plan there? on Facebook Share Could a big splash ground be part of the plan there? on Twitter Share Could a big splash ground be part of the plan there? on Linkedin Email Could a big splash ground be part of the plan there? link

    Could a big splash ground be part of the plan there?

    Walker asked 6 months ago

    The infrastructure under Little Mates Cove needs complete replacement to be functional, which would require removal of all the current pools, sidewalks and trees. This cost would exceed current available funding by 3-4x. In addition, flooding of the park has increased over the past several years, making a swimming/wading pool impossible to build and maintain pump equipment. A non-circulating Splash Park that doesn't have this equipment or required floodplain restrictions and would be a free facilty from April to October, open tto the public much longer hours than any pool facility. However, this type of new splash park comes with a pricetage of $500-750,000, far exceeding the available project funding. 

  • Share Bring back Little Mates Cove. I took my kids there when they were younger and they loved it. Hell, as an adult, I liked to lay in the shallow water to tan too. Just put swim at your own risk, so you wouldn't have to worry about lifeguard shortages. There are already enough dog parks in this town... let's focus on the tax payers kids. Like someone said on Facebook - it would generate revenue by people traveling into town to use it. A splash park is not the same. Surely you can budget money to fix it with the sales tax. on Facebook Share Bring back Little Mates Cove. I took my kids there when they were younger and they loved it. Hell, as an adult, I liked to lay in the shallow water to tan too. Just put swim at your own risk, so you wouldn't have to worry about lifeguard shortages. There are already enough dog parks in this town... let's focus on the tax payers kids. Like someone said on Facebook - it would generate revenue by people traveling into town to use it. A splash park is not the same. Surely you can budget money to fix it with the sales tax. on Twitter Share Bring back Little Mates Cove. I took my kids there when they were younger and they loved it. Hell, as an adult, I liked to lay in the shallow water to tan too. Just put swim at your own risk, so you wouldn't have to worry about lifeguard shortages. There are already enough dog parks in this town... let's focus on the tax payers kids. Like someone said on Facebook - it would generate revenue by people traveling into town to use it. A splash park is not the same. Surely you can budget money to fix it with the sales tax. on Linkedin Email Bring back Little Mates Cove. I took my kids there when they were younger and they loved it. Hell, as an adult, I liked to lay in the shallow water to tan too. Just put swim at your own risk, so you wouldn't have to worry about lifeguard shortages. There are already enough dog parks in this town... let's focus on the tax payers kids. Like someone said on Facebook - it would generate revenue by people traveling into town to use it. A splash park is not the same. Surely you can budget money to fix it with the sales tax. link

    Bring back Little Mates Cove. I took my kids there when they were younger and they loved it. Hell, as an adult, I liked to lay in the shallow water to tan too. Just put swim at your own risk, so you wouldn't have to worry about lifeguard shortages. There are already enough dog parks in this town... let's focus on the tax payers kids. Like someone said on Facebook - it would generate revenue by people traveling into town to use it. A splash park is not the same. Surely you can budget money to fix it with the sales tax.

    ch1234 asked 6 months ago

    The infrastructure under Little Mates Cove needs complete replacement to be functional, which would require removal of all the current pools, sidewalks and trees. This cost would exceed current available funding by 3-4x. In addition, flooding of the park has increased over the past several years, making a swimming/wading pool impossible to build and maintain pump equipment. A non-circulating Splash Park doesn't have this equipment or required floodplain restrictions and would be a free facilty from April to October, open to the public much longer hours than any pool facility.

  • Share You say that "Improvements to other aquatic facilities at Douglass Park, Lake of the Woods Recreation Area, and Albert-Oakland Park are currently underway and will inlcude more water play access for young children. " However, these are all on the North side of town. Are there any plans to build an aquatic area on the South side of town - Little Mates Cove was one but that is being destroyed by these plans. Adding a splash park near the large shelter for staffing reasons is a very far cry from the kind of fun that the pools and bridge and slides that Little Mates Cove provided. Are there plans to create a water park or pools on the south side of Columbia. Certainly building a ton of new schools on that side of town bc of the growing community. How about a water park too? on Facebook Share You say that "Improvements to other aquatic facilities at Douglass Park, Lake of the Woods Recreation Area, and Albert-Oakland Park are currently underway and will inlcude more water play access for young children. " However, these are all on the North side of town. Are there any plans to build an aquatic area on the South side of town - Little Mates Cove was one but that is being destroyed by these plans. Adding a splash park near the large shelter for staffing reasons is a very far cry from the kind of fun that the pools and bridge and slides that Little Mates Cove provided. Are there plans to create a water park or pools on the south side of Columbia. Certainly building a ton of new schools on that side of town bc of the growing community. How about a water park too? on Twitter Share You say that "Improvements to other aquatic facilities at Douglass Park, Lake of the Woods Recreation Area, and Albert-Oakland Park are currently underway and will inlcude more water play access for young children. " However, these are all on the North side of town. Are there any plans to build an aquatic area on the South side of town - Little Mates Cove was one but that is being destroyed by these plans. Adding a splash park near the large shelter for staffing reasons is a very far cry from the kind of fun that the pools and bridge and slides that Little Mates Cove provided. Are there plans to create a water park or pools on the south side of Columbia. Certainly building a ton of new schools on that side of town bc of the growing community. How about a water park too? on Linkedin Email You say that "Improvements to other aquatic facilities at Douglass Park, Lake of the Woods Recreation Area, and Albert-Oakland Park are currently underway and will inlcude more water play access for young children. " However, these are all on the North side of town. Are there any plans to build an aquatic area on the South side of town - Little Mates Cove was one but that is being destroyed by these plans. Adding a splash park near the large shelter for staffing reasons is a very far cry from the kind of fun that the pools and bridge and slides that Little Mates Cove provided. Are there plans to create a water park or pools on the south side of Columbia. Certainly building a ton of new schools on that side of town bc of the growing community. How about a water park too? link

    You say that "Improvements to other aquatic facilities at Douglass Park, Lake of the Woods Recreation Area, and Albert-Oakland Park are currently underway and will inlcude more water play access for young children. " However, these are all on the North side of town. Are there any plans to build an aquatic area on the South side of town - Little Mates Cove was one but that is being destroyed by these plans. Adding a splash park near the large shelter for staffing reasons is a very far cry from the kind of fun that the pools and bridge and slides that Little Mates Cove provided. Are there plans to create a water park or pools on the south side of Columbia. Certainly building a ton of new schools on that side of town bc of the growing community. How about a water park too?

    RLH asked 6 months ago

    Parks and Recreation staff will be updating the 2013 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan over the next couple of years which will include potential sites of new aquatic facilities. A new full service aquatic facility comes with a pricetage of $5-15 million.

  • Share My dog got sick after drinking from the lake at Twin Lakes. I suspect contamination from runoff from the dog park due to too many dogs bringing humans who don't pick up after them. Is there any plan to improve this such as more aeration of the lakes? on Facebook Share My dog got sick after drinking from the lake at Twin Lakes. I suspect contamination from runoff from the dog park due to too many dogs bringing humans who don't pick up after them. Is there any plan to improve this such as more aeration of the lakes? on Twitter Share My dog got sick after drinking from the lake at Twin Lakes. I suspect contamination from runoff from the dog park due to too many dogs bringing humans who don't pick up after them. Is there any plan to improve this such as more aeration of the lakes? on Linkedin Email My dog got sick after drinking from the lake at Twin Lakes. I suspect contamination from runoff from the dog park due to too many dogs bringing humans who don't pick up after them. Is there any plan to improve this such as more aeration of the lakes? link

    My dog got sick after drinking from the lake at Twin Lakes. I suspect contamination from runoff from the dog park due to too many dogs bringing humans who don't pick up after them. Is there any plan to improve this such as more aeration of the lakes?

    JudyBock asked 6 months ago

    The small pond and large lake within the park have little to no water ciirculation from a surrounding watershed. Therefore the need for pumps and aerators help maintain this. Park staff are proposing pumping water from the larger lake into the small pond to help maintain water levels and cool water temperature to reduce algea growth. Natural Resources staff will address creating vegetaive buffers that can help filter runoff into both the small pond and large lake. Having a 10-acre year round dog park will allow staff to close the other areas to perform this work and allow it to establish. 

  • Share Why not put in a full swimming pool etc? There is no pool in this part of town. The dog park is fine, but it limits the participation of other area residents. The lake at this time is very low. The people swimming area was a bad idea from the beginning. The reason the pirate's area etc. doesn't work is because there is not a pool to attract a family etc. Who wants to swim in stagnant water with a sand beach? The city needs to be more forward thinking. The twin lakes area has been mismanaged from the get-go. Plus - fix the parking lot and force traffic to flow around instead of head on traffic. on Facebook Share Why not put in a full swimming pool etc? There is no pool in this part of town. The dog park is fine, but it limits the participation of other area residents. The lake at this time is very low. The people swimming area was a bad idea from the beginning. The reason the pirate's area etc. doesn't work is because there is not a pool to attract a family etc. Who wants to swim in stagnant water with a sand beach? The city needs to be more forward thinking. The twin lakes area has been mismanaged from the get-go. Plus - fix the parking lot and force traffic to flow around instead of head on traffic. on Twitter Share Why not put in a full swimming pool etc? There is no pool in this part of town. The dog park is fine, but it limits the participation of other area residents. The lake at this time is very low. The people swimming area was a bad idea from the beginning. The reason the pirate's area etc. doesn't work is because there is not a pool to attract a family etc. Who wants to swim in stagnant water with a sand beach? The city needs to be more forward thinking. The twin lakes area has been mismanaged from the get-go. Plus - fix the parking lot and force traffic to flow around instead of head on traffic. on Linkedin Email Why not put in a full swimming pool etc? There is no pool in this part of town. The dog park is fine, but it limits the participation of other area residents. The lake at this time is very low. The people swimming area was a bad idea from the beginning. The reason the pirate's area etc. doesn't work is because there is not a pool to attract a family etc. Who wants to swim in stagnant water with a sand beach? The city needs to be more forward thinking. The twin lakes area has been mismanaged from the get-go. Plus - fix the parking lot and force traffic to flow around instead of head on traffic. link

    Why not put in a full swimming pool etc? There is no pool in this part of town. The dog park is fine, but it limits the participation of other area residents. The lake at this time is very low. The people swimming area was a bad idea from the beginning. The reason the pirate's area etc. doesn't work is because there is not a pool to attract a family etc. Who wants to swim in stagnant water with a sand beach? The city needs to be more forward thinking. The twin lakes area has been mismanaged from the get-go. Plus - fix the parking lot and force traffic to flow around instead of head on traffic.

    GAC asked 6 months ago

    Parking lot improvements and circulation for safety are proposed as part of this project. 

    The infrastructure under Little Mates Cove needs complete replacement to be functional, which would require removal of all the current pools, sidewalks and trees. This cost would exceed current available funding by 3-4x. In addition, flooding of the park has increased over the past several years, making a swimming/wading pool impossible to build and maintain pump equipment. A non-circulating Splash Park doesn't have this equipment or required floodplain restrictions.

    Parks and Recreation staff will be updating the 2013 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan over the next couple of years which will include potential sites of new aquatic facilities. A new full service aquatic facility comes with a pricetage of $5-15 million.

  • Share Will there be a gate between the small dog park area and the all dog park area to the north? As I see it now, there are two entrances into the lake side park. The northern entrance into this park is at the same point as the entrance into the all dog park and the small dog park. There will be another entrance into the all dog park where the Little Mates Cove entrance used to be. But I don't see any other way to get in or out of the small dog park. on Facebook Share Will there be a gate between the small dog park area and the all dog park area to the north? As I see it now, there are two entrances into the lake side park. The northern entrance into this park is at the same point as the entrance into the all dog park and the small dog park. There will be another entrance into the all dog park where the Little Mates Cove entrance used to be. But I don't see any other way to get in or out of the small dog park. on Twitter Share Will there be a gate between the small dog park area and the all dog park area to the north? As I see it now, there are two entrances into the lake side park. The northern entrance into this park is at the same point as the entrance into the all dog park and the small dog park. There will be another entrance into the all dog park where the Little Mates Cove entrance used to be. But I don't see any other way to get in or out of the small dog park. on Linkedin Email Will there be a gate between the small dog park area and the all dog park area to the north? As I see it now, there are two entrances into the lake side park. The northern entrance into this park is at the same point as the entrance into the all dog park and the small dog park. There will be another entrance into the all dog park where the Little Mates Cove entrance used to be. But I don't see any other way to get in or out of the small dog park. link

    Will there be a gate between the small dog park area and the all dog park area to the north? As I see it now, there are two entrances into the lake side park. The northern entrance into this park is at the same point as the entrance into the all dog park and the small dog park. There will be another entrance into the all dog park where the Little Mates Cove entrance used to be. But I don't see any other way to get in or out of the small dog park.

    JulieS asked 6 months ago

    The entrance to the small dog off-leash area will remain the same. Improvements here will include a shade canopy over the accessible overlook and a new pump system to fill the small pond with cooler water from the large lake to reduce algae growth in the summer. A second entrance inside the Lakeside Dog Park is possible for park users visiting from the MKT Trail. 

  • Share Does this mean that Little Mates Cove will not be replaced with a swimming facility? It was very popular with parents and younger children. I enjoyed going there with my grandchildren when they were younger. on Facebook Share Does this mean that Little Mates Cove will not be replaced with a swimming facility? It was very popular with parents and younger children. I enjoyed going there with my grandchildren when they were younger. on Twitter Share Does this mean that Little Mates Cove will not be replaced with a swimming facility? It was very popular with parents and younger children. I enjoyed going there with my grandchildren when they were younger. on Linkedin Email Does this mean that Little Mates Cove will not be replaced with a swimming facility? It was very popular with parents and younger children. I enjoyed going there with my grandchildren when they were younger. link

    Does this mean that Little Mates Cove will not be replaced with a swimming facility? It was very popular with parents and younger children. I enjoyed going there with my grandchildren when they were younger.

    Camparan asked 6 months ago

    Little Mates Cove was a great facility for many years. However staffing and maintenance costs have increased so much it is not feasible for the department to operate. Relocating a future splash park that doesn't require staffing closer to the large shelter and new playground will be more beneficial for all park users. 

    Improvements to other aquatic facilities at Douglass Park, Lake of the Woods Recreation Area, and Albert-Oakland Park are currently underway and will inlcude more water play access for young children.