The St. Louis County Council is considering plans to put a zip-line course in Creve Coeur Park.
Some residents, however, are concerned about the proposed location of what's being called a treetop adventure course.
Eileen Buescher of Glendale was pretty fired up Tuesday night when she told the council that putting the zip-line in Creve Coeur Park was a really bad idea.
She said it’s not right that the Maryland-based company Go Ape, which would run the course, stands to make money.
“It appears that St. Louis County is trying to make our quiet, nature type parks into noisy amusement parks,” Buescher said.
Other residents told the council Tuesday night that the zip-line course does not fit within the master plan for Creve Coeur Park and could have a negative impact on wildlife, especially birds.
In contrast, County Executive Charlie Dooley said the zip-line course is exactly what the county needs to get residents of all ages into the park.
If approved, it’s estimated that the zip-line course would bring in up to $60,000 in revenue for the county during the first year and $100,000 annually after that.
“We’re doing what we can to work through this process,” Dooley said. “This has been an open process, that’s why there have been some objections. But I think we’re where we need to be right now, and we’ll wait to see what happens.”
He says the county has over 12,000 acres of parkland and the relatively small footprint of the zip-line course wouldn’t pose a problem.
A previous proposal last year to locate the course in Greensfelder Park faced stiff opposition from some residents, and ultimately those plans were scrapped.
The plan could come up for the council’s final approval in two weeks.
Follow Tim Lloyd on Twitter: @TimSLloyd
