A new state park in Missouri? Governor says not so fast

By Kurt Erickson | St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Tribune Content Agency via AP

JEFFERSON CITY — A top state budget writer's push to open a state park in his legislative district remains in limbo after some of the money he sought for the project was cut by Gov. Mike Kehoe.
House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, who represents McDonald County in the state's southwest corner, inserted a total of $19 million into the state's spending plan to buy land for a new state park.
But on Monday, Kehoe used his veto powers to reduce the amount to $11.5 million as part of a wide-ranging attempt to pare state spending.
While the governor's decision put the proposed park back on the radar screen after former Gov. Mike Parson vetoed it in its entirety last year that doesn't mean it's a shoo-in to be built, said Missouri Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Connie Patterson.
The department will first determine if it wants to move forward on the purchase of the property.
"At this time, we are evaluating our options on if (or how) we may move forward on the property. This will include an appraisal of the property's value," Patterson said. "(We) won't know our options until we go through that process.
The property in question is an 1,800-acre ranch between Elk River and Indian Creek south of Lanagan near the state's border with Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The property includes two caves, three miles of Elk River frontage and a "well-maintained" three-story historical home, according to an online real estate listing. The property is currently listed for sale at nearly $12.8 million.
The Elk O Zar Ranch has rolling hills, open and wooded land and "unlimited possibilities for building sites, campgrounds, RV parks and recreation," the listing notes. "Hunting and fishing are abundant."
In pitching the purchase, Deaton earlier said the state should jump at the opportunity to buy the property to make it available to the residents of the state.
Kehoe signed the package of 13 spending bills approved by lawmakers, but not before vetoing $300 million in general revenue items and putting a hold on spending for $211 million more.
Kehoe said the reductions were necessary because lawmakers approved nearly $300 million in added spending on schools, the cost of tornado relief for St. Louis and a pending tax cut that will drain coffers of an estimated $400 million.
In cutting money for the park, the governor said a "course correction in state finances is not only warranted but will be constitutionally required to achieve a balanced budget in future years."
"While this might be a worthwhile project, due to the aforementioned reasons, we must control spending and cannot prudently justify this expenditure at this time," Kehoe wrote in his veto message.
Attendance at Missouri State Parks dropped slightly from 2023 to 2024, with 19.8 million visitors last year, according to the department. The most popular park by attendance is Lake of the Ozarks State Park, with more than 1.4 million visitors on its 17,000 acres.
Missouri State Parks do not charge admission fees, and annual attendance figures are only estimates.
Patterson did not offer a timeline for DNR to make a decision on whether to move forward on the McDonald County project.
"For now, our immediate focus remains on maintaining and improving the quality and integrity of Missouri's existing 93 state parks and historic sites," she said.
With financial storm clouds brewing, Kehoe takes ax to Missouri budget
Spending cuts by the governor include $7 million to help the St. Louis Lambert International Airport jumpstart its new terminal project and $4 million for an O'Fallon police training facility.
Missouri governor takes ax to budget, vetoes $1 billion in spending
Among cuts: $4 million to demolish abandoned properties in Kinloch, $7 million to rehabilitate St. Louis Lambert International Airport and $10 million for sewer work in St. Louis County
Fate of state park proposal in Missouri governor's hands
The Legislature appropriated $12.6 million to buy 1,800 or more acres in McDonald County for the new park.
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