The city of Marthasville wants to get more use out of a park built on the remains of long-ago demolished senior homes. Charrette Park, located on West South Street, could eventually become a place for children’s soccer and a small dog park.

The park was originally conceived when the Federal Emergency Management Agency bought out a cluster of senior apartment facilities in the 1990s, explained Mayor David Lange. The buildings were torn down as part of FEMA’s post-1993 effort to eliminate homes from the flood plain, but the concrete foundations remained.

“There are three big concrete pads that the city didn’t require them to tear out when FEMA bought the buildings,” Lange said. “They left the concrete slabs, thinking they’d make good basketball courts. Well, nobody uses those basketball courts.”

Lange is pushing for the city to finally remove the dilapidated concrete, and instead provide a clear field for small-scale soccer games, community gardening or other possible uses.

The mayor said he would also like to see a triangular corner of the park fenced off to become a dog park.

“It would give people a place they could take their dogs. Some people right now take their dog down to Wessel Park and let their dog run there. But if we build an RV park there, we don’t want them running their dogs there,” Lange commented, referring to a plan to establish an RV and tent campground at Wessel.

Lange also said ash trees planted at the site need to be removed due to infection by emerald ash borer insects that kill the trees.

To accomplish this work, Lange said the city would either rent equipment for staff to remove the concrete and trees, or utilize a unit-price contract with Lamke Excavating to provide the work at a fixed cost.

City aldermen voiced their agreement with the plan during their May 19 public meeting.

“If we remove those (slabs), it would make a nice soccer field. Not regulation sized, but we could buy a couple soccer goals and put up some uprights for the kids to play,” said Alderman Nick Lange. “We can figure out development of something later, but first it needs to be restored back to the way it was ... and they need to grade it.”

Aldermen Christopher DeVore and Leo Meyer commented that they have also wanted to see that area cleaned up for some time. The three aldermen voted to proceed with the project and have Lamke Excavating bill for any equipment or labor they are asked to provide at the mayor’s discretion.

Alderman Dan Grafrath, who is a Lamke employee, was not present for the discussion and did not vote.