Clover Dell Soccer Field Renaming Request Withdrawn

An application to the Sedalia Park Board to rename one of the soccer fields at Clover Dell Park after Devon Blake Grose has been withdrawn.

The application, submitted by Travis Cooper and Paul Klover Soccer Association (PKSA) President Amanda Blackburn, sought to rename Field #1 at Clover Dell Park after Grose, who died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 19 on April 14, 2016, on US 65, two miles south of Louisburg in Dallas County.

Grose was a soccer player at Sacred Heart and in PKSA, and later became an official and mentor, according to the application. The policy on renaming fields require a ¾ majority vote, or seven out of nine Park Board members. Thursday night's Park Board meeting was attended by six members, in addition to new Parks & Rec Director Amy Epple as well as former Director Mark Hewitt.

Hewitt explained what happened to the application after much discussion at Thursday night's Sedalia Park Board meeting at Convention Hall, 1500 W. 3rd.

“We have to be extremely careful as a board. When you name a field, it has to withstand the test of time. And to me, there was a lot of things left off the application that were important, not only athletic-wise but academically...” he noted. “We have pretty strict criteria on that. It does seem a little heartless to some, but it has to be that way. It has to be warranted. There has to be merit on the application itself.”

Soccer coach Cooper, in his speech to the board, said that Grose began his soccer career at the age of four, then later became an official, and always volunteered to help out with soccer camps, “Which is worth a million dollars in my opinion … his contributions went way beyond financial,” Cooper said.

Susan Mergen, in her speech, said that she hoped the board would “take it under strong consideration,” adding that her son played with Grose during his sports career at Sacred Heart High School.

The application may be submitted as early as the next monthly Park Board meeting in September.

In other Park Board news, board member Rhiannon Foster said that Liberty Pool would remain open this season until Labor Day Weekend (weekends only). And the date for the next Doggie Dive event at Liberty is yet to be determined. Centennial Pool closes for the season on Wednesday, Aug. 9 and that is the date for Doggie Dive at that pool, starting at 4 p.m. Attendance at the pools overall has been about the same as last year, Foster noted. A recent "Dive-In Movie" event drew close to 400 participants, it was noted.

The Vermont Park remodeling project is nearing completion, Hewitt said, and expects the park to be opened up to the public in September. He called it "a signature project that changed the entire park."

Foster presented Hewitt with a Galileo-style weather station at the conclusion of the meeting as a thank you for his years of service to Sedalia Parks & Rec. Hewitt is a self-admitted amateur weather buff.