Liberty Pond Gunite Work 20 Percent Done

The Sedalia Parks & Rec Board met for 37 minutes Thursday evening and received several updates.

The gunite work at Liberty Pond is about 20 percent complete, with a crew of 14 working diligently to finish up the project in about three weeks, according to Parks & Rec Director Amy Epple.

Locker rooms at the newly renovated Liberty Park baseball stadium are currently being remodeled. Work is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

After a successful ground-breaking ceremony held Wednesday at the site of the new bowling alley, a date of Nov. 9, 2026 has been set for the grand opening of Memory Lanes, Epple noted.

She added that the date for Sedalia’s new fire station will be set by the SFD and will be a separate celebration on the site at 601 East Broadway.

At Liberty Park, about 100 people have been riding the new train on the weekends, Epple said.

Aquatics Manager Clara Boehm gave a comprehensive Powerpoint presentation on Liberty Pool to the board, which was minus three of its members Thursday, including Megan Simon, Adam Porter, Roy Poynter and President Jerry Case.

Liberty Pool was open 83 days this year from May 31 to Aug. 30.

Numerous events were held there this summer, including several sponsored swims. The evening swim sessions were free to the public and lasted three hours each from 6 to 9 p.m. Boehm said that may be reduced to two hours next year, with more security present, with a fight that erupted at the very last swim session in August.

A total of 76 people went through lifeguard training at the pool this year. 37 of them were local residents, while 39 were from the surrounding areas. Boehm noted that it takes a total of about 24 hours to train someone to be a lifeguard.

Financially, Liberty Pool brought in $37,835 during 2025, with $23,257.42 in expenditures, leaving a net profit of around $14,578.

The board discussed how to pay for a fireworks show displayed at the Missouri State Fairgrounds on July 4. The cost has been increasing annually since Parks & Rec took over the event from the Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce five years ago.

The cost went from $10,000 to $11,000 the next year and about $1,000 more every year thereafter. But the cost has since skyrocketed and is now estimated to be around $25,000 next year.

Epple said a contract is needed by Dec. 1 to secure a fireworks show in July.

Eple noted that the City has been donating $5,000 towards the show.

Board member Jeff Wimann suggested asking the City to pay $12,500, matching what Parks & Rec will have to pay to make the 2026 fireworks show a reality.

Publications Plus will produce the next Sedalia Parks program guide at a cost of $11,345 for a 32-page booklet.

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And finally, the board discussed the need for a fee restructure due to the ever-increasing minimum wage. Epple noted that the minimum wage in 2019 was around $8.50 an hour.

By Jan. 1, it will have risen to $15 an hour in Missouri as established by the state's Proposition A. This is an increase from the current minimum wage and will be the final scheduled increase under that ballot initiative. Beginning in 2027, the minimum wage is slated to adjust annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.

The Sedalia Park Board meets again Nov. 13. The public is invited to attend.