Exciting Events and Activities in St. Louis
Schroeder Park's Playground Isn't Ready This Fall. Its Woods Need Volunteers On Nov. 7.
Exciting Events and Activities in St. Louis
At Paul A. Schroeder Park, 359 Old Meramec Station Road, the new playground is mostly built. The design called for water play, a zip line, racing slides and a large merry-go-round. It still isn't open. Installation errors came to light this fall, and the problems are specific: a rotating climber that overlaps the swing set's safety zone, a cozy dome whose safety zone reaches onto the sidewalk, and too little room between the area for ages 2 to 5 and the area for ages 5 to 12.
The project's earlier delays came from stormwater and soil, and this one comes from spacing. Manchester's November calendar at the park also centers on the land. While the play equipment waits, the city is asking residents to come help with the woods.
The playground was always a bigger job than new equipment. Manchester Parks Director Kat Schien told West Newsmagazine that requirements from the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District for stormwater mitigation and water quality meant "it really became a playground plus a stormwater project." She said delays came from stormwater retention problems tied to the site's unusual topography. The same story reported that the city had spent just over $2.5 million at that point. That included about $348,000 on playground equipment bought in March 2024 and $2.1 million on the construction bid for the playground and stormwater systems. Two grants totaling just over $1.2 million, from the St. Louis Municipal Park Grant and the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund, helped pay for it.
An earlier West Newsmagazine report on the schedule explained the order of events. In October 2024, an MSD requirement for a detention basin added an estimated $36,750 and six months. A geotechnical concern came up after that and added two more months.
| Milestone | Timing |
|---|---|
| Playground equipment purchased | March 2024 |
| MSD detention basin requirement adds about six months | October 2024 |
| Groundbreaking with city officials and Planning Design Studio | October 2025 |
| Opening date projected at groundbreaking | June 2026 |
| Board of Aldermen approves corrective plan | Oct. 19 meeting |
| Current completion window | Late December 2026 to late April 2027 |
The June 2026 date came from a Planning Design Studio post published at the groundbreaking. The firm is providing architectural and design services for the project.
At the Oct. 19 Board of Aldermen meeting, Scott Emmelkamp of Planning Design Studio walked through the fixes, according to West Newsmagazine's coverage of the meeting. He said the safety-zone conflicts come first. The worst is the rotating climber, installed where it overlaps the swing set's safety zone. The plan includes:
Emmelkamp said the playground can still meet its original design goals with these changes. Mayor Benjamin Toben made clear that the city is choosing to get it right over getting it open fast:
"We do not simply want to get the playground open as quickly as possible. We want the playground completed correctly and in accordance with safety standards established for this project."
Toben also called the playground one of the largest investments in the community and a project residents have waited years for. The city says the completion date depends on weather and construction progress. Families should plan on a winter without the new playground, and possibly part of spring too.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Manchester is holding a free Honeysuckle Hack at Schroeder Park to clear invasive bush honeysuckle from the park. Staff will provide gloves, tools and instruction, plus donuts and drinks. It's open to ages 12 and up, and you register by emailing [email protected], according to the city's event listing.
Early November is a good time for this. The Missouri Department of Conservation's Missouri Conservationist puts it plainly: "October and November are excellent months to identify and remove bush honeysuckle because most natives are dormant." MDC says the shrub is one of the first plants to leaf out in spring and one of the last to drop its leaves in fall. That gives it an edge over native species.
The same trait makes it easy to spot. The Missouri Botanical Garden names Amur honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii, as the most common bush honeysuckle in the St. Louis region. The Garden says it's easiest to identify in fall, when it stays green after native shrubs have dropped their leaves, and that late fall and early spring are the best times to find and remove it. An MDC release archived by the Missouri Invasive Plant Council adds that in mild weather it can stay green into December.
This matters beyond the park. Look along any wooded lot line in Manchester or Ballwin this month. If the canopy above has turned bare and the understory is still green, that green layer is very likely the same shrub the volunteers will be pulling at Schroeder. Two hours of guided work there teaches the technique, with the city's tools and a staff member to answer questions. If Nov. 7 doesn't work, the Garden says partners in its Greater St. Louis BiodiverseCity network hold public honeysuckle removal events in March and November.
After Nov. 7, the city keeps the month focused on leaves, yards and cleanup, with one Ballwin date that has nothing to do with clearing anything.
The two Nov. 21 events overlap. The recycling window opens an hour before Rake It Forward starts, so one Saturday morning can cover both.
The new playground will probably still be closed for the holidays, with the corrective work set to finish sometime between late December 2026 and late April 2027. The woods around the playground are where a resident can change things this month, starting at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 7 with borrowed gloves and a donut.
At Svoboda Shell, we track projects like the Schroeder Park playground because they shape how a neighborhood feels long before they show up anywhere else. If you're in Manchester or Ballwin and want to talk through what's changing on your side of West County, from park upgrades to that green understory along your back lot line, we're glad to compare notes.