Lake Lenexa now open

The long-awaited Lake Lenexa and Black Hoof Park in western Lenexa opened July 6.

Lake Lenexa, the city’s premier Rain to Recreation lake, is nearly 35 acres nestled in 240 acres of parkland. The completion of Monticello Road north of Prairie Star Parkway (95^th Street) allows public access to the park area, which includes a dam and spillway, trails, playground, restrooms and picnic shelter.

"I’m very excited that this is coming on board," Mayor Mike Boehm said. "It’s our major park and it’ll serve citizens of today and into the future. It was good forethought in planning the acquisition of the ground when it was still reasonably priced. I can’t tell you the number of residents and folks in the community who are excited about going out to see it."

City Administrator Eric Wade said residents have supported the Rain to Recreation watershed management initiative, which helps turn storm water into environmental and community assets.

"We are excited for them to have the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful park and lake during the remainder of the summer," he said.

Jim Finlen

"Originally we thought the road would be completed a little sooner than now, but there’s been a lot of rain this spring so they haven’t finished," Finlen said.

Monticello Road south of 83rd Street remains closed due to construction and is expected to be completed this fall, at which time the city plans to have an official dedication and grand opening celebration.

"Some contractors are still finishing up some projects, and as they do they’re closing off small sections of the park," Finlen said. "There’s some landscaping going on and other things, but what we have out there is available for the public to use and to admire.

"There’s a boat ramp, parking lot, restrooms, shelter facility, playground equipment, an extensive trail network, the dam and spillway, open play areas, and a boardwalk area that goes to islands in the south end of the lake."

Park construction is occurring in phases, meaning several amenities, including an amphitheater, will be built over the next few years.

"We have the ability to start doing some of the more formal development. The sales tax (approved in May) will allow us to put some money into further developing the park," Boehm said.

The city has partnered with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Urban Fish Stocking Program, which requires that a new lake be left undisturbed to allow fish to establish.

"There is no fishing at this point … but we anticipate that we’ll open the lake up for fishing in spring 2009," Finlen said. "We do allow boats on the lake, but they are nonmotorized, smaller boats. There’s also no swimming in the lake. For a long time that’s the way it was at Shawnee Mission Park until they developed the beach area. We don’t anticipate that at this point, but if there’s enough folks that want (to swim) then maybe we’ll consider it.

"There was a lot of public involvement with the design process through public meetings. One of the things we heard from residents as we were planning this park years ago was that they wanted a more passive, natural setting versus traditional parks that have a lot of recreation. You won’t see tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields, this is more bird watching and trails for hiking."

Finlen said most communities do not get the opportunity to build a park like this.

"It turned out fantastic. This is a beautiful park that people are going to get to use for a long, long time, and Lenexa should be very proud to have something this special in their backyard," he said.