Campaign Underway to Build a Skate Park to Memorialize Fallen Soldier Jeff White

By Pauline Masson – 

For every area resident who has ever uttered the words, “There is nothing for young people to do in Pacific,” along comes an opportunity for absolutely everyone to pitch in and change that.

A group of organizers has already gained wide community support in its effort to build a skateboard park on the slope adjacent to the children’s pavilion just inside the entrance to City Park.

Many readers will remember that the community came together in the past to construct a home away from home for the city’s elderly citizens. When one lady, the late Helen Preiss, launched a campaign to build a senior center in Pacific, the community agreed that the seniors needed their own place and joined the campaign to fund the project for area senior citizens.

Now it is time to join another organizer and help build a skate park for the youth of the community. 

If you have not already met Johnny Felts, let me introduce him. 

Jeffrey was an all around popular youngster who had a passion for skateboarding that started at age ten. He skateboarded every day for the pure joy of it and with obsessive practice, his skill inspired many of his friends to take up the sport.

“I got to skate with him once” Johnny Felts said. “I think he was about fourteen and even then he was already doing thing on a skateboard nobody else could do. He would try huge things. He was really something. He was out there every day, practicing and practicing. That was how he got to be so good. He was the best of us.”

Now Felts and a group of supporters are working to build the Jeff White Memorial Skatepark in the north east area of the City Park to keep alive the joy of skateboarding. Jared Cattoor, Lisa Troglio, Robb Glowzceisky, and Alison Quennoz make up the skate park organizer team.

So far they have engaged the community to select the site and help design the park, engaged the City of Pacific to apply for a matching grant to construct the concrete skate ramps and half pipe, and raised $26,000 toward a local match if the grant is awarded.

With input from citizens, the American Ramp Company designed a kid-friendly skateboard park for Pacific.

“Our park was designed for young children,” Felts said. “It’s a very good design for beginners, where young kids can learn to skate. Skaters who grow up with the park will develop skills that will last a lifetime.

“With the City sponsorship and community involvement, I know We can do this.” Felts said.

He is right. We all watched the late Helen Preiss lead a campaign to build a senior center in Pacific.

The Mid East Area Agency on Aging, which administered federal senior services in the St. Louis region, had served senior meals in the Pacific American Legion Post. When the agency announced that the Pacific senior meals program was being moved to Eureka, Preiss said she would raise funds to build a center here.

Her initial process raised small amounts. A series of seamstresses stitched up quilts and crocheted afghans that Preiss raffled off. Churches and the Pacific Lions club held bake sales. Students at Truman Elementary sold penny candy grams. For upwards of three years, Preiss kept the idea of a senior center in Pacific in the eyes of the public as her small fund grew to several hundred dollars.

She called on the Ministerial Alliance, knocked on neighbors’ doors, called on businesses and visited city hall.

In 1999, Jennifer Reed and her service group, the Missouri Service Organization, later named the Rainbow Girls gave Helen $500. It was extraordinary and it may have tipped the scale in favor of believability that the community could actually build a senior center. 

Helen called on the late Lloyd Baker and made her pitch. He gave her $1,000 and challenged the Pacific Area Chamber of Commerce to match the gift.

In 2004 City Administrator Joann Hoehne said the city could apply for a CDBG block grant to build the center. It was a $300,000 fifty-fifty matching grant. If it was awarded, the community would have to raise $150,000 to build the center. In 2005 it was awarded.

The community went full bore to raise the local funds. Donor jars went up in businesses all over town. The Chamber of Commerce kicked in its $1,000 match and other businesses made donations. Baker Ice contributions would eventually reach $40,000.

Eventually more than $850,000 in funds was raised to construct the building, including $325,000 in state economic development grants and more than $500,000 in local funds

Two couples, Bob and Marybeth Schmidt and Louis “Bud” and Barbara Brundick, closed a restaurant that they owned jointly. They gave the new senior center a complete kitchen and dining room.

The Helen Preiss (Tri County) Senior Center opened April 4, 2007. It was at that time, and still is, the only senior center building in the region that was completely paid for.

The moral of this story is that Johnny Felts is now the guy to follow.

We, as a community, can make sure that the Jeffrey White Skate Park in the Pacific City Park is built for area youngsters.

Paralleling the community’s response to a call to help build a senior center, the community has already stepped up to help Felts and his team build a skateboard park for area kids.

The Eagles were the first to commit, donating $500 as start up money. Since then Beacon Car Wash, Big Foot, Cigar Vault, the Magi Foundation, Vero Fitness, Walsh Realty, Safety Net, and SB Skates have held events to help build the park. To date the project has received $26,000 and has a goal of $99,000 as the community’s local match.

A group of community supporters also signed on to the campaign – Jeff and Paula White, Tom and Bree Hull, Katie Schulte and Jen Blakely.

“Our biggest need now is letters of support from area businesses,” Felts said. “The letters should pledge the company’s support and a dollar amount as a future donation. These letters are needed to show community support for the Land and Water Conservation Grant.” Letters should be sent to: Magi Foundation, 220 South First Street, Pacific, MO 63069.

To donate to construction of the skate park, checks should be made out to Magi Foundation, with a note indicating funds are for the Jeffrey White Memorial Skate Park, and mailed to 220 South First Street, Pacific, MO 63069.