Juggbutt's

06/26/2026

I was present at the Chamber of Commerce meeting discussed in this article from AltonMo.com. And, I was present at the last regular monthly meeting of the Board of Aldermen. I am left with a number of questions.

Did the Board of Aldermen have another meeting that I didn't know about?
Or, when did the "city council" say "it's piece on it's plans? I missed that part.

When I've asked, the Board of Aldermen has failed to provide basic information about the city's voter-approved parks sales tax or, any kind of park budget. They have refused to designate, by ordinance, any of our public parks. To this day, we don't know why the court square property was purchased or, what are their so called, "plans."

The pocket park or, gravel pit, as some like to call it, has revived an old debate here in Alton. Does the general public have a right to meaningful access to our city parks? To be informed and, involved in planning and management?

There once was a Park Board with long-term budgets and development plans but, the Alton, Board of Aldermen eliminated the Park Board and siezed control of grant money and sales tax money. The parks were never developed the way the public had wanted.

It's time that some of the rest of you speak up. My little campain is worthless unless the general public will step up and hold our city officials accountable. Before any plans are made or, money spent on a new pocket park or, green space, or whatever they want to call it, they must show us the money.

We, the People of Alton and Oregon county must demand better than closed-door meetings and secrecy. We deserve a public Park Board to provide transparency, accountability and community involvement.

If you love Alton, speak up, get involved.

The Chamber of Commerce met on June 18 at Collins Coffee on the square in Alton. Much of the time was spent discussing the pocket park plans.

06/23/2026

Small towns run on trust.

We know our neighbors. We know the people serving on boards and commissions. We see each other at the store, at church, at ball games, and around town.

That is part of what makes a place like Alton special.

But trust also depends on people having a chance to know what is happening.

People can't be involved in decisions they don't know are being made.

They can't ask questions if they don't know what questions need to be asked.

They can't share ideas if they aren't included in the conversation.

That is especially important when we are talking about things that belong to the whole community — like our parks.

People may not always agree.

That's okay.

A healthy community isn't one where everyone thinks the same.

It's one where people have the opportunity to be informed, speak up, and be part of the process.

What helps you feel confident that your voice is being heard in our community?

06/19/2026

One thing I've learned during this campaign is that public involvement doesn't always look like people standing at a microphone.

Especially in a small town like Alton.

Sometimes involvement looks like watching a meeting online.

Sometimes it looks like asking a neighbor a question.

Sometimes it looks like quietly paying attention and trying to understand what is happening in our community.

Not everyone feels comfortable speaking publicly, and I understand that.

But a healthy community depends on people having the opportunity to be informed and involved.

That means knowing what decisions are being discussed, when conversations are happening, and how the public can have a voice.

Over the past few months, more people have started paying attention to the future of our parks.

That is a good thing.

Because our parks, our tax dollars, and our community decisions affect all of us.

What is one thing you think local government can do to help more citizens feel informed and involved?

06/16/2026

For more than twenty years, Alton residents have paid a sales tax dedicated to storm water control and local parks.

Think about that for a moment.

For two decades, people in this community have invested in our parks every time they made a purchase in town.

That means these parks aren't just pieces of city property.

They're something the people of Alton have helped build, support, and sustain.

And when people invest in something, they naturally want to know how it's doing.

They ask questions.

They take an interest.

They pay attention.

That's not criticism.

That's ownership.

What's one question you've always had about Alton's parks, park projects, or park funding?

06/13/2026

One thing I've heard several times lately is that it might be difficult to find people willing to serve on a Park Board.

Maybe.

But when I look around Alton, I see people who volunteer for school activities, church projects, youth sports, community events, fundraisers, and countless other efforts that help keep our town going.

Small towns have always depended on citizens who are willing to step forward and contribute their time and ideas.

A Park Board isn't supposed to be made up of experts.

It is supposed to be made up of people who care about their community and want to help plan for its future.

Some of the best Park Board members might be young parents raising children in town today.

Others might be retirees who remember what our parks once were and what they could become again.

And some may be people who have never considered public service before but have good ideas and a willingness to listen.

The future of Alton's parks shouldn't depend on just a handful of elected officials.

It should include voices from across the community.

So let me ask a different question:

If Alton created a real Park Board, who would you encourage to serve on it?

06/11/2026

The recent Board of Aldermen meeting was one of the most interesting public meetings I have attended in years.

The discussion centered on the proposed Pocket Park, but what stood out to me most was something bigger.

Nearly everyone who spoke wanted the same basic thing: a voice in the process.

The Chamber of Commerce wanted to be involved.

Nearby residents wanted to be heard.

Citizens had questions.

Community members shared concerns, ideas, and differing opinions.

That is exactly why I continue to advocate for a real Park Board.

Not because everyone will always agree.

But because public parks work best when there is an open process for public participation, long-term planning, transparency, and accountability.

One meeting cannot provide all of that.

One administration cannot provide all of that.

A community needs a structure that allows citizens to stay involved over time.

The discussion this week convinced me even more that the people of Alton care about their parks and want to have a voice in their future.

So let me ask a simple question:

If the City of Alton created a real Park Board with meaningful public involvement, would you consider serving on it?

(You would have to live within the Alton city limits.)

I'm genuinely curious how many people would be willing to step forward and help shape the future of our parks.

06/09/2026

If you ever doubted that Alton needs a public Park Board, listen to this city council meeting. The Board of Aldermen shows no interest in transparency, accountability or public involvement.

https://youtu.be/5aL_LWM4zc0?si=0m96uQW2WcohviWB

Thank you AltonMo.com for your commitment to informing the public.

The Alton City Council met last night on June 8, 2026. Altogether, ...

06/04/2026

A lot of young parents in Alton probably remember signing petitions years ago for a community skate park.

At the time, there was real public involvement. Plans were discussed. Grant money was secured. Land was even donated for the project.

People believed something meaningful was going to happen.

But the skate park was never built.

Over time, the Park Board disappeared, public involvement faded, and many of those conversations quietly died with it.

That is exactly why real public participation and long-term park governance matter.

Not to create conflict with city government, but to ensure that community ideas, public investments, and long-term plans do not simply disappear behind closed doors or from one administration to the next.

I appreciated the respectful dialogue at the recent Board meeting, and I believe people in Alton are paying attention again.

Whatever happens next with our parks should happen openly, with the public involved in the conversation.

Communities move forward when ordinary people stay engaged, ask questions, and continue showing up.

What is something you still wish Alton’s parks would become someday?

05/30/2026

Why do separate Park Boards exist at all?

Because parks were never meant to be viewed as ordinary government property.

In Alton, public parks were created through donated land, volunteer labor, private fundraising, taxpayer support, and state or federal grants. They were built because the public believed our community deserved shared public spaces that would outlast any single administration or political moment.

That history matters.

When people donate land for parks, contribute money toward their development, approve park taxes, or invest years of volunteer effort into maintaining them, those parks become something more than simply another department within city government.

They become part of a public trust.

That is one reason Missouri law recognizes separate park governance.

A Park Board is not about taking power away from elected officials. It is about helping ensure that parks remain focused on long-term stewardship, public participation, transparency, and the public benefit they were created to serve.

Strong parks require more than maintenance budgets.

They require community involvement, long-term vision, and a recognition that these spaces are meant to belong to future generations as much as the present one.

Parks are not simply assets to manage.

They are places communities inherit, protect, and pass forward.