Making your Community a Better Place to Live

In Lee's Summit the Parks and Recreation Department is staffed by many highly valued people who each bring their own unique expertise to their job be it; Administrative Services, Recreation Services, Parks Operations, Park Development, or Park Construction. Each department is staffed by employees who each have their own area of specialization from aquatics to horticulture. It is because of these great city workers that LSPR is able to provide a vast array of services for the Lee's Summit community.

LSPR develops neighborhood parks with playgrounds, walking trails, benches, and shelters. Each of these projects are planned, constructed, and continually maintained by LSPR staff. It is the LSPR that is responsible for placing the holiday lights in downtown Lee's Summit at Christmas time and for planting flowers in beds throughout the city in the spring. The Lee's Summit Pool is also maintained by LSPR.

LSPR provides instructional and athletic programs for all ages and even some for your furry friends. Some of LSPR's offerings include; basketball, volleyball, softball, dog obedience, horsemanship, self-defense, aquatics, and itty bitty activities. They offer a summer, holiday, and spring break day camp for kids ages 5 - 11.

LSPR also plays host to several family focused events throughout the year. There are free music festivals downtown, pool parties in the summer, a Family Adventure Night in the winter, as well as "Legacy Blast," the annual Fourth of July fireworks show that takes place in Legacy Park.

LSPR also designed, constructed, and currently maintains and operates The Legacy Park Community Center. This 58,000-square-foot facility is open seven days a week and offers nearly 80 group exercise classes each week. Some of the most popular class offerings include; Bootcamp, Aqua fit, SET, Turbokick, and Function Fitness. One of the newest features of the Community Center is Legacy Massage. Patrons can schedule an appointment and choose from a menu of over 15 different massages. The Legacy Park Community Center also provides a community room for meetings, events, wedding receptions, birthdays, and other celebrations.

The Future: Lee's Summit citizens can look forward to LSPR continuing its partnership with the R-7 school district and city departments, continuing to grow and develop the community's resources. Some of the projects that LSPR is currently developing are; the new Senior Center, Harris Park (Family Aquatic Center & Lee's Summit Recreation Center Renovation), Legacy Park Phase IV (playgrounds, shelters, trails, and amphitheater), Eagle Creek Park, Pottberg Park, and McKee Park Streamway Trail.

Tom Lovell, Parks and Recreation Administrator says, "One of the most rewarding parts of my job is attending an ongoing program and seeing a patron enjoying something that we've provided." Lovell maintains that the most fulfilling moments of his career have been seeing the dreams of the visionary task force, specifically Legacy Park, the Family Aquatics Center, and the Senior Center, become a reality.