By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Forest Park Forever has approved a new strategic plan that directs the private group's energy toward maintaining the park it helped renovate.
The group approved the new strategic plan on Monday. It will focus on, among other things, finding a sustainable source of funding to maintain the 1300 acre park, which costs about $15 million to run. The city and Forest Park Forever raise about $10 million a year.
"People are staying close to home," said Forest Park Forever interim executive director Lucie Springmeyer. "They're looking for that entertainment, that beautiful safe place to play and learn, and we know that in order to continue to provide that we need to seek multiple funding sources."
Springmeyer says the city has indicated it may be willing to provide additional financing. And she says donors who contributed to the restoration have also contributed to annual fundraising.