Joplin City Council prepared to move full speed ahead on plans for veterans' park

Even as the battle to save Memorial Hall continues, Joplin City Council appears ready to move full speed ahead on its plans for what to do after the historic building falls victim to the wrecking ball.

During Monday night's 6 p.m. council meeting, members will be asked to approve a contract with an architectural firm to design the veterans park that has been suggested as a replacement for Memorial Hall.

After receiving proposals from 10 firms and interviewing five, city officials are recommending a contract with Garver LLC for $149,481 to provide "designs, plans, specifications and construction administration services."

According to the information city staff provided to the council, the plans for the park will incorporate some of the history of Memorial Hall "if possible."

In June of 2024, the Joplin City Council recommended the building be demolished and the site be developed as the Joplin Veteran’s Memorial Park. Given its history, the building holds significant war memorials and related artifacts to be preserved and incorporated into the future park. The building itself is a memorial and we expect some architectural design features may be retained or incorporated into the design and future park if possible. Strategies and methods for educating on and incorporating the history and significance of the site should be included in this design.

During the same meeting in which the architectural contract is expected to be approved on first reading, the council will hear more about Memorial Hall from Jill Halbach and Luke Gibson during the citizen presentation time.