MOSCOW MILLS – Board members are set to be confirmed later this month for a new nonprofit organization to take the lead in funding a park for Moscow Mills, according to city park board chair James Dye.

Forming a nonprofit will allow the park to be funded through donations instead of tax dollars, Dye said.

“My goal once I became chairman of the park board was to provide an opportunity for the town to acquire a park tax-free,” he said. “That’s always been the goal, tax-free. In order to do that, we had to separate from the local government.”

The names and roles of the board members won’t be disclosed till after the members are seated on the Oct. 23, according to Dye. There’s also paperwork to be approved before the group is officially designated as a nonprofit and can collect donations.

Dye said the group plans to be able to start fundraising at the beginning of 2026. Donations made will be tax-deductible and may come from grants, businesses, and the general public.

The nonprofit will need to raise roughly $150,000-$200,000 before the first stage of construction can begin, Dye estimated. He said the whole park could cost an estimated $700,000-$1.5 million total to build.

He said he is unsure of when construction might begin.

“We’ll have a better idea of specific timeframes February or March of next year,” he said. “We’re moving forward. It’s slow, but we’re moving forward.”

The park is set to be built at 500 Hwy MM in Moscow Mills, where there are 36 acres of city-owned land. The proposed park is expected to occupy four of these acres, with the potential of developing more of the land into the future.

The satellite city hall and public works supervisor office are housed on the property, but park construction is not expected to affect those things, according to city officials.

The city will assign the land to the nonprofit for the construction phase of the park, Dye said. Once construction is complete, the land will revert back to the city, and the nonprofit will disband.

Park plans for the first phase of construction include amenities such as a playground and walking path. Later phases include plans for pavilions, a basketball court, a community garden and potentially an entertainment stage.

“I hope that first and foremost it’s a central point for gathering for the community, bringing everybody together within Moscow Mills,” Dye said.

With more than 4,000 residents, Moscow Mills is the fastest-growing municipality in Lincoln County, according to Mayor Lisa Meyer. She established the park board after taking office.

“St. Charles has great parks, Lincoln County has great parks, Troy has great parks. We just don’t,” she said. “We really just need one that’s easily accessible, that everybody can get to, and somewhere within the city.”

While there is the Mill Site Park on E. Front Street along the river, Meyer described it as small and inaccessible. She said the 500 Hwy MM location, however, is a perfect place for the proposed park.

“We’ve got a lot of potential. Just the idea that people know that they’re getting a park, even though they know it’s not happening tomorrow, they’re still excited,” she said. “It’s very community-oriented.”

Dye also encourages community members to become involved in the park-planning process.

Volunteers can join one of the committees he said the group plans to form between now and when fundraising starts – for example, an event committee or grant proposal writing committee. While the group is focused on Moscow Mills, Dye said volunteers don’t have to be a resident of the city to join.

He also said he welcomes input from the public.

“If anybody has any ideas, bring them to the nonprofit, bring them to the park board, bring them to myself,” he said. “We’re open to it. I mean, if it’s not an egregiously expensive ticket item, it’s definitely something that we’ll look at.”

One of the things the group plans to get input on is the future park’s name. Dye said the nonprofit plans to launch a website once fundraising kicks off. There, members of the public can submit and vote on suggestions for a park name.

“It is our way to involve the community because this is their park,” he said. “This isn’t my park, this isn’t the nonprofit’s park – this is the community’s park.”