Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

HANNIBAL, MO. -- It's a problem not many park districts have, too many parks and not enough names for them.

That's the case in Hannibal and now the Hannibal Parks and Rec. department is asking for the public's help in naming some of the soon to be created parks.

For example, it doesn't look like much right now, but within a few months this area at 9th and Warren Barrett Drive will be one of the newest parks in the city. New, because the parks and rec. department has taken ownership of about 30 properties in the city that were part of the flood buyout program. The properties are both commercial and residential and the plan is coming together to develop the areas.

"We're at the very end of preliminary design right now, we're going to have an open house next Thursday at six p-m in council chambers to look at the overall plan for the commercial sites, the residential sites are still a work in progress internally in the parks department but the commercial sites we have a plan for each one of them," said Parks and Recreation Executive Director Andy Dorian.

The city knows these areas will flood in the future. So that's why they were bought out with federal and state money and turned over to the park district. The rule with buyouts is that no major building can occur on the properties in the future.

"It's not as if but when on the flooding on these pieces of property. So we've taken that into consideration and there's not going to be a lot of structures on the property. It's going to be more passive recreation, nature trails and preserves things like that. It's going to be a really good upgrade for the community. With these new facilities," Dorian said.

Dorian said not every piece of property the parks and rec department takes care of will have a name to it. He said it will primarily be the commercial areas where a business once stood that will eventually get a name.

Dorian also said one of the parks will be named after Jim O'Donnell, the former operator of the O'Donnell Funeral Home.

He was a major supporter of the park district.

Name ideas for the other parks can be submitted by the general public.

Post your suggestions below or on our Facebook page here and we'll make sure your ideas are submitted to the park district.