Kansas City Parks and Recreation and the Roanoke Park Conservancy cut the ribbon Friday on a reimagined South Meadow at Roanoke Park, unveiling a new hill slide, a water play feature, buff-colored concrete erosion-control paths, a restored water fountain, entry columns, and a bat-friendly cave gate. The ceremony capped years of design and construction work in the Midtown green space and came just ahead of the city's annual Ghouls Night Out Halloween festival at the park.
KCTV reported on the ribbon-cutting for the completed improvements. The Roanoke Park Conservancy describes the South Meadow project as PIAC-funded. The original design-build agreement was valued at $759,800, and a Board resolution extended the contract deadline to Aug. 31, 2026.
How the Project Got Funded
The South Meadow project was PIAC-funded, and improvement requests align with the park's 2011 Master Plan. In October, the Conservancy announced the start of demolition and reconstruction on Roanoke's basketball half-court, fulfilling a 2024 PIAC request, with court demolition and concrete prep already underway earlier in the month.
A Landscape Shaped by Limestone Bluffs
Roanoke Park spans 38 acres in Midtown, with bluffs and spring water.
The park carries other markers of its early-20th-century history. Its tennis courts seem to date to 1908; a 1909 newspaper reported a women's tennis tournament there, the Roanoke Park Conservancy notes. In 2026, parks staff advised that the courts needed rebuilding, and the Conservancy said it would seek future PIAC funding.
Protecting Roanoke's Bats
The ribbon-cutting's most unusual addition may be the new cave gate, which supports bat habitat and received grant funding from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The Park's Role in the Neighborhood
The Westport-Roanoke Community Center is adjacent to the park. Ghouls Night Out, the seasonal community festival, followed Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. With the South Meadow finished and the basketball half-court demolition already underway, Roanoke Park's multi-year renovation push shows no signs of slowing down.
