About Clary-Shy Community Park
Clary-Shy Community Park is home to the ARC (Activity & Recreation Center), the MU Health Care Pavilion utilized by the Columbia Farmers Market – a seasonal fresh produce market that serves the community. The park also has a playground and soccer practice fields. Additional improvements to the park are underway. For more information on the park development plans, see Capital Improvement Project: Clary-Shy Community Park Improvements.
- Acres: 20 acres
- Park Hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Map of Clary-Shy Community Parkopens PDF file
Park amenities
Activity areas
- Playground
Fields – practice
- Soccer
School 400m tracks / trails
Activity & Recreation Center (ARC)
MU Health Care pavilion
- opens in a new windowColumbia Farmers Market (in season – in cooperation with the City of Columbia)
- MU Health Care Pavilion information
Park history
1948-1994
Boone County Fairgrounds, Shy Donation – This 20-acre piece of land and the adjacent 20-acre West Boulevard School grounds were formerly the Boone County Fairgrounds. Annual fairs were held at this site from 1948 through 1991. The Boone County Fair Board then traded the fairgrounds at Clinkscales and Ash Street for 226 acres known as the Cotton Woods Airport. In 1994 Ron and Vicki Shy donated 20 acres to the City of Columbia for recreation use.
1998-2002
Activity and Recreation Center (ARC), Ice Skating RFP – Efforts to develop a recreation center in Columbia began in 1998 with Mayor Darwin Hindman’s appointment of a 37 member Mayor’s Recreation Center Citizen’s Committee. Citizens passed a 1/4-cent sales tax to raise $10.5 million for the recreation center in a November 1999 ballot. Construction on the ARC begain in spring of 2001. The facility was dedicated on December 15, 2002 (see ARC Dedication Programopens PDF file ) and was opened for public use on December 16, 2001.
In 2000, the City of Columbia sent out requests for proposals for the construction, operation, and maintenance of an ice skating facility on this site. No acceptable proposals were received. In 2001, Sustainable Farms & Communities, Inc. had plans drawn up for a Farmers Market Community Center for proposed construction on the Ash and Clinksales site.
2005
Park Sales Tax Ballot – In November 2005, a ballot proposal was put before the voters to extend the Park Sales Tax for two years to fund a multi-use recreation facility that would house an indoor ice rink, covered farmers market, and indoor sports complex. The ballot issue was defeated. (See 2005 Park Sales Tax Ballot.)
2006-2008
In 2006, the Columbia Youth Basketball Association (CYBA) approached the City with a proposal to raise the necessary funds to construct a 61,000 sq. ft. youth sports facility to be located on the Ash and Clinkscales property. Upon completion of the building, it would be turned over to the Parks and Recreation Department for operation and programming. The proposed building would include eight indoor basketball courts. The proposal went before the City Council for consideration.
After reviewing the proposal, the City Council directed the Department to contact other organizations which had expressed interest in the potential development of the Ash and Clinkscales site and allow 30 days for those entities to provide updated information as to the status of their project and/or proposals. The department was also directed to advertise to the public soliciting statements of interest for use of the property. Agencies were contacted by the department and a request for statements of interest was advertised. Four groups submitted proposals: Boone Ice Group (BIG), Columbia Farmers Market (DFM), Columbia Youth Basketball Association (CYBA), and Positive Regional Impact Development Enterprise (PRIDE).
After the proposals were reviewed and a public hearing at the Park and Recreation Commission meeting was held, the Parks and Recreation Department and Commission recommended the CYBA/Rising Stars and the Farmers Market facilities for the site. The City Council held public hearings on the subject and ultimately approved a Memorandum of Understanding for both of the recommended organizations.
The original Memorandum of Understanding with Sustainable Farms and Communities granted two years to raise $900,000 for the construction of a permanent facility to house the Farmers Market. The funds would be given to the City to administer the construction of the facility. The City would be owner and operator of the facility with an agreement in place outlining Sustainable Farms’ cooperative use of the facility. At the March 17, 2008 Council meeting, the Market requested that the City provide an option to extend the lease to a total of seven years in order to qualify for Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The tax credits are essential for organizations attempting to raise funds. In order to qualify for the tax credits, the Farmers Market had to be the owner for five years after the tax credits expire. If the tax credits are not used, the original agreement remains in effect. At the April 21, 2008 meeting the Council approved an ordinance granting the extension of the lease.
Similarly, a Memorandum of Understanding gave the Columbia Youth Basketball Association (CYBA) two years to raise $4 million to fund the construction of an indoor multi-court, multi-use recreation facility. The funds would be given to the City to administer the construction of the facility. The City would be owner and operator of the facility with an agreement in place outlining CYBA’s cooperative use of the facility. CYBA commissioned a feasibility study that unfortunately indicated they would not be able to raise the required funds considering the current economic climate. Consequently, in a letter dated September 8, 2008 to City of Columbia Officials, CYBA officially terminated the Memorandum of Understanding.
Timeline 2006-2008
The following outlines the timeline for the Ash and Clinkscales property use issue from 2006-2008:
The following outlines the timeline for the Ash and Clinkscales property use issue:
- 04/17/06 Pre-Council Meetingopens PDF file – CYBA presented their proposal to the City Council.
- 05/15/06 Council Meetingopens PDF file – CYBA proposal went before the City Council. Parks and Recreation staff was directed to seek statements of interest for use of the property from other interested groups.
- 05/24/06 – Publicly advertised request for statements of interest for use of the Ash and Clinkscales property.
- 06/23/06 – Deadline to submit a statement of interest. Statements of interest were submitted by
- Boone Ice Group (BIG)
- Columbia Farmers Market (CFM)
- Columbia Youth Basketball Association (CYBA)
- Positive Regional Impact Diversified Enterprise (PRIDE)
- 07/03/06 Council Meetingopens PDF file – PRIDE group schedules a public comment to promote their proposal for the Ash and Clinkscales property use. The Parks & Recreation Department submitted a report to the Council regarding the statements of interest submittals.
- 07/17/06 Council Meetingopens PDF file – The City Council referred the issue to the Parks and Recreation Commission for a public hearing.
- 08/17/06 P&R Commission Meetingopens PDF file – Public hearing was held.
- 09/21/06 P&R Commission Meetingopens PDF file – Commission recommended to the City Council the CYBA – Rising Stars facility and the Farmers Market facility for the site.
- 10/16/06 Council Meetingopens PDF file – City Council accepted the Commission’s report and decided to schedule the item for a work session.
- 12/04/06 Pre-Council Meeting Work Sessionopens PDF file – Council directed the Parks and Recreation staff to review alternative locations for an ice rink and set a public hearing on the Parks and Recreation Department’s recommendation for the site.
- 12/18/06 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Council passed resolution to set a public hearing.
- 01/16/07 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Held public hearing. Council directed Parks and Recreation staff to prepare Memorandums of Understanding with CYBA and the Farmers’ Market for use of the property.
- 3-19-07 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Staff submitted a report with a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the CYBA. Council directed staff to prepare a resolution authorizing the MOU.
- 04-02-07 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Council adopted resolution authorizing the MOU with CYBA.
- 05-21-07 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Staff submitted a report with a proposed MOU with Sustainable Farms and Communities (Columbia Farmers Market). Council directed staff to prepare a resolution authrozing the MOU.
- 06-04-07 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Council adopted resolution authorizing the MOU with Sustainable Farms and Communities.
- 03-17-08 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Sustainable Farms and Communities requests a 7-year lease extension
- 04-21-08 Council Meetingopens PDF file – Council approves ordinance granting the lease extention for Sustainable Farms and Communities.
- 09-08-08 – By letter, CYBA officially terminates their MOU.
2010
Official Park Name – On May 7, 2010 the City Council approved Clary-Shy Community Park as the official park name. (See related Council item.)
Park dedication
- Date: July 13, 2019
- Agriculture Park Dedication Programopens PDF file