Parkville's leaders, residents taking precautions in case of flooding

Parkville’s city leaders, business owners and residents are taking the necessary precautions in case the Missouri River floods this weekend.

The Missouri River level at Parkville on Friday was just under 23 feet , which did not indicate flooding conditions. The level, however, was largely due to water and debris flowing in from Iowa.

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With more rain in the forecast, city leaders says they are not taking any chances with preparation.

“We’re erring on the side of caution, we’re getting everybody prepared, we kind of feel like we know what the possibilities are as far as maybe it won’t flood, maybe it’ll flood a little, maybe we’ll get the whole park underwater,” said Parkville Mayor Dean Katerndahl. “But we’re prepared for all those situations.”

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He says preventative measures include closing English and Platte Landing parks on Sunday and not reopen the parks until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Reopening the parks will depend on how high waters get.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the Missouri River in Parkvile could crest at 27 feet or higher within the next few days.

But Parkville’s no stranger to flooding or high waters.

Back in 2019, the city saw record flooding.

Mark Bentley had been operating Bentley’s Guitar Studio on Main Street in Parkville for only a year at that point.

“We made preparations to evacuate all of our inventory, kind of store all of our furniture up on the second floor and find some other premises to teach our lessons on,” Bentley said.

It’s proximity to the riverfront parks and downtown area is typically a pro, Bentley says. However, the few cons become apparent during rainy weather.

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“If it were to overcome the railroad tracks, it would be a sudden deluge of water here,” Bentley said.

Jennifer Williams is no stranger to flooding in the area either.

She was born and raised in Parkville, so she and her family have a lot of fond memories of the river. Memories that have somewhat been polluted.

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“It's our home and it's terrible to see all this trash in it. And it's our drinking water,” Williams said. “We get concerned if we're going to lose our fresh water, and of course, houses along it. But along here, there's not a lot of houses that are affected by it; more so the businesses.”

As far as the Fourth of July goes, the mayor says the parade is still on.

“If the parks close, which is likely, we still can shoot the fireworks off, but there won't be as many places for people, they won't be able to watch from the park, they'll have to be up in the parking area and the downtown area,” Katerndahl said.

That’s where Bentley’s used to watching from. As for Williams, she won’t be by the river like normal, but she’s hoping some tradition lasts.

“Hopefully we can still have the display because it really is a good display that everybody should be able to enjoy,” Williams said.