A segment of the Barry County Courthouse square in Cassville will soon receive new life.

The Hall Theatre, which was destroyed by a fire in 2022, was demolished in the spring of 2024 and has been sitting vacant ever since. Tied up in debts, the property was ultimately auctioned off in August to the city of Cassville for $3,000 — and 66 times that amount ($200,000) has been set aside in 2026 to create a pocket park at the location on the corner of Eighth and West streets.

A 10-person community committee was formed shortly after the city obtained the property, tasked with determining its future.

The list of ideas for the property included a variety of suggestions, including: a food truck court, parking, a new city hall, a pavilion, a splash park, a garden area, a pocket park, a parking garage or a new commercial building the city would erect and potentially sell.

Ultimately, the pocket park was the committee’s fancy, complete with bathrooms, benches, a small play area, two murals a pavilion and some planter box shrubbery. A design released at the December City Council meeting looks sharp, and for the last three-and-a-half years, some kind of park in that location has been a frequent suggestion by local residents.

We ran the story on the plan last week, and if one thing is certain, opinions about the decision vary. While no one is outright saying a pocket park is the wrong plan, many have expressed wishes on social media they had hoped for something different.

One of the biggest requests has always been parking. Back in 2022, when Steve Walensky was city administrator and Bill Shiveley was the mayor, that was the no-brainer answer. Parking on the square is an enigma, after all. Some days, and some hours, parking on the square is not an issue at all. 

Other times — like next week when property taxes are due, for example — there may not be a parking space to be had for hours.

While spots touching the courthouse lawn may be rare at times, side-street parking, the Family Life Center parking lot and even the First United Methodist Church parking lot are all within a two-block walk if absolutely necessary. Many have asked where the pocket park users would park. That answer is in this paragraph.

When Richard Asbill began his role city administrator in July 2024, it was only a few months later I finally queried him off the record what direction the city thought it would go. Parking, he said, would add 11 spots at best, and the general wisdom was that the city could do something more interactive than just adding parking.

As the owner of a business adjacent to the square and seeing the parking options literally daily, I agreed. There were definitely better options than just parking.

Over the last few years, whenever someone asked me what the city was going to do, I told them the current plan as I knew it, but I also always asked back, “What do you think should be there?”

Parking and pocket park were the top two responses. The third most popular response was to build a dog park. Having covered so many stray or loose dog-related issues in the city over the last decade — and seen how as far back as the 1970s the same issues have persisted — combined with the fact it would only serve people within walking distance or who would bring their dogs by vehicle, I’m not convinced a dog park would, one, be frequently used, and two, not result in frequent calls to Cassville police when strays or loose dogs happen by and want to join the party. Even the turf planned for the pocket park could be damaged by loose animals, which is something the committee might consider going forward.

Beyond the top three most-suggested ideas, another frequent fancy was a splash pad or water play area. On top of the expense to the city, such a feature would only be available in certain seasons, limiting the amount of time it would actually be used.

With the pocket park plan moving forward, one local resident suggested replacing one of the murals with a white wall to be able to project family friendly movies. I love that idea, and maybe the committee could consider finding a space on one of the walls, maybe near the pavilion if they don’t want to replace a mural, to include an “all-weather screen” of white paint.

Ultimately, I think the pocket park plan is sound, and from the ashes of the theatre will rise a property people can frequently, and finally, use through all seasons.

One of the biggest items remaining is what it will be called. Two suggestions on social media stood out to me: Glen Hall Memorial Park, or Nadean Davis Memorial Park. The former would continue the Glen Hall legacy, but the latter would start a new legacy for a resident who truly loved the city of Cassville.

Maybe it could be combined as Davis-Hall Memorial Park?

Whatever the future is, I’m excited to see it come to fruition and there be a place on the square for any and all to enjoy.

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He is a three-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or [email protected].