The Park Board of Lebanon, Missouri, approved nearly $400,000 in funding for a Route 66-themed area in Boswell Park after about an hour of debate, according to the print edition of the Lebanon Daily Record.
That was about $100,000 less than a previous proposal floated about a month ago.
About $323,000 of the funds will come from the sale of the Nelson Education Center as part of an agreement to use a part of the funds for the park, plus another $75,000 in donations.
Bruce Owen, an heir to the family that donated Nelson Park to the city, made an impassioned speech for funding the Route 66 portion of the park.
“I don’t think we’re asking too much for this Route 66 (park). … If it weren’t for Route 66, and part of my family brought Route 66 here, we wouldn’t be here today. If it’s not worth that much to build the park, then something’s wrong,” Owen said to the applause of Route 66 enthusiasts in attendance at the meeting.
The newspaper also had some details about the park:
Along with a new walking trail that will be peppered with Route 66 informational signs and kiosks that will give people historical information, there will be reproduction of Dream Village’s famous Route 66 fountain and three murals.
The Nelson Dream Village was built in 1931 along Route 66 in Lebanon. It featured a large fountain with 12 cabins made of native stone surrounding it. The motel closed not long after the town was bypassed by Interstate 44.
Other parts of the park also will see infrastructure improvements.
(Postcard image of Nelson Dream Village’s fountain courtesy of 66Postcards.com)