A woman approached David Garrett at a Kansas City Chiefs game last month and said, “I think I know you. We went to college together, and I saw your story about your park on channel 41.”
Garrett doesn’t own a park, but his connection to a 10-acre piece of land in North Kansas City, Missouri, goes back more than four decades, even before he attended Baker University with his old friend.
Garrett was 16 when he, at the encouragement of his Scout Master Leland Odell and Assistant Scout Master Jim Rich (who was also an North Kansas City councilman), decided to design a park for his Eagle Scout project. The city accepted his design and approved money for the project. The city council and mayor recognized David with a proclamation honoring him with “David Garrett Day.”
Then, unfortunately, due to budgeting and other projects, nothing happened. The city put the plans on hold — until now.
River Forest Park opened on June 18, 2026, and Garrett’s original plans from 1981 served as the guide. He was honored again, this time at the ribbon cutting ceremony — 45 years after completing his Eagle project.
“I would check in with the city throughout high school, then I graduated and asked about it maybe once a year for a while,” Garrett says. “Then, I gave up. One day, I got a call from the Parks and Recreation director, Victoria Ressler. They dug up my old design. I couldn’t believe they still had it after 40-plus years.”
A Scout in Troop 301, Garrett didn’t have any experience in land development, but he heard the city had purchased a piece of land and wanted to give residents a neighborhood park. That piece of land was just a couple of blocks from his house in the River Forest subdivision. He saw this as an opportunity. With help from parents — his dad had experience drawing site plans for work — Garrett researched the property and developed a concept for what the park could become.
City officials loved his concept, which included a playground, restroom pavilion, nature trails, a native pollinator meadow and access to a natural waterfall. Not only did the initial funding fall through, but two more attempts by North Kansas City to develop the site were unsuccessful.
“Covid-19 really helped get this park built,” Garrett says. “Cities were focused on outdoor areas like parks. Suddenly, this piece of land was a priority again. What’s funny is the cost. Back in 1981, I think the whole project was going to cost — I hope my numbers are correct — about $200,000. By the time it was finished, construction was about $4 million.”
Thanks to grant money, the city of North Kansas City and the Parks and Recreation Department, the vision and dream became a reality.
Garrett, now 61, still lives in the Kansas City area with his wife, Ellen. They raised a daughter, Allison (who is married to Eagle Scout Luke Lanning). Their Eagle Scout son, Jackson, just passed the bar exam to become an attorney. Garrett’s story was featured on KSHB-41, the local NBC affiliate.
“It’s kind of interesting that, after the TV station did that story, people would recognize me around town,” Garrett says. “Locally, I guess I’m known as the park guy. Ha, Ha! I’m just glad that everything was able to be completed and I lived long enough to see the new park.”
Photos: David Garrett
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