The Sidewalk Planned Between Sappington House and Spellman Park, and Why Crestwood Neighbors Are Split

Crestwood wants to connect two of its most familiar neighborhood places with five feet of concrete. One is a brick house from 1808 with a restaurant in its barn. The other is a small park whose playground was rebuilt this year. The plan is a sidewalk from Sappington Road to Spellman Park along Rayburn Avenue, Samoa Drive and Tahiti Drive, with new curb ramps and replacement driveways along the way.

The cost comes in three parts. A federal grant covers most of the construction. The city covers the rest. Once the sidewalk is built, the homeowners whose yards it crosses take over shoveling and repairs. That third part has driven most of the debate at City Hall this year.

Two ends of the route, both getting work in 2026

The Sappington Road end starts at the Thomas Sappington House. The Sappington House Foundation calls it the oldest known remaining brick building in St. Louis County. The City of Crestwood bought the property in 1963 and opened it as a historic site three years later. Today the house sits in a 2.5-acre park with period gardens and a small lake. Docent tours run about 40 minutes. The grounds also hold the Library of Americana & Decorative Arts, a research collection you read on site rather than borrow from, and The Loft, a gift shop run by the Foundation that sells local crafts. The Barn, at 1015 Sappington Road, is open from morning into early afternoon every day except Tuesday.

More is coming at that end. The Foundation is rebuilding the 1816 Joseph Sappington Log House. It is in the third and final phase, which includes reassembling the original logs, rebuilding the fireplaces, and preparing the cabin for public use. The Foundation's target is late 2026 to early 2027.

The other end is Spellman Park at 1050 Spellman Ave. The city started tearing out the old playground the week of March 9, 2026. A local park review posted September 27 describes the new one, installed over the summer. It has a larger climber, a toddler playhouse, and baby, sling and adaptive swings. The park also has walking trails, a small pavilion, a pond, and tennis and basketball courts.

So the sidewalk would run between a historic site that is growing and a park that was just rebuilt. The city's planning documents explain why this route came first.

Why this street got picked

The city has explained the choice of route in writing. Here is how its website describes it, as quoted by Call Newspapers in April:

"This project was selected for five-foot sidewalk installation because it connects existing segments of the city's sidewalk network and improves access to key community destinations, including Crestwood Elementary, Spellman Park and the Sappington House. It is also identified as a Priority 1 Safe Routes to School project, located within a half-mile walking radius of Crestwood Elementary."

Most of the cost is covered by the federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), which will repay up to 80% of the project's total cost. East-West Gateway, the regional planning agency that tracks these grants, lists $438,400 in TAP funds for the construction phase of the "Rayburn/Samoa/Tahiti Sidewalk - Sappington Rd to Spellman Park."

Federal money also explains why the Missouri Department of Transportation is involved in a street that has no state highway. MoDOT's guide for local agencies says federally funded projects have to appear in state and regional plans. MoDOT issues a separate notice to proceed for each phase, and the Federal Highway Administration approves the payments. Crestwood has been working through those steps all year. In February, the Board of Aldermen approved hiring Lochmueller Group as the right-of-way consultant for the project.

It isn't the first sidewalk of its kind in town. In 2023, the city worked with the Lindbergh School District on a sidewalk along Westglen and Trelane to help neighborhood children walk to Crestwood Elementary. Crestwood's 2026 Strategic Plan also lists sidewalks under "Safe Connections and Mobility." It sets a goal of adopting a Connectivity & Lighting Policy with priority corridors and building in phases. The plan expects those improvements to start in 2027.

The three-way split

The first two rows come from Call Newspapers' April reporting and East-West Gateway's tracking report. No source we found gives a final dollar figure for the city's share.

The third row is set by city code, and it has no end date. Crestwood requires the owner, agent, occupant or tenant to clear snow, sleet and ice from the sidewalk immediately. Repairs to the sidewalk, curb, gutter and driveway apron are the property owner's job. The city can give an owner 30 days to fix a hazardous sidewalk, and that order can be appealed. If the city does the repair itself, it can bill the cost to the property.

Parking is the other daily change. City code bans parking on a sidewalk. The city's communications manager, AJ McNaughton, said the fine would be no more than $86. He also said residents would not be fined for putting trash bins on the sidewalk on collection day. He pointed to the earlier sidewalks on Westglen and Trelane, which were built right next to the street, where residents set out their bins and don't get cited.

What neighbors have raised at City Hall

The concerns raised so far line up with that third row. The city held an open house on April 14. Jeff Faust, Director of Public Works and Assistant City Administrator, said about 15 households came and called it a "fairly good turnout." He summed up the feedback this way: "some people were in favor, and some were not."

At the Board of Aldermen meeting that night, four residents of Samoa Drive and two from Rayburn Avenue spoke. Most of their concerns were about losing green space, more concrete sending runoff into yards, and one large tree in the sidewalk's path. One resident asked, "Do we really need to reduce green space in this day and age?" and said he wished people on Samoa and Rayburn could vote on the project. Later in the meeting, Ward 3 Alderman Grant Mabie suggested curving the sidewalk around mature trees to save them.

Neighbors raised the issue again at the June 24 meeting. A resident spoke about parking and about who would clear snow from the sidewalk. The code puts the snow-clearing duty on owners, and Call's reporting shows the conversation is still going.

Where the calendar stands this October

Here is the record, in order:

1. February 24, 2026. The Board approves Lochmueller Group as the right-of-way consultant.
2. April 14. Public open house, with comments heard at the Board meeting that evening. At that point, construction was forecast for late 2026 or early 2027.
3. June. Project approvals go to MoDOT.
4. August 31. East-West Gateway's tracking report through that date lists the construction money as an FY2026 extension that has not yet been formally committed, or "obligated."
5. Fall 2026. The city plans to put construction out for bids, aiming to finish in summer 2027.

Call Newspapers' Crestwood news page, with entries through September 29, shows no Samoa sidewalk story newer than the July 8 report. Summer 2027 is still the city's target, not a fixed date. With federal money involved, the work also has to wait for each federal approval step.

Walking the route this holiday season

For now, you can still walk the route the way it is today. The Sappington House calendar gives you a few good reasons this winter. "Scenes from 'A Spirited Holiday Past'" runs Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. "Scenes from 'A Christmas Carol'" is a walking performance through five rooms on December 19 and 20, with tea and scones at The Barn and shopping at The Loft. Regular museum and library tours run Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Foundation's pages give different Saturday hours, so call 314-822-8171 before planning a weekend visit. From there, Spellman Park and its new playground are at the other end of Rayburn, Samoa and Tahiti.

If you own a home on Rayburn, Samoa or Tahiti and want to talk through what a new sidewalk means for your curb appeal, your driveway or a future sale, Amy Prusinowski has worked in South County neighborhoods for nearly 30 years and is happy to walk your street with you. Schedule a free consultation, and bring your questions about the project.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.