Veterans Home Care Funding in Florissant, MO

From a brand partner: A fresh season brings new reasons to get outside and discover what our community has to offer.

Spring is here — and it’s the perfect time to get out, explore and reconnect with your community. Across Florissant, seasonal events, outdoor spots and local favorites offer plenty of ways to enjoy the energy of a new season.

To help you get started, we’ve rounded up some great ways to make the most of spring around Florissant. Before heading out, check with each location directly for current hours, availability and any ticketing or reservation details.

1. St. Ferdinand Park???? 25 St Ferdinand Park Dr., Florissant, MO 63031St. Ferdinand Park covers 64 acres in Florissant and features a fishing lake with lighted fountains, a one-mile walking path that circles the lake, and a parking area. The park is great for outings, with four playgrounds, the community's Korean War Memorial, and pickleball and tennis courts.

2. Florissant Golf Club???? 50 Country Club Ln, Florissant, MO 63033The Florissant Golf Club offers a challenging 18-hole par 72 layout with rolling hills and undulating greens, featuring an expansive clubhouse and a pro shop to accommodate players of all skill levels throughout the spring season.

3. James J. Eagan Center???? 1 James J Eagan Dr., Florissant, MO 63033The James J. Eagan Center, located next to Florissant Valley Park, is a community hub with an indoor pool, outdoor ice rink, and updated fitness center. It also includes the Florissant Performing Arts Center and offers spring classes like water aerobics and yoga.

4. Bangert Park???? 275 S New Florissant Rd., Florissant, MO 63031This community hot spot offers a variety of outdoor activities, including a pool, a sand volleyball court, and a playground, while also serving as the home of the Florissant Veterans Memorial.

5. Old St. Ferdinand Shrine???? 1 Rue St. Francois St., Florissant, MO 63031As the oldest church building west of the Mississippi, this site offers a rare look at Missouri’s frontier days and the life of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, who once lived and taught within its 200-year-old walls. Visitors are drawn to its peaceful atmosphere and one-of-a-kind artifacts, including a rare relic of St. Valentine and an extensive, quirky collection of historic nun dolls.

6. Sunset Park???? 2300 Sunset Park Dr., Florissant, MO 63031This riverside escape offers a scenic 3.9-mile trail where you can wander down to the Missouri River banks and possibly see bald eagles soaring above. It’s a peaceful spot to soak up the first signs of spring, whether you’re exploring the open fields or just enjoying the view from the nature lodge.

7. Little Creek???? 2295 Dunn Rd., Florissant, MO 63033Little Creek Nature Area is a 97-acre sanctuary owned by the school district that offers wildlife exploration and farm education. It is a great destination for families hoping to spot the first signs of spring along quiet woodland trails.

8. Manion Park???? 15 Manion Park Dr., Florissant, MO 63031Perfect for a spring afternoon, Manion Park is a charming seven-acre destination featuring a peaceful garden-like atmosphere and a unique playground with colorful, interactive structures shaped like giant flower petals.

Here’s to getting outside, exploring local spots and making the most of the season around Florissant!

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ST. LOUIS—The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday that it plans to begin work to demolish six homes in a Florissant, Mo. neighborhood due to radioactive contamination connected to Coldwater Creek.

The Corps says it will start the demolition on Monday in the Cades Cove area. Officials say it is a "critical step" in ongoing efforts to remediate the area.

The Army Corps says demolition is needed to safely reach and remove contaminated soils beneath the foundations. Demolition will be done one home at a time, with all of them down within a month. Work to excavate the properties and remove the soil should be done within a year.

Parts of the creek have been contaminated for decades because of Manhattan Project-era nuclear waste that seeped into the waterway.

The Army Corps of Engineers has been sampling and investigating the area between the creek and the Cades Cove subdivision for years. In 2024, the Army Corps of Engineers began sampling in the subdivision itself. Contracted demolition workers appeared to be working in the neighborhood on Friday.

One nearby resident who declined an interview said the neighborhood has known demolition for those homes was coming for as long as a year, but still acknowledged the news was "scary." Another resident who also declined an interview praised the Army Corps of Engineers for its communication, and believed officials who told them that the contamination did not impact their homes.

"We understand the disruption this work causes for the homeowners and community, and we deeply empathize with the challenges they face. We are dedicated to completing this work as safely and efficiently as possible, so that the community can move forward and thrive in a clean and safe environment," said Col. Andy Pannier, commander of the St. Louis District for the Army Corps of Engineers, in a statement.

At an afternoon news conference, local elected officials and advcocates said they would closely monitor the demolition process and would call for transparency when it comes to the work starting Monday through to remediation.

"We must acknowledge the very real impact this has on residents, the displacements and the disruption and emotional weight of losing a home that represented safety family and stability," said Dr. Chantelle Jones, Co-Chair of the North St. Louis County Community Advisory Group.

"I am hopeful that the Army Corps will continue to show empathy for the residents not only that have lost their homes but for the residents in that neighborhood. These are not warehouses or abandoned homes that are being torn down. These are homes that parents brought their children home to that they've lived in, that they've built on their own with their own hands sometimes, watching the dirt fly," said Karen Nickel, co-founder of JustMoms STL, an organization that has advocated for victims of nuclear radiation. "There is PTSD for some of the family members that have to leave their homes, for their neighbors who have to watch their neighbhors leave their homes. They are family and this is devastating."

The full remediation of Coldwater Creek is expected to last into the late 2030s.

• Scope of Work: The six homes will be demolished one at a time, with demolition expected to

take approximately one month. Following demolition, full remediation of the site, including the

excavation and removal of contaminated soil, will take less than one year to complete.

• Health and Safety Measures: During demolition and remediation, strict controls will be in

place to prevent the spread of contamination. Air monitoring will occur continuously, and dust

will be controlled with water misting. The site will be fenced off to limit access, ensuring the

safety of both workers and the public.

• Traffic: No road closures are anticipated. Some temporary traffic control measures may be

implemented, but no delays for traffic are expected.

• Return of Land to Homeowners: Once remediation is complete, the land will be restored to a

condition that meets the highest safety standards and returned to the homeowners.

Karen Nickel told 5 On Your Side about a conversation with a homeowner: “When asked if she left anything inside the home, she said, ‘My heart.’”

FLORISSANT, Mo. — On Monday morning, the first home was officially demolished in the Cades Cove neighborhood in north St. Louis County.

Six homes will be torn down to remove the radioactive waste underneath.

This is all happening on Cades Cove Drive in Florissant. It's a neighborhood sitting near Coldwater Creek.

The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, or FUSRAP, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for the cleanup. FUSRAP handles contamination cleanup from the nation’s early atomic energy program.

The USACE has stated this demolition is a first in the nation, marking the first time residential properties are removed under the FUSRAP program.

As an excavator clawed at her home, a homeowner watched 28 years of memories disappear in less than an hour.

She stood side by side the advocacy group Just Moms STL.

Just Moms cofounder Karen Nickel wanted to provide support for families.

Nickel told 5 On Your Side, “When asked if she left anything inside the home, she said, ‘My heart.’”

All six families have been officially relocated for several months. The USACE said families worked with their real estate team.

"We worked with each one of the families, one on one, to relocate them to a comparable home," said US Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District Deputy Commander Lt. Cl. Andrew James. "I can't go into the specifics of each one of the negotiations and where they ended up out of respect for the privacy of those homeowners."

Explanation behind removal

James explained that the Cades Cove subdivision was built on top of a meander.

It's a meander of Coldwater Creek, which is contaminated with radioactive waste. That's because St. Louis was behind the uranium processing for the atomic bomb.

Decades ago, the radioactive waste was improperly stored, eventually making its way into the creek.

"(The radioactive waste) is so close to their foundations, I mean the, the process is going to cause damage to the homes and so the only way to safely do this is to demo the homes," shared James.

Air monitoring is promised during this process, as crews dig below the surface, from two and a half feet to 17 feet.

The Army Corps of Engineers provided the following details about the demolition and remediation efforts:

Phil Moser, Chief of the FUSRAP Environmental Branch of the St. Louis District, US Army Corps of Engineers, said, "The safety measures that we take as far as sufficiently wetting the area, making sure that there is no airborne contamination coming up, they will not be wearing masks or breathing apparatus because of the levels of contamination do not sufficiently rise to that level."

He noted crews will be wearing protective clothing on their hands and feet. At times, they’ll be in full suits while digging.

"The demolition of the homes requires no protective gear for contamination. The contamination is subsurface and when the crews go in and actually do remediation, then they'll take the appropriate precautions associated with that," added Moser.

5 On Your Side learned there were delays to the start of this demolition process due to the demolition permitting process. Contractors had to disconnect utilities at all the homes before permits could be applied for. There was also waiting for approvals.

Efforts focused on Cades Cove began in 2018, which ended up in the removal of homes in February 2026.

What's next

5 On Your Side reporter Justina Coronel asked Moser whether they suspect other neighborhoods could be impacted in a similar way

Moser answered, "No other data suggests there's another Cades Cove."

The six families have already been relocated, but it's clear their hearts are with their Cades Cove homes.

Nickel shared, "This might be the first step to making north county whole again, but man have we paid the price... have these individuals here paid the price."

From demolition to remediation, the project is expected to wrap up by this fall.

Throughout this process, homeowners will remain owners of the property. From there, the property will be returned to the homeowners.

The radioactive waste will be shipped to a disposal site in Utah.

5 On Your Side confirmed with the USACE that clean up for Coldwater Creek is still expected to be done by 2038.

The Army Corps of Engineers is tearing down the first of six houses built over contaminated soil from World War II-era nuclear program

FLORISSANT, Mo. (First Alert 4) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began the demolition of homes in Florissant on Monday after radioactive waste was found in the homes’ yards.

The first house on Cades Cove, north of Interstate 270 and North Lindbergh, was demolished in less than an hour. Five more homes are scheduled for demolition this week at a rate of one per day.

Contamination discovered in residential yards

Soil samples found the presence of Manhattan Project radioactive waste in the yards of six houses. The contamination extends 2.5 to 17 feet deep in areas where homes were built on what had been a curve in Coldwater Creek.

“This is one of the first times that we actually had to remove residential structures to complete the remediation,” said Lt. Col. Andrew James with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Corps has been cleaning up Manhattan Project contamination in the region since 1997.

Homeowners forced to relocate

The Corps bought out the homes and residents were forced to move. After contamination removal is complete, which is expected to take nearly a year, the lots will be returned to the homeowners.

One homeowner, who asked not to be identified, but whose initials are B.S.M., watched as the house where he and his family lived for 28 years was reduced to rubble.

“28 years of my kids’ memories, Christmases. It’s hard,” he said.

The homeowner said he was frustrated that officials hadn’t told him his house would have to be bought out till after he recently spent $70,000 renovating the house following hail and tornado damage.

“I don’t believe they were very transparent as to what and how they were handling it,” he said.

Contamination levels and safety

Phil Moser with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the contamination didn’t pose a risk to the residents in the homes but was above the threshold that requires removal.

“We could not safely remediate and remove all the contamination that we needed to without the homes being out of the way,” Moser said.

The Corps took soil samples throughout the neighborhood and found contamination in other yards, but engineers said those levels were not high enough to require removal.

The radioactive waste originated from the Manhattan Project and leaked into Coldwater Creek decades ago due to improper storage.

Ann Havens, who lives in the neighborhood and knows the homeowners, said the situation has been difficult for the close-knit community.

“It’s heart wrenching because I feel their pain. We’re a close knit neighborhood. And I feel their pain,” Havens said.