Sperreng Middle School students are offering plans for redevelopment of Fenton's Olde Towne area.

In turn, the seventh graders are finding out tough it can be to run a city government.

Twelve-year-old Katie Kehlenbrink said, "It sure takes a long time to get something done in a city."

She and classmate Megan Bradford are working together on a development plan for a Family Entertainment area in Fenton. Their plan includes such things as a performing arts theater for live plays for kids as well as a water park.

Twelve-year-old Megan said city planning is difficult because "you have to know where the money is coming from." Also, she said it takes lots of time to get different groups to agree on a plan.

But, thirteen-year-old Christopher O'Keefe said he and partner Devin Scott are including all sorts of things they like to do. "We don't have to deal with the money issues," he said.

Devin has included some things that he's seen in other parts of the country. "We want to include a go-cart track. I saw one in Wisconsin which was 8-stories high," he said.

He admits that the Fenton development might not be able to support something that big. But, he said, "I can be pretty conservative about money if I have to."

He'd also like a roller coaster like at Six Flags but said he's sure it would have to be smaller. "Those rides at Six Flags take up a lot of room," Devin said.

Seventh graders in teacher Colleen Stein's classes have been working on the Fenton project since the start of the semester. They're expecting to make their reports to city officials later in May.

Their work on the Fenton is part of the Citizenship Education Clearing House's city government program. CECH is at University of Missouri-St. Louis' College of Education. (For another CECH story click here for a Hazelwood story in the March, 2001, edition.)

Earlier this semester, Fenton city officials came to Sperreng School to explain the development project. City officials have been working on it for eight years already.

The problem is that much of Fenton's new commercial development is away from the Meramec River, where Olde Towne is located. For instance, two huge new shopping centers are located on bluffs overlooking the older parts of the city.

Fenton wants to develop three new areas in Olde Towne. The Sperreng kids are working primarily on the proposed Family Entertainment area. But, there's to be a Historic area as well as a Marina.

The Historic and Marina areas are along the Meramec River.

In March, the kids took a field trip to Fenton to actually see the area to be redeveloped.

Katie Kehlenbrink liked the idea for the Historic area. "I think it's pretty neat what they've done with renovation of the Navajo Hotel and the old ice house," she said. "I like it when they renovate things instead of tearing them down," she added.

But, Megan Bradford is pretty sure she wouldn't want to live in those olden days.

"It's neat to know how people did things in the past," she said. She mentioned washing clothes and making clothes by hand. "That would be too hard for me," Megan said.

Devin Scott liked the chance to tour the Navajo Hotel. That pioneer hotel has been updated but with some of the early features still there. One thing he noted were the ropes in each room which were used in early days as fire escapes if there was a fire.

None of the four kids showed much interest in going into city government after they finished school. But, Megan said, "I think I'd be pretty good at city planning."

The kids asked city officials when the redevelopment might be completed. Jim Curran is the city's coordinator of economic development.

Curran said, "Nothing happens until the money comes forward." He outlined several places the city is looking for development money. But, he also emphasized the businesses established in the new areas have to make money to keep the areas going.

He urged the kids to include things in their entertainment plans that "you would support, that your family would support and that your neighbors would support."