New Pattonsburg, Missouri

Before the Great Flood of 1993, Pattonsburg was a classic Midwest farm community of 400, occupying a couple of dozen square blocks in the middle of Missouri’s sprawling countryside. Main Street was lined with aging brick and stone buildings, still neat and proud-looking despite their signs of wear.

The village wasn’t the community it once was — Pattonsburg’s population peaked at more than 1,000 in 1922 — but it still had grit and vitality. Main Street was lined with shops, restaurants, a few taverns. A sign outside the high school boasted of state championships. In addition to two feed mills, the village hosted a major industry — a factory that manufactured baseball caps.

But Pattonsburg was also an unsustainable community. Located at the confluence of Big Creek and the Grand River (a tributary of the Missouri River), the village had been flooded 33 times this century.

The Great Flood swept through Pattonsburg on July 6, 1993, exactly 84 years after the community’s first major flood disaster on July 6, 1909. In a well-rehearsed ritual, the villagers cleaned up their homes and shops, and moved back into the floodplain.

Then the Great Flood came back a second time. On July 23, the Grand River sent another sickening surge of muck and debris back through the community. This last flood was the last straw, bringing home the realization that Pattonsburg could not continue to survive in conflict with the river. In the fall of 1993, more than 90 percent of the residents voted in favor of relocating their town and rebuilding it on higher ground.

This wasn’t the first time that Pattonsburg residents contemplated relocating their town. The possibility had come up a number of times throughout the years, but the financing had never been there to pull it off. This time was different, however. In the spring of 1994, Pattonsburg got news that it would receive $12 million in federal disaster assistance. The question then became how best to invest these funds. Pattonsburg was unlikely ever to see such a huge infusion of capital again; the money was quite possibly the community’s last chance for survival.

Pattonsburg Mayor David Warford appealed to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), asking federal officials to assist the village in making their new community a model of sustainable development. DOE and the Federal Emergency Management Agency saw potential in Pattonsburg and agreed to help the town. In the fall of 1994, they assembled a team of the nation’s best practicing experts in sustainable development. The team, with support from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of Energy, worked closely with Pattonsburg residents throughout the fall to develop a "master plan" for New Pattonsburg.

Key Features of the Plan

Accommodates Pedestrians and Cars. Residents wanted to recreate Main Street in New Pattonsburg. They also wanted plenty of trees and sidewalks. The new plan was designed so that no lot would be more than a five-minute walk from the town center. Cars have easy access, too, as the new town is located immediately adjacent to an interstate interchange and will benefit from the increased traffic. Pedestrians can access Main Street from the south, and cars pull in on the north side.

Constructed Wetlands for Stormwater Management, Wildlife Enhancement, and Recreation. Though a conventional stormwater drainage system has been installed, New Pattonsburg hopes to eventually replace it with constructed wetlands that not only will manage the drainage, but also will clean the water in a natural park setting. A system of streams and ponds that runs the entire length of the new town site will be carefully supplemented with new basins and wetlands designed to capture and clean the stormwater run-off. Once purified, the water will slowly sink back into the ground or flow into the Grand River. Walking trails are planned to allow residents and visitors to observe both the native wildlife and this sustainable pollution prevention technology. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant of $211,000 has been secured for this project, and village officials are now seeking $173,000 in matching funds to complete the project.

Policy Components. A number of policy documents were drawn up for New Pattonsburg that contain guidance on sustainable community development. They include codes for energy efficiency, solar access, and building orientation, plus guidelines for waste minimization and sustainable economic development.

Biogas Generation of Electricity. Pattonsburg’s interest in sustainable development has resulted in a regional effort to explore the possibility of generating a portion of the area’s electricity using hog manure, a plentiful source of renewable energy. Two large hog farms less than 50 miles from town often house up to half a million hogs. Researchers at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville are studying the feasibility of biogas generation and may incorporate the technology into their planned state-of-the-art swine facility. For more information about this project, contact the following:

Jason Helton, Research Project Coordinator
Department of Agriculture
Northwest Missouri State University
Valk Building, 800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468-6001
(816) 562-1347

New Pattonsburg Today

After the floods, the town’s population had dropped down to about 250, but now it’s back to about 300 and climbing. Approximately 25 houses have been moved to the new town site, with 20 more set to move in the spring. A few new homes have been built, and 10 to 20 more are in the works for the next building season. Residents have been busy planting trees in their new homesites, trees that will eventually temper the winds and provide welcome shade. And the lots in the new townsite run from east to west, allowing for maximum solar gain.

The hat factory is up and running in a new building. Two new energy-efficient commercial buildings equipped with ground-source heat pumps boast 13 resident businesses, with the newly constructed senior citizens center just a brief walk away. Five more businesses plan to move in the spring.

Monolithic dome construction was chosen as the design for the new school, now under construction. Three consecutive air-tight, insulated domes will house high school, middle school, and elementary school students. It may be heated and cooled with ground-source heat pumps, as well.

Other plans include a new City Hall building and multifamily housing for seniors and low-income residents. For more information, contact the following:

Joe Easton, Director
Industrial Development Authority/Sustainable Economic Development Council
P.O. Box 163
Pattonsburg, MO 64670
(816) 367-2553