Cosmo-Bethel Park, located in southern Columbia, will undergo renovations later this fall and into the spring of 2015.

The renovation project has two parts: adding lights to the last four unlit tennis courts, and repaving almost 75 percent of the currently gravel trail with concrete.

The project is part of the 2010 park sales tax, which allocated $150,000 to add the lighting for the tennis courts, said Gabe Huffington, park services manager for Columbia Parks and Recreation. When the plan was first proposed, however, inflation was overestimated, and the excess money is now being used for the repaving of the trail.

The repaving of the walking trail, which is roughly half a mile long and encircles Bethel Lake, will help reduce some of the flooding damage that has been seen after severe washouts in the area, Huffington said. The gravel portions that are most affected will be replaced with a 5-foot wide concrete path.

“We don’t have enough funding to do the entire trail but a portion of the trail never floods out, so we are only going to do the portion that sustains a lot of damage any time we have a rain event,” Huffington said.

The renovations on the trail are also intended to make the park more accessible for disabled members of the community. By Americans with Disabilities Act standards, the concrete will provide an easier surface for people with walkers or wheelchairs.

“With our gravel trails, as you can imagine, if you are an individual that’s in a wheelchair or has to have assistance by a walker, if we have any types of washouts it makes (walking on the trail) difficult sometimes,” Huffington said. “The ADA calls out that the concrete walkway is the best type of surface for an individual that has a handicap.”

The switch to concrete will have a minimal environmental impact, he said. All of the storm water that hits the trail goes straight into the lake, which is only 10 to 15 feet away and there is no green space being paved over, as when a parking lot is constructed.

“As a growing city, we try to wisely invest in a lot of acquiring land so we have green space set aside,” Second Ward councilman Michael Trapp said. “I think that is one of the most important investments we can make to help the future.”

City Council will gain official approval for the project Oct. 20. Installation of the lights will proceed and hopefully be completed by the end of fall, Huffington said. Construction might pose a moderate noise disturbance.

Depending on the weather conditions, construction for the trail will take place in either the winter or the spring and should only last about a week. Signs around the park and on social media will be used to notify park users of the disruption closer to construction time.

“Cosmo-Bethel is considered a community park,” Huffington said. “To be honest, it’s probably one of our best assets in terms of what we can offer to individuals on the south side of Columbia. From tennis courts to playgrounds to the fishing lake to the baseball field, there are a lot of different amenities that bring people to (Cosmo-Bethel).”