Options abound for athletic fields, rec center, beaches, bathhouse and playgrounds at Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park

Residents review two plans during an open house; comments will be reviewed by the community advisory council

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Changes are coming to Lake Hiawatha and Nokomis parks, and residents got a chance to comment on the proposals during an open house in mid-August. How much of the shoreline should be natural versus turf? Where should a skate park be? How can bikers and walkers cross Cedar Ave. more safely? Should the athletic fields be fashioned like a pinwheel with a restroom and concessions area in the center? What should be included in a recreation center expansion? Should a new bath house/event center be built with a restaurant inside? Could Minnehaha creek be rerouted so that it no longer flows into Lake Hiawatha? How can the water quality be improved at both lakes? These are some of the questions being addressed in the new 25-year master plan being created for the Nokomis-Hiawatha regional park area. Due to funding restrictions, Hiawatha Golf Course is not part of the plan.

 

Feat9_14NoHiPark2 Parks commissioner Steffanie Musich chats with Paul Forsline of City of Skate about the skate park in the 25-year park plan proposal. Forsline favors placing it next to the recreation center versus near the bathhouse in order to take advantage of the Minneapolis skyline and Nokomis lake views. He pointed out that it is likely many photos and videos will be shot at this skate park. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)[/caption] The community advisory council will meet twice more to review the plan and make recommendations. These will then be forwarded to the Park Board for approval later this fall. Once that is done, it will go before the Met Council, which has helped fund the planning process. Work on Triangle Park will take place in 2015, and some trail improvements will be done in 2016. Cost on these is $400,000. No timeline has been created for the rest of the proposals, and no funding has been designated for them. When the plan is complete, the components will be prioritized.

NATURAL AREAS VERSUS MANICURED LAWN

How natural do residents want the shoreline to be? That’s one of the main questions being asked as this plan is developed.

“When you look at the park, it suggests that managed turf isn’t what all the areas want to be,” pointed out Adam Arvidson, project manager. “Even when it isn’t flooding, there are areas that are very tough to manage.”

There are two options for the shoreland. The first is a campus style with a manicured lawn that has natural areas within it. This is what most of the city parks currently have.

The second option is to have more of a natural area with turf cut in, more like how state parks are set up. Arvidson pointed out that the Park Board will also soon be creating an Ecological Systems Plan that will look at the whole parks system. More natural areas will lead to better water quality as the water will be treated before it enters the lakes. Right now, all the city’s stormwater runs directly into its lakes, rivers and streams, and most of it is untreated when it hits those bodies of water, Arvidson observed.

Water quality has been an issue that folks have brought up throughout the planning process. There are currently some ponds on the south end of Lake Nokomis that help clean the water before it enters that lake. Also, rain gardens and natural plantings have been added in the past few years near the golf course at Lake Hiawatha. Parks Commissioner Steffanie Musich pointed out that attitudes about natural versus manicured have been changing.

 

Feat9_14NoHiPark3 Project planner Adam Arvidson chats with a neighborhood resident during the open house held on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. Residents were able to give their input on the plan in a variety of ways, including rating what was most important to them. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)[/caption]

“They think of it as adding, not subtracting, to the park experience,” observed Musich. Local resident Monica McNaughton isn’t against adding more natural areas, but she is concerned about how it is done. She pointed out that the current plan places manicured areas in the shade and natural areas in the sun. “I know the area on the south side of the lake is used for pick-up games such as kickball, soccer and frisbee,” she pointed out. “There needs to be space to run and play where there aren’t any trees.” She isn’t confident that the Park Board can maintain natural areas well, and expressed concern about how the natural areas near the lagoon have been cared for. If there is a switch to more natural areas within the park, it will be done gradually, said Arvidson. It will require training for staff members on how to care for the natural areas.

ATHLETIC FIELDS

There are two very different concepts that have been proposed for the athletic fields. One would position four ball fields in a pinwheel formation with a concession stand and restrooms in the center. Another two ball fields would be to the south, partially overlapping with two soccer fields. While that is more efficient, it would cut into the use of the fields for games like ultimate frisbee and rugby. The second plan would have four overlapping ball fields with two soccer fields, another ball field to the south, and open space. Both plans would add a new parking lot near the ball fields.

MAIN BEACH AREA

Should there be an event center at Lake Nokomis? One plan for the area replaces the existing bathhouse with a large event center, one that would have a restaurant, rental space and bathhouse space on the lower level and the event space on the upper level. The second plan merely calls for renovating the existing space. Both plans reconfigure the parking lot. One plan expands the beach, while the other carves out a space on the north side for a canoe and kayak launch.

SKATE PARK

A skate park is in both of the proposed options for the new master plan, but it is in two different locations. In one, space would be on the south side of the main beach area. In the other plan, it would occupy the space to the west of the recreation center. In both, the space would be concrete rather than using the modular design of the past. Paul Forsline of City Of Skate favors the area by the rec center. It offers nice views of both the downtown skyline and Nokomis Lake. “The skate park can be entertaining for the general public and not just skaters,” he said. Forsline pointed out that skateboarding appeals to people who aren’t interested in organized sports. It doesn’t require coaches and paying for ice time. “It’s an equity sport,” he said.

RECREATION CENTER

Possible changes at the recreation center include expanded programming and a renovation that would create a double gym with a running track. Other options are an outdoor performance space and an enhanced plaza. The small beach on the east side will also be expanded, and restrooms added near the event space where the Monarch Festival is held each September. There are a few possible configurations for that event space.

CEDAR AVE. CROSSINGS

How pedestrians and bikers can cross Cedar Ave. more safely has been an area of concern throughout the planning process. A long-term option is to add a tunnel for bikers and walkers under Cedar Ave. on the south side. At the open house on Aug. 14, Minneapolis Public Works employee Don Elwood was also present to ask for input on how to improve the safety of the Cedar/Edgewater/Nokomis Pkwy. intersection. “Every solution has an impact, so it’s understanding what those are,” he observed. Musich pointed out that there is a plan to add a biking trail along the north side of Minnehaha in order to accommodate the bicycle commuters. With that, the bicycle trail near the rec center would be modified so that the crossing is not right next to Minnehaha, but instead south near Lake Nokomis Pkwy. Other changes being proposed would address bike/pedestrian conflicts on trails.

LAKE HIAWATHA

Plans are to develop a full biking and walking loop around the lake and the outskirts of the golf course. There will also be a seasonal trail that runs around the entire lake that will be open in the winter to walkers and skiers. The trail can’t be open in the summer due to safety concerns about golf balls, noted Arvidson. There will be gates on either side that will open in the winter. For more information go to the project page at: http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1475#cac5

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