Park Board announces improvements to be made to Lake Hiawatha-Nokomis Regional Park

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) recently announced that during the next few years, it will complete a master plan and upgrade play areas, trails, and shorelines within Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park. The funding for this project comes from the Metropolitan Council’s Regional Parks allocations, which specifically disallow consideration of golf courses. The Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park Master Plan, therefore, may consider non-golf access to the course and its edges, but will not consider any redesign, repurposing, or improvements to the course.

 

The public may provide input and stay informed about the project in the following ways:

  •  Project details are available online at http://www.minneapolisparks.org/currentprojects (select Nokomis-Hiawatha from the planning section topic list), or by contacting Project Manager Adam Arvidson at(612) 230-6470 or aarvidson@minneapolisparks.org.
  •  The MPRB is now seeking applications by April 10 for a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to help guide development of plans for the park project.  Applications are available from the project website or from Project Manager Adam Arvidson.
  •  Attend CAC meetings; each meeting offers a brief public comment period at the end of the meeting. CAC meetings will be held from 6:30-8:30 pm on May 15, June 3, June 24, July 29, and August 6 at the Nokomis Community Center.
  •  Attend Community Open Houses at 6:30-8:30 p.m. June 12 and August 14 at the Nokomis Community Center.
  • Sign up to receive e-mail updates on the project by adding “Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park” to your subscription preferences at www.minneapolisparks.org/subscribe.
  • Attend public hearings tentatively scheduled for July and September 2014. Once details are known, public hearing information will be posted online, emailed to project subscribers, and distributed to local media.

Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park includes approximately 660 acres of land surrounding Lakes Nokomis and Hiawatha. The project has two separate funding deadlines, so it must be broken into three sub-projects, two of which will happen at the same time.

  • Master Plan: A new Master Plan for the park will be developed and will set a vision and budget for Phase 1 and Phase 2 improvements to trails, roadways, shorelines, water quality, and recreation opportunities ranging from play areas to aquatics to sports. The Master Plan will be complete by June of 2015. Due to funding restrictions it will not consider Hiawatha Golf Course.
  •  Phase 1 Play Areas and Trails: The 54th Street "Triangle Park" play area, which does not currently meet safety and accessibility standards, will be replaced. Accessibility improvements at the Lake Nokomis main beach play area and the beach itself will be considered. Phase 1 will also will reconstruct, relocate, or regrade portions of trail and/or shoreline, based on citizen, consultant, and staff recommendations. Phase 1 improvements will be complete by June of 2015.
  • Phase 2 Trails and Shorelines: Upon completion of the Master Plan, a second phase of trail and shoreline improvements will take place. The exact project will be determined through prioritization exercises within the Master Plan process. Phase 2 improvements will be complete by June of 2016.