Groundbreaking Event for Graco Park Rescheduled to Tuesday, August 29, 1 pm
Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 5:10PMA groundbreaking event for Graco Park is scheduled Tuesday, August 29, 1-2 pm. This event was originally scheduled August 14, but was postponed due to rain. MPRB Superintendent Al Bangoura, MPRB President Meg Forney, MPRB District 1 Commissioner Billy Menz, Graco President and CEO Mark Sheahan, District 6 Met Council Member Robert Lilligren, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization Executive Director Kevin Reich are scheduled to speak.
Graco Park is a new 9-acre riverfront park in Northeast Minneapolis, across from Hall's Island and just north of the Plymouth Avenue Bridge. It is expected to initially open in fall 2024, with a new park building and trail underpass connection to Boom Island Park expected to open in fall 2025. Park features will include:
- A multiuse net-zero energy building with public restrooms, community space and a Spark’d Studios location.
- Native habitat restoration and stormwater management features, including a geothermal snowmelt system.
- A trail under the Plymouth Avenue Bridge that connects to Boom Island Park.
- The Mississippi East Bank Trail realigned through the park and safety upgrades at the intersection of Plymouth/8th Avenue NE and Sibley Street NE.
- Gathering spaces, walkways and river access.
A series of agreements reached in 2018 between the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Graco Inc., which is headquartered next to the park, led to the creation of Graco Park. Grants from the Metropolitan Council and Mississippi Watershed Management Organization also helped fund park construction.
