Our Last Frontier
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 7:48AMMinneapolis Park and Recreation (MPRB) continues to grow the system
By Meg Forney, Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner-At-Large
The riverfront above the falls I call our "Last Frontier." MPRB is committed to providing access to the mighty Mississippi for underserved residents of North and NorthEast Minneapolis just as our fore bearers committed to developing the Grand Rounds and the Chain of Lakes. It is for this commitment (when translated into access, acreage, facilities and investment) that the Trust For Public Land has once again honored Minneapolis for having the best park system in the nation. That's five years in a row. Parkscore.tpl.org./rankings.php#sm.0001hsjha3242dylw7t1w8q9br58kg
With the addition of Scherer and Sheridan parks and soon the Water Works at Fuji Ya, the frontier is inching closer to being settled. In just my first term these past three years, MPRB has been meeting its commitments. We have secured another three miles of river front. We are envisioning a playground, picnic shelter and pathways at Sheridan Memorial Park. We are seeking funding from the legislature for a last connection of trail at the Great Northern Greenway at 26th Avenue North to Ole Olson Park, a missing linkage to Theodore Wirth Park through north Minneapolis. The community is providing input for this settling of the frontier through the Upper Harbor master development team: United Properties, First Avenue and Thor Development.
Keep your eye on the prize: access. What might be the next frontier?
Meg Forney can be reached at megf@visi.com or www.facebook.com/meg.forney on Facebook.
