Public Invited to the Sheridan Memorial Park Improvements October 25 Groundbreaking
Friday, October 19, 2018 at 3:00AM
A new picnic shelter is part of a major park improvement project at Sheridan Memorial Park
Major park improvement project includes new playground, picnic shelter, basketball court and playable art
Please join the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and Northeast Minneapolis neighbors and park users at 11 am on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 for a special groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the beginning of construction on a host of new park amenities coming to Sheridan Memorial Park.
The Sheridan Memorial Park Improvements project features a new playground, picnic shelter, basketball court and playable art, along with benches, a drinking fountain, portable toilets and path connections. The $1.5 million project began with soil cleanup earlier this year. This fall construction crews will perform site work like grading and paving to set the stage for installation of all the new park structures in 2019.
The MPRB would like to thank the Sheridan Neighborhood Organization, which has committed thousands of dollars in funds and many volunteers to help plan and construct past improvements in the park.
An illustration showing part of the new areas
Project History
In April 2015 the MPRB received a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership project to develop recreation facilities at Sheridan Memorial Park. The grant was matched with $1 million from Minnesota Parks and Trails Legacy Funding, administered by the Metropolitan Council.
Community engagement in 2016 and 2017 helped decide which improvements were chosen for the park and how those improvements were designed. Project work was first bid in 2017 but the bids received exceeded the project budget, so the design was adjusted and bid again in 2018. Construction will occur fall 2018-summer 2019.
A sundial/radial feature will be part of the playground
Park History
A grand opening celebration for the Sheridan Veterans Memorial occurred on June 28, 2014 after nearly 20 years of planning, fundraising and environmental remediation. Read more of the park’s fascinating backstory on the MPRB website: Sheridan Memorial Park History
Currently the park centers on a large spherical sculpture of protective shields created by local artist Robert Smart. The sculpture is surrounded with quotes about peace engraved into granite and vertical markers describing the ten conflicts in which Minnesotans have served. Smart imbued the steel and granite markers with faces of veterans cast in iron.
In 2016 the Mississippi East Bank Trail opened. The two-way, off-street, lighted riverfront trail runs through the park.
