NEWS & EVENTS

MINNEAPOLIS PARKS FOUNDATION IS PROUD TO HAVE PROVIDED MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE NEW DOCUMENTARY FILM, “PARKS FOR THE PEOPLE”, PRODUCED BY TWIN CITIES PUBLIC TELEVISION (TPT)

See it for the first time on Wednesday, October 7th at 7PM on tpt2!

With a landscape that includes Minnehaha Falls, Lake Como, Chain Of Lakes, and the Mississippi River, Minneapolis and St. Paul always possessed remarkable natural features. But what few know is how it took vision, leadership, and civic will to acquire, preserve, protect, enhance and maintain these important amenities. Through revealing history, high definition videography, and nostalgic imagery, “Parks For The People” recounts how Twin Cities' urban parks came to be and how these systems can influence the development of regional parks and open space planning. Today, these metro park systems hold a unique place in the American landscape.

Like the early civic leaders who proactively and with great foresight created the parks system we have today, Minneapolis Parks Foundation is working in collaboration with others to envision and enhance our park system for generations to come.

 

Minneapolis Bike Tour is a great success and great fun!

On Sunday, September 20th, the 3rd annual Minneapolis Bike Tour was held on a glorious, sunny day. About 4,000 riders enjoyed the beautiful scenery around the Chain Of Lakes, choosing either the 14 or 37 mile route, with refreshments and water stops along the way. At the end of the bike ride, bikers enjoyed the activities at Parade Field, with more refreshments, a Fat Tire beer garden from New Belgium beer, and the opportunity to buy an assortment of product including T-shirts, biking shirts, and posters from artist Adam Turman. The band, 4 on the Floor, added to the festive atmosphere after the bike tour.

Also, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation introduced its new Lake Creature assortment of products for sale. T-shirts, in both adult and child sizes, and in two styles, were available for purchase. In addition, the Lake Creature Logo was featured on bandannas, post-it notes, pencils, decks of cards, lapel pins and frisbees. With the popularity of the Lake Creature this summer, it was not surprising that customers were lined up to buy their first Lake Creature products.

These products will be featured for sale on the Minneapolis Parks Foundation website.

Plan on coming to the 4th annual Minneapolis Bike Tour, which will be held on Sunday, September 19th, 2010. Mark your calendars now!

Minneapolis Parks Foundation Commissions Study, Reviews Results

Survey provides valuable insight into use and preferences of Minneapolis park patrons

Minneapolis Parks Foundation just received the results from an independent survey it recently commissioned and had conducted by Decision Resources, Ltd. The survey of residents, from throughout the City of Minneapolis, was a statistically significant number of individuals providing an equal representation of each park district within city limits. Respondents were surveyed on the subject of Minneapolis parks including usage patterns, program preferences, priorities, and the independence of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

The resulting data shows interesting and, in some cases, pervasive preferences. Several key findings included:

1. 96% of respondents answered either "excellent" or "good" on the subject of overall appearance and maintenance of the Minneapolis parks.

2. Among respondents, the parks most often used were: Wirth, the Riverfront, Minnehaha, and Lake Calhoun.

3. When asked what services currently provided in the parks are most important, 71% ranked maintaining the quality of water in the city lakes as "very important".

4. Asked about charging fees or taxing for various parks activities, a slim majority was opposed, or somewhat opposed, except where the charges would be imposed on nonresidents. In that instance a slim majority was somewhat supportive.

5. When asked what park system services they would like to see enhanced, the three highest responses were: "park police"; "water quality"; "park maintenance".

6. 76% either supported, or strongly supported, maintaining Park Board independence when asked if they support or oppose maintaining an independently elected Park Board for the Minneapolis parks.

"The Foundation's Board felt, given the current discussions about the independent management of our parks, a survey of this kind would be very useful and informative for the citizens of Minneapolis," said Cecily Hines, the Foundation's President. "We also wanted to gain a better understanding of usage patterns and preferences in different sections of the city, so that as the Foundation selects where to place its efforts and resources, we are well informed about community needs and desires."

Download the executive summary (PDF)

City of Parks: The Story of Minneapolis Parks
By David C. Smith

Stories you’ve never heard about places you know so well.

In the winter of 1883, a small, but influential group of determined Minneapolis citizens met to consider how to promote the interests of the rapidly growing city. They decided the city needed parks—an objective long sought, but never achieved. Bypassing a city council that had never liked the idea—and throughout history has often opposed the park board—they went straight to the state legislature for the authority to create an independent Board of Park Commissioners for the city.

City of Parks relates in a highly readable narrative the events leading up to that historic action and the decisions of the Minneapolis park board since then—the turning points in park history—that led to the park system that defines the city 125 years later.

Inspired by Horace Cleveland and guided by Charles Loring and William Folwell, the park board created a system of parks connected by parkways—today’s Grand Rounds—along the most scenic features of the city. But the board also acquired neighborhood parks that became centers of community life and planted the trees that shade city streets.

City of Parks relates in fascinating detail...
[read the entire story] [buy the book]