9. Parks, Trails & Recreation
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9. PARKS, TRAILS & RECREATION The City of South St. Paul owns and operates over 240 acres of parkland and natural open space which are available and programmed for use by residents and visitors. In the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, Parks, Trails, and Open Space were a section within the Community Services and Public Facilities chapter. As a stand-alone chapter in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the purpose of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation chapter is to guide future goals, policies, and actions for the parks system for the next 20 years, as well as set a foundation for a Parks System Master Plan update, which will provide detailed recommendations for each component to the system. The following components are contained within this chapter: » Overview of the Parks Master Plan » Existing Parks, Trails, Recreation Facilities, and Open Spaces » Issues and Opportunities » Goals, Policies and Actions Overview of Parks Master Plan In November of 2005, the Parks Master Plan was approved by the City Council. The Parks Master Plan reviewed the existing City park system, park and recreation needs, and established plans for future WHAT WE HEARD: improvement of the park facilities. A robust community engagement When asked about the quality of parks effort during this planning provided the City with broad input to and trails in the City, 21.38 percent of support investment and improvement of the park system. Today, the community survey respondents rated 2005 Parks Master Plan is still an actively used document by the Parks these services as “excellent” while 55.97 percent rated them “good.” and Recreation Department. An update of the parks system master plan is intended to begin in 2020 and will provide specific guidance for future investments and enhancements of the South St. Paul parks system. OCTOBER 2020 PARKS, TRAILS & RECREATION 9-227 Park Development and Implementation of the 2014 Park Referendum Parks Master Plan In February of 2014, a Park Referendum was passed, providing funding for Development of new parks and trails in South St. Paul and the improvements to Doug Wood Arena, implementation of the Parks Master Plan not only requires the correct the development of Kaposia Landing, phasing but also requires funding for those improvements. With a and the renovation of McMorrow Field. The following planning and physical referendum passed in 2014, today the City is wrapping up many of the development projects have been projects that were outlined in the Parks Master Plan, including work implemented with this referendum: on two of the largest parks in the city: McMorrow Fields and Kaposia Landing. » Doug Woog Arena Improvements: › Conversion of refrigeration system from (environmentally harmful) Freon Implemented recommendations from the 2005 Parks Master Plan to Ammonia include the following: › Remodel of Rink 1 with new locker rooms, restrooms, a community » Enhanced playground equipment, landscape, and age-separated meeting room, office training facility play areas for Spruce Park and Central Square. and warm viewing space » Further develop Kaposia Landing with recreational and athletic » Kaposia Landing Phase 1 facilities (in-progress). Development: › Four new multi-purpose ball » Plan and implement bank erosion control and stabilization measures fields, with lights, scoreboards and in Simon’s Ravine and Kaposia Park. sheltered bench areas › Five new full-size baseball fields with » Work with Dakota County to complete the River to River Greenway dugouts, batting cages, scoreboards, and Mississippi River Regional Trail, including installation of a box- lights, and bleachers culvert tunnel at 19th Avenue. › A new concession and restroom building » Developed a city-wide bicycle and pedestrian plan (2014). › Parking area with 194 stalls › Paved trail connections to athletic » Additional picnic shelter installation at Lorraine Park. fields, a loop trail and portions of the Mississippi River Regional Trail » McMorrow Field conversion from softball and baseball fields to flat fields for soccer, football, lacrosse and other field sports. » Renovation of McMorrow Field: » Replacement of the warming house at Veterans Field with a new › Four multi-purpose play fields (used for soccer, football, lacrosse); each concession and restroom building with adjacent picnic shelter. field has goal end safety fences and Per the recommendation in the Parks Master Plan, the City of South St. ADA accessible viewing areas › Addition of lights at two of the multi- Paul approved a Park Dedication ordinance in 2006 (later amended in purpose fields 2008), requiring dedication of park land or park dedication fees with all › Paved trail connecting all fields, new development. The Park Dedication ordinance puts into City Code parking areas, and the concession/ restroom building recognition that with development there is an increased need for parks › A new playground structure and greenspace, and in the absence of new parkland there is increased › A new picnic shelter impact on the existing parks and trail system and need for improvement › Three internal parking areas with a total of 253 stalls of those resources. Since the establishment of the park dedication ordinance, the City of South St. Paul has collected $314,088 in fees. Among many improvements and projects across the city, park dedication has contributed funding to build two new picnic shelters: one at Veteran’s Field and another at Kaposia Landing. The Kaposia Landing shelter was a combined funding effort between the Lion’s Club, who donated 50% of the cost, and collected park dedication fees. Kaposia Landing 9-228 2040 SOUTH ST. PAUL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Figure 9.1: Parks, Trails, and Recreation ROBERT PIRAM TRAIL ANNAPOLIS HASKELL Kaposia BERNARD Landing S T IC K NE Y Simon's «¬4 BUTLER AVE Ravine Trailhead L Thompson L A Kaposia St. Paul H County Park RIVER Park Summit TO T R Park C R E WAY H O Maplewood E IV N T N 9 B E E 1 R N C O R O R EMERSON G E R V D A S T H T N 5 1 «¬6 THOMPSON AVE West St. Paul Northview Park )"156 R IV M WENTWORTH AVE ER IS G SIS RE SIP N E T Grandview N PI D Veterans W E L A V Y O Field Park B A M H H T T T U B 3 H 7 S H Fred R 1 1 T I 1 D 2 Wildflower 1 2 8 Lawshe G «¬ E Levee Park Park P MARIE O H C I N A N R O T O D T N M S A C C G SOUTHVIEW BLVD N O O N I N V R I C L O D R D S T E X S C D Seidl's D H NAL N R A EGIO 2 R 3 N T Lake Park G TION S EC E NN 1 CO H H T T 9 8 DNR Boat Launch & Community Garden S Lorraine E £52 S Park ¤ V E A V H A Sunfish T H 50T 7 )"110 H T Lake 5 494 52 ND ¨¦§ Newport DALE Spruce Harmon Park Park UP POPLAR ST W POPLAR S P T E ER 55TH McMorrow N 3 E )" M Field R A Inver C Grove Heights E N I A L B L L I N H A W C 65TH A D 66TH 69TH R I V St. Paul Park E F R 0 0.25 0.5 1 71ST Miles City Existing Bike Lane/Trail Dakota County Parks Dakota County Greenways Existing South St. Paul Parks Funded School District/Parochial School Parks Planned OCTOBER 2020 PARKS, TRAILS & RECREATION 9-229 Existing Parks, Recreation Facilities, and Open Spaces South St. Paul has 15 municipal parks ranging in size from 0.19 acres (Spruce Park) to 87 acres (Kaposia Landing). The City’s parks are diverse in both size and the types of recreational opportunities they provide. Parks are given classifications to describe their use and function, as well as to determine service areas. Service areas help to estimate the ability for residents surrounding a park to walk, bike, or drive to the park. Generally, a neighborhood park should be available within a 5-10 minute walk (approximately half mile) of residents. A community park generally has a broader reach and may have a service area of a 10-15 minute bike ride (approximately 2 miles), while a pocket park is intended to serve a smaller service area of a quarter mile. The 2005 Parks Master Plan for South St. Paul defines the following park classifications: Pocket Parks Pocket parks consist of small areas intended for use by children, from Grandview Park toddlers through elementary school. The parks usually have small play equipment, sandboxes, swing sets, benches and greens. Pocket parks are generally between 0.1 and 0.3 acres in size and have a service area of 0.25 miles. South St. Paul has four pocket parks. Neighborhood Parks/Playgrounds Neighborhood Parks/Playgrounds are designed to accommodate active and passive recreational activities. These parks have distinct areas for court and field games as well as scenic and aesthetic value, picnic areas, drinking fountains and trails. Neighborhood Parks/Playgrounds range in Lorraine Park size from 6-15 acres and have a service area of 0.5 miles. South St. Paul has four Neighborhood Parks/Playgrounds. Currently, there exists a gap in service areas for Neighborhood Parks/Playgrounds in the west-central area and far north area of South St. Paul. Community Park/Playfields Community Park/Playfields have an athletic complex that serves the community and/or large natural and landscaped areas. They usually include the same amenities as a Neighborhood Park, but may also include pavilions, parking, restrooms, and multi-use trails. Community Parks in South St. Paul are Kaposia Landing, Kaposia Park, McMorrow Fields and Veterans Field.