CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK Recreation and Parks Master Plan Adopted October 1, 2012 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iv FIGURES FIGURE 3-1. EXISTING RECREATION AND PARKS SYSTEM 20 FIGURE 3-2. ACCESS TO PARKS 24 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1 FIGURE 3-3. ACCESS TO NATURAL AREAS 25 FIGURE 3-4. RACIAL DIVERSITY 26 FIGURE 3-5. MOBILITY 29 CHAPTER 2 – HOW WE SEE THINGS CHANGING 9 FIGURE 3-6. ACTIVE LIVING 32 FIGURE 5-1. HARTKOPF PARK EXISTING CONDITIONS 49 FIGURE 5-2. HARTKOPF PARK SITE OPPOTUNITIES & ISSUES 50 CHAPTER 3 – WHERE WE ARE TODAY 17 FIGURE 5-3. HARTKOPF PARK CONCEPT 51 FIGURE 5-4. PARK SERVICE AREAS 55 CHAPTER 4 – WHERE WE ARE GOING 39 FIGURE 5-5. UNIQUE COMMUNITY PARKS 56 FIGURE 5-6. MISSISSIPPI RIVER 57 FIGURE 5-7. PARKS IN DEVELOPMENT/REDEVELOPMENT AREAS 59 CHAPTER 5 – HOW WE WILL GET THERE 45 FIGURE 5-8. POTENTIAL INDOOR RECREATION LOCATIONS 62 FIGURE 5-9. POTENTIAL RECREATION PROGRAM LOCATIONS 66 FIGURE 5-10. TRAIL PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS 73 CHAPTER 6 – PRIORITIES, TOOLKIT & USING THE PLAN 79 FIGURE 6-1. PRIORITIES 81 FIGURE 6-2. PROJECT REVIEW PROCESS 86 FIGURE 6-3. PARK CLASSIFICATIONS 89 APPENDIX A - FACILITY BENCHMARKS & FACILITY LIst a-1 TABLES TABLE 3-1. EXISTING RECREATION PROGRAMS 19 TABLE 3-2. EXISTING RECFREATION AND PARK FACILITIES 21 TABLE 3-3. POPULATION PROJECTIONS 27 TABLE 6-1. POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES FOR PRIORITIES 84 TABLE 6-2. PARK CLASSIFICATIONS 88 TABLE 6-3. ACTIVITY DELIVERY GUIDELINES 90 TABLE 6-4. RECREATION FACILITY STANDARDS 91 TABLE 6-5. GENERAL CAPITAL AND OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE COSTS 94 TABLE A-1. BENCHMARK COMPARISONS A-2 TABLE A-2. BROOKLYN PARK RECREATION AND SCHOOL FACILITIES A-8 ii RecreationBrooklyn and Park Parks Master Plan Acknowledgements RECREATION AND PARKS RECREATION AND PARKS MASTER MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DIRECTORS PLAN TASK FORCE Mayor Jeffrey Jeneal Lunde Jon Oyanagi Sandra Bengtson, Robbinsdale Community Education Rich Gates Director of Recreation and Parks Mary Pat Black, Parks and Facilities Manager Mike Trepanier (763) 493-8337 Jim Driste, Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission Elizabeth Knight [email protected] Deb Everson, Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission Peter Crema 5600 85th Ave N Jan Ficken, Recreation Services Manager Dean Heng Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 Rich Gates, City Council Bob Mata Fax (763) 315-8457 Mark Hanna, Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission Jeanette Meyer, posthumously www.brooklynpark.org Greg Hoag, Parks Maintenance Superintendent PARKS AND RECREATION Jill Johnson, Chamber of Commerce ADVISORY COMMISSION Jon Thiel Rhonda Manning, Citizens Long-Range Improvement Director of Operations and Maintenance Committee Reubenna Cooley (763) 493-8007 Joshua Murray, Resident James Driste 8300 Noble Ave N Brian Siverson-Hall, Osseo-Maple Grove School District Deborah Everson 279 Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 Rich Gates, City Council Liaison Cindy Sherman, Planner Thomas Hanson CONSULTANTS Tony Spears, 3R’s Child Development Center Robert Jacobs Tonja West-Hafner, Planning Commission Kelly Janssen Tommy Watson, Resident 0 Christopher Kane YEARS Dan Williams, Brooklyn Park Athletic Association 3 Michael Lenz Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. Jane Wilson, North Hennepin Community College Linda Nelson Martin Petersen RESIDENTS AND STAKEHOLDERS Brian Rogers Treeline Wanda Walker The Recreation and Parks Department thanks the over 700 residents and stakeholders that participated in the Tonja West-Hafner, Planning Commission Liaison planning process in 2011 and 2012. iii Recreation andBrooklyn Parks Master Park Plan Movie in the Park. Photo source: City of Brooklyn Park iv RecreationBrooklyn and Park Parks Master Plan Executive Summary BROOKLYN PARK Recreation and Parks Master Plan A GREAT RECREATION AND PARK SYSTEM HELPS TO CREATE A GREAT COMMUNITY. Recreation and parks contribute to community livability, resident health, provide education and support, and contribute to the image and beauty of the City. Parks are the places where people go to play, socialize, celebrate, learn, and recharge. City of Brooklyn Park TODAY, BROOKLYN PARK’S RECREATION AND PARK SYSTEM IS GOOD. Many of the fundamental purposes of recreation and parks are being accomplished, including: PRIORITIES: 3 Diverse and engaging programming 1. Create more unique parks 3 Places to play 2. Create a more connected trail system 3 Access to natural areas with a new greenway in the southern 3 Well maintained parks portion of the city 3 Unique and special facilities 3. Integrate arts into the park system 4. Provide more equitable access to recreation programs, parks, and BROOKLYN PARK IS PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE OF ITS RECREATION AND PARKS facilities SYSTEM. The purpose of the Recreation and Parks Master Plan is to guide future 5. Add new specialized facilities such as investments to ensure the recreation and parks system continues to meet the needs aquatics and an indoor field house of the community and be economically sustainable. or domed sports field and expand on non-traditional offerings such as The Recreation and Parks Master Plan establishes goals, objectives, actions skateboard parks, disc golf, outdoor and tools to help the city, residents, and partner organizations work together performance spaces, community to guide the system from Good to Great over the next 25 years. The Master gardens, and dog parks Plan identifies 5 priorities for the future. v Recreation andBrooklyn Parks Master Park Plan RECREATION AND PARKS MASTER PLAN SUMMARY The Master Plan Document has 6 chapters. It includes an overview of planning context and plan purpose, an overview of recreation trends, a summary of existing conditions, a needs assessment, focus areas and goals for recreation and parks, objectives that will help attain those goals, priorities, and a suite of tools designed to help implement the plan. CHAPTER 1: CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCTION HOW WE SEE THINGS CHANGING WHERE WE ARE TODAY It is evident that Brooklyn Park has a well loved Brooklyn Park is becoming more diverse (age, Today, the recreation and parks system is and cared for recreation and park system. With race, and income) which, in turn, is putting GOOD and there is a strong desire to make it GREAT. over 60 parks and 1,527 acres of parkland, pressure on the Recreation and Parks Department there are ample opportunities for a wide variety to provide more diverse recreation offerings. Needs for the future include: of recreation experiences from community Trends, including: a more health conscious 3 Move from good system to a great gardening to little league tournaments. public; interest in non-traditional sports such as system that generates community pride and identity and acts as a catalyst for Residents are satisfied with the recreation and skateboarding, disc golf, and geocaching; a development by including art, greater parks system with 93% of residents rating park large youth population and active older adults; attention to aesthetics, and unique community-scale facilities. and recreation facilities as excellent – good climate change; and increased interest in (2011 Brooklyn Park Community Survey). Parks environmental sustainability are changing the 3 Fine-tune the facility mix (add aquatics, multi-purpose turf fields, basketball courts, are often resident’s favorite places and play a way residents recreate. At the same time, the specialty facilities, high quality indoor gym vital role in making Brooklyn Park an attractive current economic downturn has tightened city space). place to live, work, and play. budgets reducing the funds available for new 3 Better connect the bike-walk system and facilities. The need for change in the context make it safer. of limited funds requires that the recreation 3 Continue to renovate parks to make and parks department be strategic in its future them more welcoming, safer, and more investments and that it diversify its funding reflective of the community’s cultural richness. sources to remain economically sustainable. 3 Better access to programs for low mobility populations (physical and financial access). 3 Remain sustainable by matching resources with future needs and desires. vi RecreationBrooklyn and Park Parks Master Plan CHAPTERS 4 AND 5: WHERE WE ARE GOING AND HOW WE WILL GET THERE Brooklyn Park’s Recreation and Parks Purpose Building on the city’s mission “A thriving community, inspiring pride, where opportunities exist for all,” Recreation and Parks envisions its own department-wide purpose: To engage the entire community in providing flexible, welcoming, and exciting play for all. Recreation and Parks must provide for play—of many types and to many people. Beyond that, the purpose statement recognizes four critical elements of the entire recreation and parks system. ■ Flexible: The system will be able to make adjustments over time without significant capital investment. This idea addresses the changing demographics of the community and will allow Recreation and Parks to more effectively meet resident desires. ■ Welcome: All residents should, above all, perceive that they are free to enjoy park facilities and programs. They should feel comfortable in the parks and when participating in programs. Recreation and Parks strives to make this the case throughout the system, and will continue to make this a high priority. ■ Exciting: Parks and recreation programs offer challenges not available anywhere else. People come to the parks or participate in programs to see or do something different, to escape from their work- lives, and to socialize and play with friends and family. Recreation and Parks will continue to operate a system that provides excitement in play. ■ Engaged with the Entire Community. The desire to serve all Brooklyn Park residents, along with the desire to collaborate with the community and businesses on improvements, is what drives Recreation and Parks. To accomplish the purpose of Brooklyn Park Recreation and Parks, the Master Plan addresses six focus areas, each of which has a single, over-arching goal and a series of specific objectives. The six focus areas are: Engagement, Maintenance and Safety, Facilities and Parks, Programs, Trails, and Funding.