Parks We Are Proud Of. Superintendent s Annual Report 2012

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1 Parks We Are Proud Of Superntendent s Annual Report 2012

2 Contents 3 Urban forests, natural areas and waters that endure and captvate 5 Recreaton that nspres personal growth, healthy lfestyles and a sense of communty 7 Dynamc parks that shape cty character and meet dverse communty needs 10 A safe place to play, recreate, contemplate and celebrate Our Msson The Mnneapols Park and Recreaton Board shall permanently preserve, protect, mantan, mprove, and enhance ts natural resources, parkland, and recreatonal opportuntes for current and future generatons. The Mnneapols Park and Recreaton Board exsts to provde places and recreaton opportuntes for all people to gather, celebrate, contemplate, and engage n actvtes that promote health, well-beng, communty, and the envronment. 11 Values gude Commssoners, staff and volunteers n ther work (front, left-rght) Carol Kummer, Anne Young, Lz Welnsk, Anta Tabb 13 Organzatonal Overvew (back, left-rght) John Erwn, Jon Olson, Scott Vreeland, Brad Bourn, Bob Fne 2012 Superntendent Superntendent Jayne Mller Admnstratve Offces 2117 West Rver Road Mnneapols, MN phone fax Commssoners Presdent John Erwn, At Large Vce Presdent Lz Welnsk, Dstrct 1 Commssoners Jon Olson, Dstrct 2 Scott Vreeland, Dstrct 3 Anta Tabb, Dstrct 4 Carol A. Kummer, Dstrct 5 Brad Bourn, Dstrct 6 Bob Fne, At Large M. Anne Young, At Large Mnneapols Commssoner Dstrcts Ryan Lake Lake M Budget s s s 2 s p p R 1 v e r M Wrth Lake s s s s p p R v e r Brch Pond Sprng Lake Browne Lake Lorng Lake 4 Cedar Lake 3 Lake of the Isles Powderhorn Lake Lake Calhoun Jo Pond Lake Harret Lake Hawatha 6 Lake Nokoms Damond Lake Taft Lake 1 Mother Lake 5

3 Parks we are proud of Greetngs from the Superntendent Wow, we have a great park system. As I revew all we ve done n 2012 and see the samplng of pctures and descrptons n ths report, I am mpressed agan by the range of resources we manage, programs we offer, and people we serve. I m grateful, too for the many people who created ths wonderful system and the opportunty to do our part to preserve and mprove t. Of course, that s a challenge. Budgets are tght and wll reman that way. We have no choce but to do more and better wth less. That requres change and constant mprovement, whch s never easy. The park board has 136 fewer full-tme employees than ten years ago was the frst year snce the 1980s that the Park Board ddn t see any ncrease n revenues from property taxes. Yet, our costs contnue to ncrease and expectatons are justfably hgh for our parks to reman a central component of the qualty of lfe n Mnneapols and Mnnesota. To preserve the vast park system we have, to delver programs that are relevant to the lves of resdents and vstors, and to contnue to provde for the future needs of our cty, requres a great deal of nternal plannng, adjustng, changng, and, frankly, hard work. We hope most of that tol and turmol s never vsble to you and others who love Mnneapols parks. If we can delver servces seamlessly, wthout nterrupton or hccup, we wll take prde n a job well done. I am extremely proud of the people I work wth every day, who have tackled the tasks of algnng our nternal structure and polces wth the expressed needs and desres of all the dverse park users we serve. We have collectvely examned organzatonal performance, leadershp structure, work clmate, communty outreach, communty engagement, occupatonal safety and customer servce. All wth the goal of dong our job better. We have dentfed areas of mprovement and have taken forceful steps to ensure that we do mprove. But we have never lost sght of the ultmate goal of provdng you and your neghbors wth parks and programs that you wll be proud of and gladly clam as one of the bg reasons that you choose to lve or work n Mnneapols. Ths report, lke last year s, s structured around the Comprehensve Plan, whch lays out clearly the vson, values and drecton that were carefully chosen and artculated to gude our efforts. Jayne Mller Fast Facts 1883 Year MPRB establshed 15.4 mllon Estmated regonal park vsts 5 mllon Estmated neghborhood park vsts 197 Park propertes 6,744 Acres of parkland and water 200,000 Boulevard trees 50 Recreaton centers 46 operated by MPRB 1 operated as MPRB event center 3 operated by non-proft organzatons 2 Computer labs open to the publc 6 Skate parks 215 Playgrounds 65 Wadng pools 2 Water parks 12 Authorzed beaches 11 Fshng pers 5 Boat launches 4 Canoe launches 370 Salboat buoys 438 Canoe/kayak racks 5 Outdoor performance stages 55 Mles of parkways 51 Mles of Grand Rounds walkng paths 51 Mles of Grand Rounds bkng paths 6 Dog off-leash recreaton areas 12 Gardens 2 Brd sanctuares 7 Golf courses 3 Golf drvng ranges 1 Wnter recreaton area 2 Indoor ce arenas 48 Outdoor ce rnks 396 Multpurpose sports felds 2

4 Vson 1: Urban Forests, Natural Areas and Waters that endure and captvate Goal: Sound management technques provde healthy, dverse and sustanable natural resources Invason Emergency. In June, the MPRB adopted emergency measures to prevent the spread of aquatc nvasve speces to Mnneapols lakes. Inspectons were requred of all boats enterng Lake Calhoun, Lake Harret and Lake Nokoms at publc boat launches. The publc boat launch at Wrth Lake was closed. On another front, the MPRB stopped rverboat cruses departng Boom Island Park from passng through the St. Anthony Lock to help mpede the spread of Asan Carp above the St. Anthony Falls. Fght On. In 2012, the MPRB spent nearly $3 mllon combatng nvasve plant speces on land and water. The prmary targets were Emerald Ash Borer, Dutch Elm Dsease and Eurasan Mlfol. Thousands of volunteer hours were spent removng buckthorn, mustard garlc and purple loosestrfe from park property. Better Turf. All fve 18-hole champonshp golf courses were aerated n September to promote healthy, deep-rooted grass. Vegetaton Restoraton. Many sectons of Theodore Wrth Regonal Park were prepared for the restoraton of natve grasses and wldflowers n the aftermath of the 2011 tornado that rpped through the park. Park crews removed wood chps and brush, planted a cover crop of oats to prevent eroson, and appled herbcdes to nhbt growth of nvasve speces. Seedng of the prepared areas wll follow n early 2013 wth approprate lowland and upland plants. Ash Removal. Ash trees contnue to be removed from parks and boulevards due to Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). In August, foresters dscovered an nfestaton at Fort Snellng Golf Course. Throughout the year, the MPRB contnued proactve measures to dentfy and slow the spread of EAB, ncludng removal of the nfested trees, establshment of trap trees, contnued surveyng of ash trees, and removal of any ash trees that are damaged and defectve. An event n September at Powderhorn Park, whch has 160 ash trees, taught resdents how to dentfy ash trees and spot sgns of nfestaton. Scuba Dvers Ht the Lakes. The MPRB successfully tested a new method of harvestng Eurasan Mlfol from shallower water n Wrth Lake and Lake Nokoms where mechancal harvesters cannot operate: scuba dvers harvested the nvasve plant by hand. Goal: Healthy boulevard trees connect all cty resdents to ther park system Northsde Treecovery. In contnung efforts to re-green parts of North Mnneapols devastated by a tornado n 2011, 3,100 new trees were planted n that part of the cty. The effort was crowned by the plantng of 1,000 trees durng Arbor Week n May. Volunteers from Best Buy, Cargll, Xcel Energy and Target supported the effort. Camden Lons and Lons Club Internatonal contrbuted $15,500 and the Mnneapols Parks Foundaton contrbuted $18,000 toward the total cost of $250,000 for new trees. Twenty-one types of trees were planted, most were 8-12 feet tall. Elmer Says, Water Trees Weekly. Wth 6,000 new trees planted throughout the cty n 2012 and contnung drought condtons, Elmer the Elm Tree was enlsted to remnd resdents to water trees on ther property and on boulevards every week. Elmer helped spread the word that waterng a tree once a week for fve months costs only about $3. Dutch Elm Update. Dutch Elm Dsease contnues to be an ssue n our urban forest. However, only 900 dseased elms were removed n 2012, the fewest n many years. Tree Maps. The MPRB webste now ncludes a lnk to an nteractve map of the Mnneapols Tree Canopy created as part of a study by the Unversty of Mnnesota. The map provdes nformaton on the tree canopy on publc and prvate property. The MPRB contrbuted fundng towards the study. 3

5 Goal: Resdents and vstors enjoy and understand the natural envronment Top Flght. Theodore Wrth Regonal Park and North Msssspp Regonal Park hosted the Seventh Annual Urban Brdng Festval. Park staff offered brdng hkes, brd house buldng, brd art and brdng excursons by canoe. They Clean Up Real Nce. The annual Earth Day event n Aprl provded volunteers the opportunty to help clean up ther favorte parks. 1,500 volunteers collected more than 10,000 pounds of trash. A 5K Recycle Run and free Kds Run the next day provded runners an opportunty to help support future events and greenng efforts. Nature Quest. Envronmental Operatons ntated a popular famly hkng and explorng program n February at Mnnehaha Park called Wnter Nature Quest. Followng clues throughout the park, partcpants searched for hdden nature-based treasure. After the treasure was found, the ntrepd questers enjoyed warm treats. Get Out! Powderhorn Park hosted the 2nd Annual Get Outdoors Day n June. Free actvtes to promote outdoor exercse and adventure ncluded a clmbng wall, mountan bkng, standup paddle boardng, geocachng, voyageur canoe paddlng, scavenger hunts and boat safety tranng. Partners for the event were REI, DNR, US Forest Servce, USACE, Wlderness Inqury and Nordc Sk Foundaton. KMOJ and KFAI provded promotonal support. Happy Trals. A $1 mllon grant was awarded to the MPRB n August by the Federal Hghway Admnstraton s Transportaton and Communty and System Preservaton program for the desgn and constructon of a ¾-mle tral on the east bank of the Msssspp Rver above the falls. The tral wll lnk Boom Island Park wth the new Scherer Brothers ste and Sherdan Memoral Park and contnue uprver to the BNSF ralroad brdge. The tral s expected to be completed n Goal: People and the envronment beneft from the expanson and protecton of natural resources Nokoms Gets Wer d. A new lower-mantenance wer at the outlet of Lake Nokoms nto Mnnehaha Creek was nstalled n September. The wer prevents polluted creek water, whch may contan zebra mussels and other aquatc nvasves, from enterng the lake, but allows water to be released from the lake f levels are too hgh. The project s a collaboratve effort wth the Mnnehaha Creek Watershed Dstrct (MCWD). Dredge Sghtng. In another project wth MCWD, the stormwater pond southwest of Lake Calhoun was dredged n January as part of routne mantenance. Dredgng removes the sedment that the pond s desgned to trap and flter, so t doesn t run nto the lake and dmnsh water qualty. Goal: Knowledgeable stewards and partners generously support the system s natural resources It s Ranng, It s Lorng. Wth a stewardshp grant from the Msssspp Watershed Management Organzaton, the Frends of Lorng Park planted a 1,000-square-foot ran garden along the north and west sdes of the Lorng Park Communty Center. The garden, featurng plants natve to Mnnesota, allows ran to soak nto the ground nstead of runnng off hard-packed turf drectly nto Lorng Pond. Volunteers from Target Corporaton and Green Mountan Coffee asssted n the nstallaton. Very Close Frends. The Elose Butler Wldflower Garden & Brd Sanctuary receved a gft of $6,000 from Frends of the Wld Flower Garden to purchase natve woodland wldflowers, ferns and sedges for plantng projects along Volet Way n the garden. Trees for Wrth. In October, volunteers from the Nordc Sk Foundaton planted 75 trees donated by Bachman s n Theodore Wrth Regonal Park. Leave a Legacy. Volunteers wth experence n removng nvasve plant speces became Legacy Stewards. Each steward was assgned a secton of parkland adjacent to the Elose Butler Wldflower Garden & Brd Sanctuary for a garden season to montor and remove any nvasve speces. 4

6 Vson 2: Recreaton that nspres personal growth, healthy lfestyles and a sense of communty Goal: People play, learn and develop a greater capacty to enjoy lfe Castng Call. A new fshng dock was nstalled at the northwest corner of Lake Calhoun. The locaton s consdered superor to that of the former dock on the lake s west sde because t offers a varety of water depths. A new fshng dock was also nstalled on the southeast shore of Lake Hawatha. Open Water. Swmmng n Mnneapols lakes has tradtonally been confned to desgnated areas unless a permt s acqured. In response to requests from long dstance swmmers, open water swmmng was permtted on Tuesday evenngs from the Lake Nokoms man beach across the lake to the 50th St. Beach, a dstance of 1,200 yards or ¾ mle round trp. Goal: Resdents, vstors and workers enjoy opportuntes to mprove health and ftness The Swng Set. Two new play areas for chldren opened at Lake Harret. The new playground equpment and pcnc facltes are located at Beard s Plasance along the west sde of the lake, and Wllam Berry Park near the Lake Harret bandshell. The naturethemed equpment and play areas were funded by a $1 mllon grant from the Parks and Trals Fund of the Mnnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Bg Kds. Partcpaton n adult sand volleyball leagues soars. Nearly 3,000 adults partcpated n n Grdron Gallop. Chad and Jenn Greenway, along wth the Mnnesota Vkngs, hosted the annual 5K run and Kds Fun Run at Lake Nokoms. They were joned by other Vkngs players and cheerleaders. Proceeds from the event went to support MPRB youth sports programs. RBI Revvng Baseball n Inner Ctes. The MPRB partnered wth the Mnnesota Twns and the Twns Communty Fund for the 20th year to brng youth baseball and softball to cty parks. In 2012, the MPRB hosted the RBI World Seres at Neman and Parade felds. Twenty-four teams from around the Unted States and the Domncan Republc competed n three dvsons. The Twns also hosted 800 youth baseball and softball players at a Twns game at Target Feld. Hoops Done Rght. The Mnnesota Tmberwolves and Mnnesota Lynx Youth Basketball Academy partnered wth the MPRB to offer three free basketball clncs at Bottneau Park n November. The clncs helped players of all ages develop sklls and mprove practce habts. Goal: Volunteers make a vtal dfference to people, parks and communty What a Cty! One bg reason we have a wonderful park system? Volunteers: more than 9,100 of them n They contrbuted about 157,000 hours as youth sports coaches, recreaton center helpers, envronmental stewards and mentors to make our parks what they are. An ndependent servce estmates the value of that tme at $3.5 mllon! And that doesn t nclude 1,600 hours of tme served by members of Ctzens Advsory Councls. Great Volunteers. Specal awards were gven n 2012 to fve ndvduals for ther remarkable volunteer servce to Mnneapols parks: Tony Tollver, Creekvew; Rchard Terrell, Green Central Gym; Nedra Robnson, McRae; Mara Larson, Wrth Off-road Trals; and, Nco Rocque, Folwell. Great Organzaton. Frends of Lorng Park was recognzed as a group of volunteers that has made a dfference n the cty. They helped nstall Garden of the Seasons at Lorng Park 15 years ago and stll care for t, plantng 2,500 annuals n the garden every sprng. The group also rases money for other Lorng Park projects, ncludng the plantng of more than 300 trees. Rsng Stars. Exceptonal volunteer contrbutons from young people were also honored by the Park Board: Sopha Rose Negash, Powderhorn; Isabel Gracano Reyes, Powderhorn; Romeo Wrght, Green Central Gym; LaChasstte Chazzy Taylor, Logan; Kalash K Acharya, East Phllps; and, Numone Jones, Whtter. 5

7 Goal: People connect through parks and recreaton Get Festve. Parks were the focal pont of summer communty celebratons. North Msssspp Regonal Park hosted the 27th Annual Juneteenth Festval, featurng lve musc, famly-frendly actvtes and a feast of food for purchase. Red, Whte and Boom, the annual Fourth of July celebraton at the Msssspp Rver featured concerts and moves at the Ncollet Island Pavlon, concerts at the Hennepn Bluffs bandstand, a fun run and, of course, freworks over the rver. 4th of July freworks also lt up the sky over Powderhorn Park, co-sponsored by the Powderhorn Park Neghborhood Assocaton. Gotta Go to Mexco. The Monarch Festval at Nokoms Naturescape Garden celebrated the butterfly s amazng mgraton from Mnnesota to Mexco. Art, musc, dance, and games helped rase awareness of the need to provde and protect habtat for monarchs. The Nokoms East Neghborhood Assocaton helped produce the event. Fundng was provded by the Mnnesota State Arts Board through the Mnnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Other partners ncluded the Mexcan Consulate, Monarchs n the Classroom, Unvson, Communty Celebraton of Place and UCare. Black Hstory. Black Hstory Month was celebrated n many parks wth specal events rangng from move showngs at Rev. Dr. Martn Luther Kng Jr. Park to a Soul Food Experence at Longfellow Park to pantng Afrcan masks at North Commons. Lyndale Farmstead Park featured an evenng of DJ ed musc by Afrcan Amercan artsts and many parks conducted games and quzzes around the subject of black hstory. Tour de Force. Nearly 4,000 people partcpated n the annual Mnneapols Bke Tour along portons of the Grand Rounds Parkway system n September. 36 mles of parkway were closed to motorzed traffc so cyclsts could enjoy some of the most beautful scenery n Mnneapols at a lesurely pace. A post-rde party at The Parade featured lve musc, food vendors and exhbts. Goal: Parks provde a center for communty lvng Back to Hs Roots. Arzona Cardnals all-pro wde recever, Larry Ftzgerald Jr., donated money to resurface the outdoor basketball court and put up new backboards and baskets at Rev. Dr. Martn Luther Kng Jr. Park. Ftzgerald played both football and basketball at the park as a boy. Ftzgerald was on hand to open the new courts along wth Mnnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and Lynx players Rebekkah Brunson and Monca Wrght. Helmets, Too. Ftzgerald also teamed up wth football equpment manufacturer Rddell to donate 1,000 football helmets for use n MPRB youth football leagues. More than 900 Mnneapols youth ages 9-14 partcpate n the program. Barber Foundaton helps North Commons Park. The Barber Foundaton sponsored unforms for three North Commons youth football teams provdng jerseys for each player. Maron Barber III and hs brother Domnque shared ther love of football and NFL experence wth Mnneapols youth by provdng a free clnc at North Hgh School. Good Sports. Youth sports teams were honored for exemplary sportsmanshp durng 2012 competton. The teams honored were Longfellow 10U baseball, Kenwood 11U softball, Lnden Hlls/Pershng track and feld, Longfellow gymnastcs, Logan Eastsde 13U hockey, Farvew 11U wrestlng, Bottneau 11U boys basketball, Keewaydn 11U grls basketball, Lynnhurst 15U grls soccer, Pearl 13U open soccer, Wate Park 10U football, Longfellow 11U football, Sbley 14U football and Pearl 15U volleyball. Congratulatons to all! Enjoy! More than 200 concerts, n all muscal styles, were presented at Lake Harret, Mnnehaha Falls, Bryant Square, Father Hennepn Bluffs and Ncollet Island last summer. A Frday evenng seres of concerts by natonally recognzed artsts, followed by a move, were sponsored by Vta.mn. Moves n the Parks, sponsored by Xfnty, featured more than 50 moves whch were shown n 30 parks across the cty. 6

8 Vson 3: Dynamc Parks that shape cty character and meet dverse communty needs Goal: Parks shape an evolvng cty The Land Between. The strp of land between Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun was the subject of a mult-day desgn charrette to get publc nput nto future uses. As ths area along Lake Street has become more congested, safety and development concerns have arsen. The MPRB has earmarked $3.7 mllon for mprovement to the Chan of Lakes Regonal Park n and nput from ths creatve sesson wll help drect park plannng. RverFrst. The ntatve to remake the Upper Rver, begun n 2010, took great strdes forward wth the unvelng of new desgns for the former Scherer Brothers ste along the rver n northeast Mnneapols. Desgns from Tom Leader Studo/Kennedy Volch Archtecture proposed to create natural habtat for brds, anmals and plants by recreatng Hall s Island n the rver. The Park Board also sgned contracts wth the desgn team for further concepts and desgns throughout the RverFrst project area and another wth Mnneapols Parks Foundaton for project management of the RverFrst ntatve. A Plan for the Largest Park. A concept plan for Theodore Wrth Regonal Park all 759 acres was developed by a Communty Advsory Commttee after extensve communty engagement and approved by the Park Board n The plan wll provde the bass for a master plan that wll prortze nvestment and programmng n the park for the next 20 years. Water Works. In conjuncton wth the Mnneapols Parks Foundaton, the MPRB ntated dscussons of possble uses for the parkland adjacent to Mll Runs Park on the Central Msssspp Rverfront. The ste s referred to as Water Works after the former cty water works on the ste, but s better known as the past ste of the Fuj-Ya restaurant. Possbltes for the ste could nclude excavatng more of the mll runs or developng other hstorcal, cultural or servce-orented actvtes. A Whole New Feld. Realzng a goal of the Comprehensve Plan, the MPRB ntated a communty process to develop a plan for urban agrculture. Communty members provded opnons through multple outreach methods, wth the goal to adopt and mplement a supportve plan n Cedar Lake CAC. Two Communty Advsory Commttees (CAC) crossed paths around Cedar Lake. One was apponted to provde nput on tral mprovements from Dean Parkway around the west shore of the lake. A second CAC was apponted to gve ts vews on a Southwest Lght Ral Transt corrdor n the same vcnty. Goal: Park faclty renewal and development respects hstory and focuses on sustanablty, accessblty, flexblty and beauty Wrth Beach Grand Openng. The communty celebrated the grand openng of major mprovements to Wrth Beach ncludng a 280-foot long boardwalk around the swmmng area, playgrounds, sand volleyball courts and parkng lot. A new boardwalk along the north end of Wrth Lake completed a tral around the lake and wetlands were restored to help mprove water qualty n the lake. New Sdng. The Cedar Isles Dean Neghborhood Assocaton allocated $33,000 to mprove Park Sdng Park. The funds were used to plant new trees and redesgn garden beds (tended by neghborhood volunteers), and nstall garden rrgaton, a new drnkng fountan and two concrete table tenns tables. Advantage Bohanon. Two tenns courts at Bohanon Park were replaced. New playng surfaces, permeter fencng and net posts were funded by the MPRB s Captal Improvement Program. Everybody Loves a Parade. The Parade Parkway and parkng lots at Parade Ice Garden were reconstructed n the fall. Grand Re-Openng. The Phllps Communty Center reopened after extensve renovatons snce The center, whch houses a gym, computer lab, teen club and meetng rooms as well as fve new communty tenants receved major upgrades to heatng and ar condtonng systems, a new roof, new lghtng, new fnshes and was brought up to code. 7

9 Made n the Shade. Three new shade structures nstalled near the play areas and pool at Kenny Park wll make the park more welcomng and comfortable for park users. A new concrete pad and pcnc table wll also be nstalled. The Kenny Neghborhood Assocaton provded $25,000 toward the cost of the new cool. Fresh Dgs for Prare Dogs. Vctory Prare dog park was dramatcally mproved wth nstallaton of new fences, a new ADA-complant entrance and new sgnage. New Home for Poneers. Extensve mprovements to two rversde parks were dedcated n September, ncludng the relocated Poneers sculpture that once stood opposte the downtown Post Offce. Major renovatons at Boom Island and B. F. Nelson parks were funded by the Msssspp Watershed Management Organzaton, Parks and Trals Legacy funds and the Metropoltan Councl. The restoraton of the Poneers Monument was funded n part by the St. Anthony West Neghborhood Organzaton and the Cty of Mnneapols Art n Publc Places program. Get a Grp, Go wth the Flow. Handrals were replaced on the boardwalk on the north sde of Theodore Wrth Lake. A control structure at the outlet of Wrth Lake nto Bassett s Creek was also rebult to prevent creek water from flowng nto the lake, whch s expected to mprove lake water qualty. Goal: Through outreach and research, park and recreaton servces are relevant today and tomorrow Keewaydn Master Plan. A nne-month plannng process resulted n the creaton and presentaton of a new master plan for Keewaydn Park at a publc hearng. Necesstated by an expanson of the Keewaydn School buldng, the plan provdes for buldng a new playground and wadng pool, reconfgurng athletc felds to provde for soccer play, and preservng a grove of mature trees as a pcnc area. Implementaton of the plan depends on fundng avalablty. Ths Old House. The Park Board began a process to determne the best use of park property at th Avenue South that had prevously been the Wate House. Workng wth the Mdtown Phllps Neghborhood Assocaton, the Park Board obtaned communty nput nto the optmal use of the property to beneft the neghborhood and meet the fnancal objectves of the MPRB. Court Sport Support. The plannng dvson of MPRB began preparaton of an actvty plan for outdoor court sports by holdng open houses. The process wll contnue to evaluate programs and facltes for court sports, ncludng table tenns, pckleball, badmnton, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, futsal and more. Goal: Focused land management supports current and future generatons Another Pece of the Puzzle. The Park Board purchased a Msssspp rverfront property as part of the long-term goal of enlargng Above the Falls Regonal Park along the length of the rver n north and northeast Mnneapols. The property at 1720 Marshall St. NE adds 1.74 acres and 350 feet of rver frontage to the Mnneapols park system. The MPRB purchased the property for $1.37 mllon, wth the Metropoltan Councl s Park Acquston Opportunty Fund contrbutng $609,000 and the Msssspp Watershed Management Organzaton contrbutng $202,000 toward the purchase. Goal: Fnancally ndependent and sustanable parks prosper Toro, Twns, and Qualty Ball Felds. Toro and the Mnnesota Twns joned forces wth the MPRB agan to renovate two mult-purpose sports felds at Bryant Square. More than 80 Twns and Toro employees volunteered tme to repar playng surfaces and fencng, and nstall benches for players and bleachers for spectators. Toro and the Twns donated the $20,000 needed to purchase the supples for the renovaton. Toro Two. Toro also donated a Dngo Compact Utlty Loader for use n gardens throughout the park system. Toro demonstrated the safe use of the loader at Lyndale Farmstead Park n August. 8

10 Thank You, Hennepn County. Hennepn County Youth Sports Program announced valuable new grants for youth sports facltes n Mnneapols Parks n Ellot Park Soccer Feld. The county pledged $175,000 to construct a new synthetc turf feld n the park. The success of smlar felds at Curre and Stewart parks, whch can accommodate many users n all weather, recommended the constructon of another feld. Lnden Hlls Tenns Courts. The county also announced a contrbuton of $80,000 toward the reconstructon of four tenns courts and a basketball court at Lnden Hlls Park. The Lnden Hlls communty rased $140,000 n matchng funds, ncludng a contrbuton from the Unted States Tenns Assocaton, for the courts, whch wll be completed n sprng Hennepn County also made contrbutons for new athletc equpment at Armatage, Pearl Farvew, Folwell, Kenny, Longfellow, Wate and Sbley parks. Thank You Agan, Hennepn County. MPRB dedcated two renovated baseball felds that had receved Hennepn County grants n prevous years. Pearl Park. A county grant of $225,000 helped renovate a baseball feld at Pearl Park. The feld was named n honor of Harmon Kllebrew the former Twns Hall of Fame player. Kllebrew s wdow Nta, and former teammates Tony Olva and Frank Qulc took part n the dedcaton. Northeast Park. The prmary baseball feld at Northeast was renovated n part wth a grant of $300,000 from the county. New rrgaton, fencng, nfeld, bullpens, dugouts, scoreboard and battng cages were nstalled. The project was also asssted by the Edson Hgh School and Northeast Boosters. Edson Hgh School wll play ts home baseball games on the feld. No Quarters, More Benjamns. Sngle space parkng meters along Man Street and East Rver Parkway were converted to pay-by-space statons that accept credt cards, whch ncreased parkng revenue by about $8,000 a month. Edble Sandcastle. A Communty Advsory Commttee selected Sandcastle Enterprses to be the food vendor at Lake Nokoms. Sandcastle wll create a menu of fresh, healthy food that appeals to dverse tastes for ther 2013 openng. The new venture wll buld on the success of other park food vendors Tn Fsh, Sea Salt and Bread and Pckle. Goal: Easly accessble nformaton supports enjoyment and use of the park and recreaton system Stay Informed. Now anyone can stay up-to-date on park developments wth GovDelvery emal updates. News and event updates are delvered drectly to nboxes. Users can select from a broad range of topcs that nterest them. From weather alerts to parkway closures to updates on plannng projects, anyone can get the latest nfo on everythng park related automatcally. Clck on the red envelope at mnneapolsparks.org to sgn up. 200,000 Households. MPRB program hghlghts and calendar reached that many households quarterly as a four-page nsert n Mnneapols Publc Schools Communty Educaton malngs n Our message of fun, health, wellness and actvty reaches more people, more economcally by ncludng our nsert n the Communty Ed malng. The nserts wll contnue n Gve Gfts. Gft cards can now be purchased at most park locatons and redeemed for rentals, fees, actvtes, programs or merchandse n MPRB facltes. Our onlne regstraton software enables us to process gft card payments and provde a one-stop shop for customers throughout the park system. 9

11 Vson 4: a Safe Place to play, recreate, contemplate and celebrate Goal: Postve recreaton experences and welcomng parks prevent crme Safer Steps. MPRB masonry crew completed reconstructon of crumblng stone walls and steps descendng to the lower gorge at Mnnehaha Falls. Staff Tranng. Park polce expanded safety tranng for staff at recreaton centers. In part as a result of safety tranng, recreaton adopted new systemwde faclty and gym safety gudelnes. Hgher Vsblty. Mnneapols Park Polce worked wth recreaton and events staff to create a staff schedule of events to ncrease polce vsblty and generate goodwll wth park users. Park polce revewed events and actvtes at every shft brefng. Park polce partcpated n 101 events n July, 134 n August and 83 n September. Goal: Resdents, park vstors and staff make safe choces n parks Bg Hearts, Cool Heads. The MPRB recognzed fve ndvdual ctzens who made quck decsons to assst others n dangerous stuatons, contrbutng to a safer park envronment. They are Brtta Peterson, Mchael Almsted, Nathan Wold, Masood Yunus and Adam Chapn. Stay Safe. A Mnneapols Safety Camp for thrd through ffth graders was held at Theodore Wrth Regonal Park. The camp, whch teaches kds personal and socal safety as well as frst ad, s a jont effort of the Mnneapols Park Polce and Mnneapols Polce and Fre Departments. Goal: Interventon and communcaton reduces safety concerns Hot Enough for Ya? Durng 2012 s summer heat wave, aquatc hours were adapted to provde the best possble servce to park users. On especally hot days, lfe-guard duty at eght beaches was extended an extra hour nto the evenng to help protect swmmers seekng to cool off. When hgh temperatures contnued nto the fall, 32 wadng pools were kept open an extra week n September. Another routne heat-related safety polcy was to close the 29 recreaton centers that don t have ar condtonng when the heat ndex rses to unsafe levels. Toughbook. Laptop computers called Toughbooks mounted n squad cars for feld use mproved communcaton for park polce. Offcer Keth Rowland receved the Park Polce Chef s Award of Mert for hs work to obtan the computers at almost no cost to the MPRB. Props to Park Polce. Offcer James Huber receved the 2012 Park Polce Offcer of the Year award and the Medal of Honor from the Cty of Mnneapols Polce Department for hs actons n response to an attack on hm and hs partner, Offcer Katherne Hammes last summer. A man posng as a robbery vctm stabbed both offcers. Huber was stabbed frst, but hs body armor saved hm from more serous njury. The attacker then stabbed Hammes and as he contnued hs attack on her, Huber shot and njured hm. Hs actons lkely saved Hammes from more serous njury or death. Hammes, who also suffered a serous concusson n the attack, was awarded the Medal of Valor from the Cty of Mnneapols Polce Department and the Mltary Order of the Purple Heart Frst Responder Award. Crmefghters. Offcers Bran Woodfll, Jeffrey Johnson, Laura Blauert and Robert Mooney receved awards from the Cty of Mnneapols Polce Department for ther work n arrestng crme suspects. Lfesavers. Offcers Steven Paasch, Sam Xong, Adam Swerczek, Robert Mooney and Chad Berdahl, receved the Lfesavng Award from the Cty of Mnneapols Polce Department for ther work n preventng the sucdes of two people. An Offcer Remembered. On May 15, 2012, frends, famly and co-workers gathered n Mnnehaha Park to dedcate a memoral n honor of Offcer Mark Bedard. Offcer Bedard ded n the lne of duty on November 9, The memoral honors hs great sacrfce. Goal: Communtes, publc and prvate partners, and staff cooperate to promote safety New Brdge, Old Creek. A pedestran brdge over the former mouth of Bassett s Creek between James Rce Parkway and the Msssspp Rver was repared after nspectors declared t unsafe. Sx hundred feet of trals near the brdge were also upgraded and eroson protecton measures mplemented n the surroundng area. 10

12 Values gude commssoners, staff and volunteers n ther work Sustanablty Meet current park and recreaton needs wthout sacrfcng the ablty of future generatons to meet ther own needs by balancng envronment, economc and equty concerns Intatves for Acton. The MPRB ntated fve actons to meet sustanablty goals. 1. Make buldngs energy effcent and reduce carbon emssons 2. Re-organze waste management strateges 3. Events go green 4. Broaden the strategc applcaton of the urban forest to nclude multple benefts 5. Educate resdents and staff on current sustanablty practces No Effort Wasted. Waste audts were conducted at MPRB Headquarters, sx recreaton centers and Lake Harret by volunteers to determne how much garbage could be recycled or composted, nstead of sent to the landfll. The effort was part of the MPRB s commtment to reduce the amount of garbage generated and collected n Mnneapols parks. Thrster Trees. To protect the urban forest, a publc awareness campagn was launched featurng Elmer the Elm Tree mascot toutng the mportance of waterng trees. Got Vews? The MPRB conducted a communty survey to collect publc feedback on sustanablty ssues, whch were dentfed n the Comprehensve Plan as one of fve core organzatonal values upon whch the Park Board s work should be based. Water boulevard trees to help them grow faster and reman healthy. Water trees weekly. Place a hose beneath the branches of the tree and run water at a gentle trckle for about two hours, or Slowly pour 20 gallons of water around the tree each week, or Request a waterng bag for trees four nches or less n dameter and fll t wth water once a week (bag requests accepted untl Aug. 31 whle supples last). Water weekly durng sprng, summer and fall untl the ground freezes. Make sure water s absorbed by the sol and does not run off onto the street or sdewalk. The best tme to water s early mornng or late evenng. Trees refll ther water needs at nght and there s less loss from evaporaton. It costs less than $3 to water a boulevard tree for the growng season. Got Data? 49 MPRB buldngs, ncludng 45 recreaton centers, two ce arenas, Headquarters and the Southsde Operatons Center, were added to the State of Mnnesota s B3 Benchmarkng System. Ths vtal tool allows the MPRB to effectvely and effcently track and compare utlty use over tme. Greener Events. New gudelnes were developed for programmng more sustanable, green events. Ice Dream. MPRB staff conducted research on the envronmental and economc cost savngs of upgradng Parade Ice Garden. Research reveals that the facltes, bult n 1973 and 1989, could be operated much more effcently f current R-22 refrgerant was replaced wth ammona, exstng rnk floors were replaced, exstng HVAC and dehumdfer systems were replaced, and heat reclamaton systems were nstalled. Renovaton plans would result n lower operatng costs, lower carbon emssons (the equvalent of takng 170 cars off the road) and hgher revenues. Implementaton s dependent on securng fundng. Responsveness and Innovaton Antcpate and thoughtfully respond to the dverse needs of the cty s communtes, contnually seekng ways to better delver park and recreaton servces Greener Meetngs. In May, the MPRB launched an onlne meetng portal so park commssoners, staff and nterested ndvduals can search, access and retreve meetng agendas, mnutes and support materals onlne. The new portal elmnates the need to prnt nfo packets as long as 150 pages for all partcpants 25 tmes a year. The portal also enables on-demand vewng of b-weekly commssoner meetngs. Customer Servce Tranng. Mandatory customer servce tranng was provded to all full-tme and part-tme Park Board employees. The 24 tranng sessons, conducted by our customer servce staff wth help from people across the organzaton, emphaszed cultural awareness and helped develop customer servce sklls. The sessons emphaszed servce to both nternal and external customers. Communty Engagement Tranng. Seventy staff members from across the organzaton partcpated n communty engagement tranng that focused on buldng sklls related to dentfyng stakeholders and reachng dverse and underserved audences. Partcpants also learned how to desgn an effectve engagement process. The tranng wll help staff talor programs, servces and nfrastructure to the communtes the Park Board serves. 11

13 Technology Resource Center. The ITS department created a new resource center where staff can receve techncal support and assstance, on-the-spot tranng and dagnostcs, and explore new technology. The resource center wll help all departments work more effcently. Vsonary Leadershp Respect the vson and leadershp that bult the park and recreaton system and recognze the need for ongong leadershp n achevng excellence Above the Falls Re-Mastered. The orgnal Above the Falls Master Plan created n 2000 was revewed to reflect changng condtons along the rver banks n north and northeast Mnneapols from Plymouth Avenue to the Camden Brdge and re-establsh prortes. The plan s a jont effort of MPRB, Cty of Mnneapols, Above the Falls Ctzens Advsory Commttee and the Mnneapols Rverfront Partnershp. Browne Ponts. The Park Board approved the Browne Lake Area Plan that focuses on mprovng trals and connectons for hkers and cyclsts, restorng natve vegetaton and mprovng water qualty. Implementaton of the plan wll draw on $1 mllon obtaned through the Park and Trals Fund created by the Mnnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, the Federal Transportaton Enhancement Act and local matchng funds. In Memoram. Many park lovers n Mnneapols mourned the death of Jeff Wnter n October. Jeff had been the presdent of People for Parks for many years and devoted consderable tme and effort to organzng voluntary contrbutons to the park system. Safety Work safely to support a thrvng work envronment and an outstandng park experence for vstors New Log Loaders. Four new log loaders were acqured as an mportant step n mplementng our safety polcy. The loaders wll enable forestry crews to pck up tree debrs, nstead of chppng on ste. Safety Report Adopted. MPRB staff are mplementng the four key recommendatons that came out of a revew of occupatonal health and safety practces. Two forestry supervsors have become Certfed Tree Care Safety Professonals after attendng a two-day course. An occupatonal health and safety offcer wll be hred n We are ncorporatng occupatonal health as an element of job desgn and equpment selecton. We have begun trackng and sharng safety statstcs wth employees as key performance ndcators. The goal s to reduce workplace accdents and njures, and ther assocated costs, and to mprove morale. Independence and Focus Independence allows the Mnneapols Park and Recreaton Board to focus on provdng and obtanng the resources necessary to accomplsh ts msson and form effectve, responsble partnershps Wn, Wn. The Park Board and Cty of Mnneapols contnue to collaborate to cut costs on mantenance. Ths was demonstrated by sprng mantenance of the Stone Arch Brdge by the Cty of Mnneapols Brdge Department, the seal coatng of sectons of many parkways, and mantenance of the Cedar Lake Tral by cty crews. Four Out of Fve. Four of the fve most-vsted Regonal Parks n the Metro area were n Mnneapols. The most vsted wth 5.1 mllon vstors, as determned by the Metropoltan Councl was Chan of Lakes Regonal Park. Ranked three through fve among busest parks were Msssspp Rver Gorge, whch ncludes Mnnehaha Park, Central Msssspp Rverfront and Mnnehaha Parkway Regonal Tral. Only St. Paul s Como Park, Zoo and Conservatory wth year-round, ndoor attractons at #2, prevented a Mnneapols sweep of the top fve most popular parks. 12

14 Organzatonal Overvew Superntendent s Offce Leadershp, vson, drecton The Superntendent s Offce s responsble for the executve management of the hghly dverse servces and operatons of the Mnneapols Park and Recreaton Board. The Superntendent provdes MPRB employees: 480 full-tme, 1,301 temporary leadershp, vson and drecton to the MPRB event partcpants: Park Board s servce areas, mplements 50,000 events, 100,000 concerts, Board polcy, and works wth the Board 25,000 moves and leadershp staff to craft strategc Annual webste vsts: 1.7 mllon and fnancal plannng objectves. The Superntendent serves as an ambassador to the communty and to other governmental agences. The Superntendent s Offce oversees human resources; communty outreach; and communcatons and marketng. Admnstratve Servces Supportng organzaton servce delvery Admnstratve Servces provdes expertse n supportng the Envronmental Stewardshp, Plannng and Recreaton servce areas of the MPRB Budget: $74,520,193 Mnneapols Park and Recreaton Permts processed: 177 weddngs, Board. Admnstratve Servces also 182 receptons, 370 sal boat buoys, provdes support to the Board of 438 canoe racks, 968 pcncs, 5,056 Commssoners. The dvson oversees off-leash recreaton areas, 6,219 parkng the organzaton s nformaton technologes; fscal accountablty, ncludng accountng, fnancal and budget management, and procurement; records management; rsk management; and customer servce center. Envronmental Stewardshp Carng for the system Envronmental Stewardshp provdes expertse for the care, mantenance, and safety of the park system. The dvson oversees the mantenance of the Mnneapols Park system s physcal nfrastructure; equpment and fleet; natural areas and water resources; forestry; volunteer coordnaton; envronmental educaton; park law enforcement; and emergency management. Mles of cty streets arborsts plant and mantan trees: 1,000 Mles of paved bkng and walkng trals mantaned: 102 Acres of unque ecosystems cared for (prare, woodlands, wetlands, shorelnes): 400 Plannng Servces Developng the system Plannng Servces provdes expertse to lead, advse and gude the development and redevelopment of the Mnneapols Park system. The dvson oversees park system analyss, communty engagement for park plannng and desgn, park master plannng, real estate servces, desgn and engneerng, physcal development and redevelopment, and constructon permttng. Recreaton Servces Provdng vstor actvtes Recreaton Servces provdes expertse to lead, provde and create affordable recreatonal, cultural, educatonal, and Sport team partcpants: 6,770 youth, 34,120 adults Rec Plus locatons: 19 Athletc faclty rental permts ssued: 6,000 Revenue generatng facltes: 2 water parks, 5 18-hole golf courses, 2 9-hole golf courses, 2 ndoor ce arenas, 2 sports complexes, 1 wnter recreaton area Food concessons: Tn Fsh, Sea Salt, Bread and Pckle, moble carts Specal event permts ssued: 232 Local and State funds avalable for captal mprovements to neghborhood parks: $8.05 mllon Regonal and State funds avalable for captal mprovements to regonal parks: $8.59 mllon lesure opportuntes to beneft and enhance the lves of all Mnneapols resdents. The dvson oversees recreaton faclty operatons, ncludng recreaton centers, golf courses, aquatc facltes and beaches, ce arenas, cross-country skng venues, and Wrth Wnter Recreaton Complex; recreaton, educaton, and nterpretve programmng; use and event permttng; and athletc felds and complexes. 13

15 2012 Budget Condensed Fnancal Report for the year ended December 31, 2012 Revenues Property Taxes $ 46,645,907 Enterprse $ 15,606,436 Local Government Ad $ 7,570,039 Other Revenue $ 5,021,003 Total Revenues $ 74,843,385 Expendtures Superntendent s Offce Superntendent s Offce $ 836,422 Board of Commssoners $ 604,242 Communcatons and Marketng $ 439,773 Communty Outreach $ 1,356,436 Human Resources $ 398,524 Admnstratve Servces Customer Servce $ 425,672 Fnance $ 832,789 Cty Management Fee, Contrbutons and Other $ 1,632,688 Envronmental Stewardshp Envronmental $ 1,455,781 Volunteer Servces $ 171,979 Forestry $ 9,521,857 Mantenance $ 19,596,793 Summer Youth Employment Teen Teamworks $ 956,729 Park Polce $ 5,014,441 Plannng Servces Plannng $ 1,151,655 Recreaton Servces Aquatcs $ 422,034 Recreaton $ 9,529,040 Enterprse $ 14,449,325 Other Captal Projects $ 4,887,271 Captal Projects Enterprse $ 836,742 Total Expendtures $ 74,520,193 14

16 2012 Dstnctons Mnneapols Best Publc Parks and Outdoor Access Travel + Lesure Magazne Mnneapols Fttest Cty n Amerca Shape Magazne Mnneapols Most Bkeable Cty n U.S. Walk Score Mnneapols Among 25 Best Ctes for Walkng Preventon Magazne Ncollet Island Pavlon Best Outdoor Recepton Ste Mnnesota Brde Cedar Lake Best Lake Cty Pages West Rver Parkway Best Place to Run Cty Pages 2117 West Rver Road Mnneapols, MN phone fax Annual Report Publshed March 2013 prnted on paper contanng 30% post-consumer fber and manufactured wth wndpower