Park Board staff has issued the following information sheet for the Theodore Wirth Regional Park Master Planning and Development Project:
Theodore Wirth Regional Park Master Planning and Development Update
The following projects have progress to report in Wirth Park:
Storm Seeding: The majority of woody removals have taken place, including some this winter in the wetland SE of Wirth Parkway and Glenwood. Temporary seeding was placed last fall in prepared areas. Next spring the project will continue with ongoing weed control and seeding of appropriate native seed mixes in all areas.
Wirth Beach Parking Lot and Trails (Phase 3): Though most of this work was completed in 2011, a few things remain. Over the winter, all of the railings along the Glenwood Ave trail and two boardwalks were removed and re-painted due to paint defects. This is scheduled to be complete by the end of March and the trail loop will be able to be re-opened. Additional seeding and plug planting in the bio-retention area west of the parking lot will be completed in spring along with final restoration and any seeding touch ups needed. Vegetation management will continue for one more year in the project area.
Wirth Pavilion Rehabilitation: The Pavilion Rehabilitation is underway. The project was awarded to CM Construction. This project includes complete renovation of the teaching kitchen and restrooms in the building. Building systems will be updated; wiring, plumbing, fire protection and sanitary sewer connections. New storm windows, insulation heating and air-conditioning along with a functioning fireplace will keep the building comfortable. New tables and chairs will make this space flexible for different group set ups. A grand re-opening is being planned for June, stay tuned for more details!
Winter Recreation Hilton Fund-Winter Recreation and Golf Cart Storage Building: This fund, which is dedicated to Winter Recreation improvements, will be used to replace two small aging golf cart storage buildings with a more durable and functional structure which can accommodate indoor storage of ski trail grooming equipment in winter and golf equipment in summer. Conceptual designs have been developed with a staff technical advisory group and will be available for review at the update meeting.
Sustainable Trail Planning: Schoenbauer Consulting will lead staff and trail development partners in a workshop style trail planning in spring 2013. Using the Wirth Park concept plan as a guide, Schoenbauer will focus on the pedestrian trails and the off-road bicycle connection in South Wirth as well as planning and design of the event trail loop in North Wirth. Schoenbauer Consulting worked on the consultant team which developed the Cuyuna Country Recreation Area Mountain Bike Trail System for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Master Plan Document: Staff are wrapping up the text and some graphics for the plan. The public comment period is planned to go to the full board on April 20th. At that time the plan will be available for public review and comment for 45 days. It will be posted online, as well as printed for review at MPRB headquarters and selected Recreation Centers. A full list of locations will be posted when the document is released. After the formal public comment period ends, the plan will be edited and submitted to the MPRB Board for adoption and Met Council review.
Fundraising Agreement with the Loppet Foundation: Negotiations continue toward a fundraising Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Loppet Foundation for the Welcome Center Building. The MOU, along with a draft lease to the Loppet Foundation for the Welcome Center building and an operations agreement for roughly 22 acres of land around the building is expected to be submitted to the Park Board of Commissioners for consideration in April. In the process of preparing the agreement, meetings have been held with the Wirth golfing community to understand their interests and, to the extent possible, address them in the agreements with the Loppet Foundation.
Bottineau Transitway – Theodore Wirth Regional Park (TWP) Forum The Theodore Wirth Regional Park Forum, a multi-day collaborative visioning process organized by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and Hennepin County (HC), was completed on March 2, 2013.
A multi-disciplinary design team gathered and utilized stakeholder input to explore possible connections between Theodore Wirth Regional Park and the proposed D1 Alignment of the Bottineau Transitway. There were over 50 attendees, and a wide range of input and ideas were generated. Many of the ideas informed the concepts for the two Bottineau Transitway Station options in the area of Theodore Wirth Regional Park (at Plymouth Avenue and Golden Valley Road) as well as areas along the corridor between these stations adjacent to Theodore Wirth Regional Park.
The next step will be to document the input received and the range of ideas generated by the forum. As materials are available the will be posted on the Wirth Park Forum for Bottineau Transitway page.: http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1423
For more information about the Theodore Wirth Regional Park Planning Process, please visit the Theodore Wirth Regional Park Improvements Page: http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1150 or contact Andrea Weber, Project Manager, 612-230-6466 [email protected]
