Park News - July 2024

 

The Minneapolis Park & Rec Board has approved a new concept plan for improvements at Clinton Field Park at 2433 Clinton Ave in the Whittier neighborhood.  It includes, among other things, new playgrounds, a fenced in futsal court, a sheltered picnic area, a community garden and full basketball court. Some construction could begin this fall, but is not expected to be completed until summer or fall of 2025.

 

The now-complete improvements on the west side of Painter Park include:

• Sport court reconstruction and upgrades: Finishing touches to the basketball court and tennis/pickleball court recently wrapped up, following delays due to spring’s cool weather and frequent rainfall. (Note: portable pickleball nets will be delivered soon.)

• Street-style skatepark with transition-style features

• Above- and below-ground stormwater management: Stormwater runoff from the skatepark flows via drains into chambers underneath its middle section, where it can slowly infiltrate and recharge the groundwater. Runoff from the tennis/pickleball courts flows into adjacent infiltration basins.

There are also new seating and gathering spaces, native plantings, and improved paths and pedestrian lighting.

 

Construction work for the new playground and other improvements at Whittier Park was originally planned for this summer, but is now delayed due to necessary environmental testing. Routine soil testing in preparation for the project indicated the presence of specific contaminants such as coal ash, brick debris, and lead below the soil surface in a few locations of the project site. These elements are commonly found in parks built on former residential land, and do not represent any risk to the public when they are beneath the soil surface. This summer, MPRB will complete the testing and enroll the Whittier Park site in the Brownfield Program from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for review. This fall, MPRB will solicit construction bids for the project. Due to these delays, construction is now planned for spring-summer 2025, in coordination with the schedule for Whittier Elementary School.