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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 10-01 Maplewood parks to get a makeover MAPLEWOOD REVIEWOCT- 1 2,14 Ma lewood parks to get,, a make,over' P g havobeen spent reviewing poten- good asset -management plan t* I I Years of "Plannin tial improvements;'now it's time keep up with that system." starting to take form to determine how to accomplish Taylor said that the city counc.' them, Taylor saand mayor ' have been "extremell Tim Faklis "The first step is finding out supportive" in the ongoing prc Review staff what' (residents) want; the next cess, and have made the plannin is figuring out how to pay for go very smoothly. Part of that ma , According to city officials, that" he added. There are lots'of be Slawik's passion for parks, an Maplewood's parks are simply not options on the table: soliciting pri- promotion of active living an cutting it anymore. vate funding; start a foundation,, physical activity. Maplewood parks manager Jim or possibly having a park refer'en- ','I'm a parks-and-rec majol Taylor went as far as to say that in at some point." so this is something that's Ver the city hasn't done a good enough Mayor Nora Slawik said there important to me,"' Slawi job historically keeping the infra- isn't 'a concrete number yet on, explained. "I think we hear from structure updated at its 36 parks.' overall costs, but estimates are lot of the residents that parks'are As a result, the parks staff and being; compiled. very high priority. I think that (th city council members, have been Still, the important thing for park staff and city leaders) hav discussing and outlining possible "now, according to Taylor, is to taken a really good approach wif ways to give the park system the start by focusing on what needs the way they're doing the plat uD. rades th v say are necessary repairing. nin V1 and long overdue. The cost of the projects and, the' 'Passion for parks' official start dates depend on a "We have this aging infrastruc- great number of thins, including ture, " Tayl I or, said in a g recent inter,- where the city will get the major- view. ""We have a (park),, system, ity of, the funding itneeds for:the that was built 30, - some years ago,,, d we didn't really have a very renovations. The past couple years, an W E Mav%lewood parks... 2014 continued from page 1 she frequently takes her young cousins Lizzy and Ben to Maple Heights Park, which is located' east of Maplewood Mall at 2070 Beam Ave.),, Although Maple Heights is one of the busier parks in the city, she has noticed a general decline in patronage. She said during the warm days of summer "five or so families at a time" would visit the park. "A guy and his kid; a woman and her two kids; there were lots of families coming and going." But once autumn arrived, usage trailed off quickly, and now she and her little cousins are often the only ones in the 25 -acre park, even on pleas- ant days, she said. A lifelong resident of the area, she remembers a time when the parks were in even worse shape than they are today. "I grew up here, and like 20 years ago we used to get splinters on the equipment," she said. "It's better now, but that's not to say that the parks don't need updating." Taylor concurred that there is a lot of work to be done. Maplewood has 36 parks and 930 acres of designated open spaces, and he said the important thing is to make sure the city finds a better way to maintain all that parkland. Slawik had one word in particular to describe the city's goal. "We're looking to make our park,,; Patronage dropping On a recent visit to Maple Heights Park, Andrea, who ined to g er last name, sai Tim Fakhs/Review Children enjoy a fall afternoon at Maple Heights seei Maplewood paa rks on. pge 5 Park. Located just east of Maplewood Mall, it's one of the city's busier parks. more sustainable," she, said. "I think that's the main word here: Sustainable. to 'Proposed I tran�sit.line's in parks One concern t , hat has been discussed among city personnel is a pair of pro- posed state transit projects - Gateway Corridor and Rush Line - that will tra- verse Maplewood. They're currently drawn up to go near and through parks and trails. I Taylor said the important thing is to stay in touch with the planners for each of the two rapid -transit projects. "We keep an eye on that. it will be mentioned as part of the transporta- tion part of our plan," Taylor said. "It's all related, but for us, it's dealing with our (park) system, our trails, our acre- age, and everything else that goes along with that." Some things that have been proposed by city personnel and resident partici- pants are -"destination-type: parks" that people from all over the community would go to for various outdoor events. Other possible amenities mentioned are outdoor water features such as splash pads, and more recreational sta- tions for the kids. Taylor said whether or not those things will be added depends on the amount of funding that eventually becomes available. You can reach Tim Faklis at 651-748- 7814, at tfaklis@hotmail.com, or on Twitter @tfaklisnews.