HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 07-06 Maplewood to reopen nature center with limited programming this fall PIONEER PRESS7/27/2021 Maplewood to reopen nature center with limited programming this fall — Twin Cities
THINGS TO DO
Maplewood to reopen nature
center with limited programming
this fall
By AVA IKIAIN I akian@pioneerpress.com
PUBLISHED: July 6, 2021 at 4:47 p.m. I UPDATED: July 6, 2021 at 5:43 p.m.
The city of Maplewood plans to reopen its nature center in September, more
than a year after indefinitely closing the building to save money during the
coronavirus pandemic.
City officials closed the center as a health precaution in March 2020. That
summer, t ey.he staff
!".�and said the building would remain closed
....... .......................
indefinitely, citing a need to cover unrelated items elsewhere in the city's budget
and a reluctance to raise taxes during the pandemic.
Since then, the city has looked into creating regional partnerships, renting out
the space and establishing an on -site day care. Ultimately, they decided the best
way to reopen the building would be to move in four employees from the city's
parks and recreation department, whose offices are at City Hall.
"We figured, OK, the priority is to open the building back up to the public. So
again, if you're walking around the trails out there, you could use the restroom
facilities and maybe stop in, and we'd have brochures or learning opportunities
that were in there. So that's what combining these two does," city spokesman Joe
Sheeran said.
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7/27/2021 Maplewood to reopen nature center with limited programming this fall — Twin Cities
The park, established in 1976, remains open to the public. The city, which
maintains the trails and pond, plans to bring back some environmental and
natural resources programming in the fall.
"That building, that space, that area, is a treasure to our city," Sheeran said.
The center laid off around four staff members last year, city manager Melinda
Coleman said. When it reopens, likely sometime in September, programming will
be limited.
Programs like "Rain Garden Rescue," "Emerald Ash Borer: What Can I Do?" and a
seminar on the invasive buckthorn tree are planned for late summer and early
fall.
The demand for their programs is high, said Audra Robbins, parks and recreation
manager.
"As the department's changing, we're looking to see what we can offer. Our first
in -person class was just a week ago, and it was an in -person pruning class, and
there were 40 participants. So it was full. We had to turn people away," Robbins
said.
Tags: IMalpllewood
Ava Kian
Ava Kian is a reporting intern on the metro team covering
. several communities in the North Suburbs. She is a senior at the
University of Minnesota.
akian@pioneerpress.com
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