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First off, what Parks & Recreation Director Scott Riopelle proposed at last week’s city Administrative Committee meeting makes perfect sense. What he proposed is that the city shake-up its list of city parks that are next in line for new playground equipment – as part of the Parks & Recreation Department’s program of putting new stuff in a city park each year – and put the equipment being purchased this year in Castle Park, on the edge of Sampson’s Addition.
Until that moment, Maplewood Park in the Chase-Loring Additidon was without dispute tops on the new-playground equipment list in 2012, followed in 2013 by Carman Park.
Riopelle made a strong case for moving Castle Park to the top of the list. For one, the dog park opened there late last summer and, with the mild winter, it has caught on as a fun, useful new community amenity. For another, an enthusiastic group of sponsors and supporters is working to put a nature-based “play space” for kids in Castle Park. And for another, the city’s long-term vision for Castle Park has the city’s campground moving there from Central Park, a recreation area being created along the Red Lake River, and the existing trail system in the adjacent woods being enhanced.
In other words, since the flood control project wrapped up in Sampson’s Addition, Castle Park is in the process of being reborn, and the dog park was a huge first step. The natural play space sounds really cool, too, and if grant funding can ever be secured, the whole campground, recreation area and trails concept could really add up to something special. Wouldn’t you want the icing on the cake, so to speak, to be a new playground for kids?
But what about Maplewood Park? Before Castle Park was used as a staging area for flood control work in Sampson’s Addition, Maplewood Park was similarly trashed by dirt and heavy equipment during flood control work in Chase-Loring Addition. Doesn’t it deserve a rebirth, too? It doesn’t even look like a park now; it’s just an open space with some grass and weeds. And isn’t there already a reasonably new playground in Eugene Field Park only a couple blocks from Castle Park?
So maybe Castle Park being moved to the top of the new playground equipment list isn’t such a slam dunk. A good explanation needs to be given to Chase-Loring residents, who have felt a little forgotten by their city from time to time over the years, maybe because it’s a small neighborhood or maybe because the neighborhood lacks wealth and influence.
The explaining starts with Riopelle pitching his idea to the Park Board Tuesday afternoon. Maybe they’ll shoot down his idea, or maybe they’ll like what he has to say. Either way, Chase-Loring Addition residents deserve a chance to weigh in, too. Will they get their new playground in 2013? Maybe that’s palatable to them. Maybe they aren’t too concerned about Maplewood Park, or maybe they’re really psyched about giving new life to their park, and don’t want to be bumped from the front of the line.
First off, what Parks & Recreation Director Scott Riopelle proposed at last week’s city Administrative Committee meeting makes perfect sense. What he proposed is that the city shake-up its list of city parks that are next in line for new playground equipment – as part of the Parks & Recreation Department’s program of putting new stuff in a city park each year – and put the equipment being purchased this year in Castle Park, on the edge of Sampson’s Addition.
Until that moment, Maplewood Park in the Chase-Loring Additidon was without dispute tops on the new-playground equipment list in 2012, followed in 2013 by Carman Park.
Riopelle made a strong case for moving Castle Park to the top of the list. For one, the dog park opened there late last summer and, with the mild winter, it has caught on as a fun, useful new community amenity. For another, an enthusiastic group of sponsors and supporters is working to put a nature-based “play space” for kids in Castle Park. And for another, the city’s long-term vision for Castle Park has the city’s campground moving there from Central Park, a recreation area being created along the Red Lake River, and the existing trail system in the adjacent woods being enhanced.
In other words, since the flood control project wrapped up in Sampson’s Addition, Castle Park is in the process of being reborn, and the dog park was a huge first step. The natural play space sounds really cool, too, and if grant funding can ever be secured, the whole campground, recreation area and trails concept could really add up to something special. Wouldn’t you want the icing on the cake, so to speak, to be a new playground for kids?
But what about Maplewood Park? Before Castle Park was used as a staging area for flood control work in Sampson’s Addition, Maplewood Park was similarly trashed by dirt and heavy equipment during flood control work in Chase-Loring Addition. Doesn’t it deserve a rebirth, too? It doesn’t even look like a park now; it’s just an open space with some grass and weeds. And isn’t there already a reasonably new playground in Eugene Field Park only a couple blocks from Castle Park?
So maybe Castle Park being moved to the top of the new playground equipment list isn’t such a slam dunk. A good explanation needs to be given to Chase-Loring residents, who have felt a little forgotten by their city from time to time over the years, maybe because it’s a small neighborhood or maybe because the neighborhood lacks wealth and influence.
The explaining starts with Riopelle pitching his idea to the Park Board Tuesday afternoon. Maybe they’ll shoot down his idea, or maybe they’ll like what he has to say. Either way, Chase-Loring Addition residents deserve a chance to weigh in, too. Will they get their new playground in 2013? Maybe that’s palatable to them. Maybe they aren’t too concerned about Maplewood Park, or maybe they’re really psyched about giving new life to their park, and don’t want to be bumped from the front of the line.
