Pumping up the Parks

New playgrounds, trails and other
amenities coming soon to area parks

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | May 2025

The winter melt has given way to green grass, warm breezes and soft sunshine, sparking new life in parks across the city. Green spaces are important to urban areas because they help absorb traffic noise, cool neighborhoods, increase property values, improve mental health and provide room for recreation. Several improvements are now underway at parks in the St. Paul Voice distribution area, and many in St. Paul are funded fully or in part by the Common Cent Sales Tax, which St. Paul voters approved in 2023 and took effect last year. Here are the projects underway.

West Side St. Paul
Prospect Park playground – Located at 180 Delos St. W., Prospect Park is slated to get a new playground this summer thanks to a $710,000 community development block grant. A final plan is expected to be completed by the end of May, with construction beginning right after a bid is awarded. Proposed work includes replacing the existing playground and playground surface, improving walking paths and accessibility, installing more seating, upgrading lighting, and adding landscaping and public art. The new playground will be either “treehouse” or “birds and bugs” themed. Both options feature separate play zones for kids ages 2-5 and 5-12. Completion is targeted for this fall.

Baker Park – The 6.5-acre Baker Park on the West Side is currently being redesigned, with construction work scheduled for next year. Work includes combining the baseball and softball fields, installing a synthetic turf field, creating a restroom and storage facility, making a patio and concessions area near the annex building, improving the site’s water drainage, installing additional fencing and lighting, and adding trees. Drinking fountains may also be installed in some areas. The tennis courts and sledding hill will remain.

West St. Paul
The West St. Paul City Council is expected to adopt its new Parks System Plan this summer. It will guide improvements to the parks system for the next 20 years.

Pool – The City’s pool at 92 W. Orme St., built in 1955 and significantly restored in 1999, is nearing the end of its useful life. A report recently completed by a consultant estimated that repairing it to last for another 25 years would cost $1.3 million, or $4 million for another 50 years. City staff are continuing to analyze those options and may get cost estimates for creating a new pool. This year, the pool opens May 31, and the slide will not be in operation.

Marthaler Park – The Marthaler Park Improvement Project – underway since 2018 – was recently completed, and a grand opening celebration is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m., Thursday, June 5. The $2.1 million project included installing a new playground and fishing pier, creating a pavilion with grill and restroom, a new parking lot, resurfacing volleyball and basketball courts, habitat restoration, trail reconstruction, adding a bicycle repair station, security and more. It was partially funded by Dakota County and through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Kennedy Park – A new nature-themed playground is expected to be installed at Kennedy Park this summer. The site will also get a picnic shelter, new trails, about 40 trees and a bench designed by father-son artists Jim and Ryan Pedersen, dubbed “Embrace.” A $20,000 community challenge grant from AARP Livable Communities and AARP Minnesota received last summer is helping fund the approximately $450,000 project.

Albert Park – The park will be expanded this summer in conjunction with the realignment of the Smith and Dodd intersection. A concept plan for its new design is expected to be selected this year, with formal improvements taking place next year. All designs call for seating, landscaping and walkways, and a new memorial for Mendota Heights police officer Scott Patrick, who was shot and killed near the Smith-Dodd intersection in 2014. There are also expanded versions of the concept plans for if the adjacent Doddway shopping center is redeveloped into a mixed-use building. Those plans allow for public art and more gathering spaces.

Former YMCA property – Plans are in the works to create a “town center” in conjunction with Greco Properties’ redevelopment of the 9.5-acre former YMCA property at 150 Thompson Ave. E. The city is expected to sell the land to Greco by the end of the year, with construction beginning as soon as next summer. Greco is planning to build 475 market-rate apartments, 27 townhomes, a retail or event center, restaurant on the nearby former AutoZone site, and connections to the regional trail system. The approximately $134 million project will include creating a new 2.5-acre city-owned park featuring a plaza, playground, lawn space with pavilion or stage, and hardscaping by the pond.

Mendota Heights
The Mendota Heights City Council is expected to adopt its new Parks System Master Plan by the end of June, guiding improvements to its park system for the next 15 years.

Valley Park – A new segment of the River to River Greenway is being built through Valley Park this summer, in partnership with Dakota County. The baseball field was recently restored to address grading and drainage issues. The cost was $10,000.

Ivy Hills – The City Council is expected to select the design for a new playground at Ivy Hills Park in June. Installation may occur this summer. The playground will have at least five swings and two slides, a wheelchair accessible feature such as a merry-go-round, communication board, engineered wood fiber surfacing, at least two benches and more. Approximately $160,000 from the general levy has been earmarked for the project, as well as $20,000 from the special parks fund.

Friendly Hills – The tennis courts at Friendly Hills Park were resurfaced in 2022 but repair work is needed this year to address vandalism that occurred in fall 2023. Grafitti will be removed, cracks and dents filled, and the entire courts resurfaced and painted. Work is scheduled to be completed in July. The five people responsible for damages were found guilty, and the city will receive nearly $17,000 to cover the repair costs.

Hagstrom King Park – Construction will begin this summer on a trail on the north side of Hagstrom King Park, connecting Hampshire Drive to Pond Circle West. The $77,500 project will be done in conjunction with road work in the neighborhood and be completed by the end of next year.

Par 3 – Trey Carlson was recently hired as the Mendota Heights recreation facilities coordinator. He will manage the Par 3 golf course in addition to assisting with the parks and recreation and public works departments. Carlson formerly worked in recreational programming for the Elk River School District and in golf course maintenance at the Edinburgh Golf Course in Brooklyn Park.

See this article for summer park improvement projects in Downtown St. Paul
See this article for summer park improvement projects in South St. Paul

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