Dog Park Closing for Final Fix-Up

The Lyndale Farmstead dog park will shut down on May 1, 2013 but re-open in early summer, the Minneapolis Park Board said.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board posted a notice about the Sixth District Dog Park at its website: The Off-Leash Dog Park at Lyndale Farmstead Park will close temporarily Wednesday, May 1 for finishing touches. The park opened on a temporary basis this January for a "preview" during the winter months to accommodate pet owners who were looking for a nearby area for their dogs to run. This opportunity gave everyone who is eagerly awaiting the new off-leash space to get a sneak preview of what the new park will have to offer. There is still a significant amount of work to be done this spring, so as soon as the snow melts and the ground thaws, work will begin. A grand opening is planned for Early Summer 2013 when the full park will be…

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Dog Park Could Be Done By November

East Harriet project was delayed by drainage issues.

After a lengthy delay this summer, the Lyndale Farmstead dog park could open as soon as November. According to the Star-Tribune, quoting an official with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, a contractor will hopefully be selected by October.  “I think it’s going to be a really fun spot,” said Jennifer Ringold, manager of public engagement and citywide planning for the park board. “It should not be a long construction process; we anticipate six to eight weeks." The dog park will be located next to Lyndale Farmstead Park, in a space currently occupied by a parking lot for the Park Board's operations center. A map of the site is posted above. First delayed by an insensitive first choice of location—Martin Luther King, Jr. Park—the dog …

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Park Board Approves Dog Park

The Park Board voted Friday in favor of the Lyndale Farmstead site.

At last, an end to the saga of the Sixth District Dog Park is in sight.  Friday, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board approved the selection of Site 32, across King's Highway from Lakewood Cemetary, for the site of the controversial park. As Southwest Minneapolis Patch reported in November, the cost had balooned to $132,000—up from an initial $32,000—but the Park Board voted to swallow the cost. Construction is slated to begin next year.

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UPDATED: Park Board Planning Committee Approves Dog Park Site

The new park has been years in the making.

Southwest Minneapolis's dog park is almost ready for its final approval, after a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board vote on Tuesday night. The Sixth Park District Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) began meeting in March of this year, and after much deliberation over the spring and summer, reached a decision in September to recommend the site near Lyndale Farmstead Park. The site is currently a parking lot for park maintenance staff.  About three years ago, citizens from Kingfield mobilized to create a dog park at Dr. Martin Luther King Park, but after opposition from the African American community about the connotations of an off-leash area in a park dedicated to Dr. King last year, the park board created a new CAC to look at other …

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SW Dog Park Decision Reached

The 6th District Dog Park CAC picked the Operations Center at Lyndale Farmstead Park.

The 6th District Dog Park Citizen Advisory Council finally reached an agreement on Monday night about which of the three final off-leash area sites they would recommend to the park board. The group voted to recommend site 32, located within the Operations Center parking lot, and Site 1, also at Lyndale Farmstead Park, as a backup site. The CAC unanimously voted against the Minnehaha Creek, which many dog park boosters at the meeting opposed, and voting nearly unanimously in favor of the Operations Center site. Finally, the CAC also voted to recommend to the park board that they endeavor to create a citizen- based body that recommends a master plan for off leash recreation areas with consideration to include citizens.   The one dissenting …

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Park Board Commissioners Weigh in On 6th District Dog Park Dilemma

Citizen group working hard to give recommendation, but it won't be binding.

Will there ever be an off-leash area in the Sixth Park District? It’s an amenity that dog owners have been rallying for over 10 years. Since 2001, Minneapolis has added off-leash areas to every park district in the city with the exception of the Sixth District. In 2001, a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) conducted search for sites, providing a ranked list to the park board commissioners, who ended up not choosing a site, according to Jean Johnson, who served on that CAC and the current CAC that’s charged with the task of finally finding a dog part that will work for the area.  A Grueling Process It’s been an emotional ride, especially for residents.  First, the initial site at Dr. Martin Luther King Park was eliminated, due to objections…

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(UPDATED) Dog Park Costs Grow As Decision Draws Near

Final recommendation expected Sept. 12.

Corrected 5:15 p.m. Aug. 16, 2011: This story originally misidentified David Brauer as Interim Executive director of the Community Advisory Committee and misidentified Site 32 as being located next to the historic Theo Wirth House. This story also originally misspelled Jennifer Ringold's name.   The end could be in sight for the long saga of the 6th District Dog Park Community Advisory Committee (CAC). According to group member David Brauer, there's a good chance next month's meeting could result in a decision on which location to suggest to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. In Monday night's meeting, the CAC did not reach a decision as to which of the final three dog park sites they would recommend.  "I can't say for certain, of …

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James Sanna

11:56 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Peter - As soon as Sheila Reagan found out she had made the above mistakes, she contacted me immediately with corrections and admitted her errors, as any responsible reporter would do. In my experience working with her, Sheila has been a competent reporter and investigator, and Southwest Minneapolis Patch stands behind her previous reporting. However, if you have specific concerns about facts in …   more ›

Neighbors Weigh in on Final Three Dog Park Sites

Search has narrowed to 3 sites; meeting sought input from 6th District residents.

Neighbors of the 6th District showed up with their kids in tow for the Monday’s 6th District Dog Park Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting at Lynnhurst Park, which invited the public to share their comments and perspectives. Many Tangletown residents showed up to voice opposition to a potential location along Minnehaha creek, citing problems of traffic congestion and attachment to the current landscape. Their concerns were echoed by opponents of other dog park sites. It was the 10th meeting of the CAC, which has been meeting since March. After eliminating two of the sites originally under consideration (one near the Bird Sanctuary, the other near the Peace Garden), the CAC came up with a list of 30 sites using input from the …

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Tracie Will

7:20 pm on Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Ditto your comments. This is the craziest debate I have ever seen, NIMBY is right! I say make a decision and go with it.   more ›

Dog Park Citizen Committee Creates New List of Potential Sites

The committee will consider sites across I35W as well.

The 6th Park District Dog Park Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) agreed Monday on a preliminary list of new sites to consider for the off-leash dog area, including sites in Lyndale Farmstead Park, Fuller Park, Phelps Park, Minnehaha Creek and some privately-owned lots. Nominations of new sites to consider were accepted from the public and CAC members. After going through all the submitted sites, the CAC settled on a preliminary list they'll evaluate according to criteria they've agreed upon.   Originally created to look at three sites at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board's request, the CAC dismissed two of the sites—near the Bird Sanctuary and the Peace Garden—last month, and requested that they be allowed to seek additional …

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Editor's Notebook

East Harriet Farmstead Neighborhood Group Expresses Concern About Dog Park Process

The East Harriet Farmstead Neighborhood Association also wondered about the lack of Linden Hills representation on the board's citizen advisory committee on the proposed Southwest Minneapolis dog park.

In a letter sent to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Monday, Nicholas Petersen, chair of the East Harriet Farmstead Neighborhood Association, expressed concern that the board's citizen advisory committee on the Southwest Minneapolis dog park might interfere with long-term park board planning at Robert's Bird Sanctuary. "Currently, two of the proposed sights for an off-leash area either abut, or occupy the location of the Robert’s Bird Sanctuary," Petersen wrote to park board commissioners. "The Long Term Management Plan is a necessary piece of information required before the CAC begins its work if the process is to be true to principles of community engagement and respectful of the planning partnerships already in place." Peterson…

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