4 City Parks Getting Makeover in 2016

COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- With months of winter remaining, plans are moving forward for more park improvement projects this summer. In all, four Coon Rapids city parks will be done in 2016 as part of the park bond approved by voters. Pat Prindle said living next to 103rd Avenue's, Woodcrest Park has its perks. “We probably use the park every summer, the playground more than anything with our five-year-old and two-year-old (daughters),” Prindle said. There are also some pitfalls. “Sometimes when the adults are playing, or practicing, we end up with foul balls in the yard or hitting the houses,” he said. But a new plan will likely decrease those instances. “We're going to maintain the ball fields there, reconfigure it, move them away from residential properties, and add more trail loops as part of that project as well,” Coon Rapids Public Works Director Tim Himmer said. “That would be a huge improvement that myself and the other neighbors would be fond of,” Prindle said. Relocating Woodcrest’s ball fields is one of several upgrades approved at last week's city council meeting, allocating $1.4 million to four city parks. “The last few years, we've been tackling larger, more major parks, so now, we're kind of into the smaller areas,” Himmer said. He said Woodcrest will also have an old warming house converted into bathrooms, and add a disc golf course and a picnic gazebo. Under the plan, Pheasant Ridge Park will see a new trail loop, gazebo and playground equipment. Along Yukon Street, Delta Park will also update its playground, but will lose its little used ice rink, Himmer said. Off Holly Circle, Mason Park is scheduled to upgrade its trail, playground, and basketball court, while adding a gazebo. “It's long overdue, safety enhancements, amenities that weren't there before and coming more into that 21st century and being a little more modern with our maintenance activities. That's what we're striving for,” Himmer said. “I think it'd be great (to see the Woodcrest upgrades). If they can increase, more use of the park with moving the baseball field or soccer field or football (field), that will all kind of help the area and even the property value,” Prindle said. Himmer said construction will begin this spring, with an exact date depending on weather and contractor schedules. He said he expects the work to be completed by October. (Copyright 2016 by CTN Coon Rapids. All Rights Reserved.)

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