Item 5C. Draft 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Program
Superintendent's Recommendation:
NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Background:
The Draft 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Program, or CIP, (attached) is being submitted to the Board for review and discussion. This initial step provides an opportunity for the Board to provide guidance on investment and funding strategies, as well as seeing project details.
The Draft CIP reflects the Board’s desire to minimize bonding, to maximize use of outside funds for non-discretionary projects, and to invest in discretionary projects that will enhance public use of the parks.
How this CIP is organized
There are four primary categories of capital investments, along with administrative costs:
Stewardship: Projects that maintain what we have.
Commitments: Projects that involve agreements with other parties.
Discretionary: Projects that provide benefits, but which can be deferred.
Enterprise: Projects specific to Hyland Hills Ski Area and Baker National Golf.
Administrative: Funding of Dept. of Design positions through the CIP.
Expenses Summary
Expenditures in the Draft CIP total $129.9 million, broken out as follows:
Program | TOTAL | Percent of total | |
Stewardship | $83,802,695 | 65% | |
Commitments | $37,408,520 | 29% | |
Discretionary | $990,000 | 1% | |
Enterprise | $2,990,000 | 2% | |
Admin Overhead | $4,688,000 | 4% | |
TOTAL | $129,879,215 | 100% | |
The 5-year CIP has identified and secured close to $72,000,000 in outside funds to support the listed projects. In addition, a number of projects have been identified and are being submitted for additional outside funding.
The intent is to bring the next draft of the CIP to the Board in the fall of 2026, with the expenses and funding balanced across all five years. By that time, we should have a better understanding of outside funding sources.
Staff will continue to seek additional outside funding, including additional funding from Hennepin County for trail projects, additional funding from the State for trail projects, additional funding from the LCCMR for eligible future projects, and through targeted fundraising campaigns.
If funding is still insufficient to meet expenses, staff will review proposed projects and may need to postpone discretionary projects, postpone commitment projects when or if feasible.
Relationship to the System Plan:
The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:
Goal 1: You Belong Here
Goal 2: Parks Matter
Goal 3: Lead by Example
Attachments:
