Board of Commissioners Meetings

The agenda for the September 17, 2026 Regular Board Meeting is available here.

The Board Meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Three Rivers Park District Administrative Center, 3000 Xenium Lane N., Plymouth, MN.

Background Information:

Any individual wishing to address the Board on subjects which are not part of the meeting agenda may do so at this time. Such items will typically be referred to staff for review, action and/or recommendation for future board action. The public will also be provided an opportunity to address the Board on items which are on the agenda at the appropriate time.

If you would like to submit written comments in advance of the Board Meeting that will be shared with the Board, you may post them below in the comment box under the agenda item you wish to address or under People Wishing to Address the Board if it's a topic not on the Board Meeting agenda. Comments received by 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before the Board Meeting will be shared with Commissioners at the meeting.

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background:

• 2026 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar attached.
• Calendar of 2026 Meetings and Events attached.

Update(s):

• 2027 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar - First Draft attached.
• Upcoming Dakota Rail Regional Trail Closures

Attachments:

2026 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar.pdf

Calendar of Meetings and Events.pdf

2027 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar - FIRST DRAFT.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background:

Over the last few years, the Park District has been partnering with Carver County in order to create more of a relationship with them. This has included mountain bike trail development, construction of camper cabins, and improved roads and trails as part of the County Road 11 project.

Carver County works closely with Scott County on a number of shared initiatives. This led Carver County leadership to inquire about our Scott County partnership and wonder if that model could be replicated in Carver County.

With the recent retirement of the County's Park Director, Carver County leadership has been in discussion with Park District staff to explore how a partnership model similar to Scott County's could work for Carver County.

Staff will lead the Board in a discussion on a proposed partnership model and what it could look like.

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

All matters listed under Routine Business are considered to be standard items by the Board of Commissioners and will be enacted by one motion. For background information about any of the items listed below, visit this link.

Item 5A. Award of Service Contract for Pond Dewatering Associated with the Sochacki Park Water Quality Improvement Project

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO AWARD A SERVICE CONTRACT FOR THE SOCHACKI PARK POND DEWATERING PROJECT TO ENVIROSERVE, INC., IN THE TOTAL BASE QUOTE AMOUNT OF $216,790.50.

Item 5B. City of Golden Valley and Three Rivers Park District First Amendment to Cooperative Agreement for the Local Trail Connection Within the Bassett Creek Regional Trail - Golden Valley Gap Project

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY AND THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT FIRST AMENDMENT TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL FEES, ACQUISITION COSTS, AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOCAL TRAIL CONNECTION WITHIN THE BASSETT CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL – GOLDEN VALLEY GAP PROJECT.

Item 5C. Mississippi Gateway: Irrevocable Permit for a Grade-Separated Crossing

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK FOR A PERMANENT IRREVOCABLE LIMITED USE LICENSE FOR THE GRADE-SEPARATED CROSSING LOCATED AT MISSISSIPPI GATEWAY REGIONAL PARK.

Item 5D. Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Regional Trail Limited Use Permits

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-13 AUTHORIZING THE BOARD CHAIR AND SUPERINTENDENT TO ENTER INTO A LIMITED USE PERMIT WITH THE STATE OF MINNESOTA FOR REGIONAL TRAILS ALONG OR ADJACENT TO MNDOT HIGHWAY NUMBERS 55, 77, 35W, 12, 62, 94, 7, 169, 100, 694 AND 394 RIGHT-OF-WAY IN THE CITY OF MINNETONKA, AND TO APPROVE ASSOCIATED MNDOT LIMITED USE PERMIT # 2700-0289.

Item 5E. Board Minutes of August 20, 2026

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 20, 2026, REGULAR BOARD MEETING.

Item 5F. Minutes of the September 1, 2026, Joint Board Meeting with Scott County

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 1, 2026, JOINT BOARD MEETING BETWEEN THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT AND SCOTT COUNTY.

Item 5G. Approval of Claims for the Period Ended August 31, 2026

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE PAYMENT OF CLAIMS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED AUGUST 31, 2026, IN THE AMOUNT OF $9,430,806.55.

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO THE HYLAND LAKE REGIONAL TRAIL COOPERATIVE TRAILWAY AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF EDINA ESTABLISHING THE PROPERTY RIGHTS, OWNERSHIP, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, AND FUNDING RESPONSIBILITIES.

Prepared By: Danny McCullough, Regional Trail System Manager

Background:

The Hyland Lake Regional Trail (formerly known as "CP Rail Regional Trail") extends between the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail in the City of Edina south to the Minnesota Valley State Trail at the Bloomington Ferry Trailhead in the City of Bloomington. The route was approved by the cities of Edina and Bloomington in May of 2019. Since then, staff have been successful in securing 2029 federal funding for reconstruction of segments at the end of their useful life and new segments through Hyland Lake Park Reserve and north to the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail.

The segment in Edina includes crossing the CP-KC Rail Line along Dewy Lane. The City is actively working with the railroad on this crossing on behalf of Three Rivers and our future trail and is seeking cost participation in the amount of $35,000 for the new regional trail/railroad crossing. This will ultimately reduce the scope of work, cost, coordination, and potential risks for Three Rivers' upcoming project.

Staff have drafted a regional trail cooperative agreement which is consistent with other recent regional trail cooperative agreements in respect to property rights, design, construction, funding, ownership, and operation and maintenance responsibilities and includes provisions related to the CPKC Railroad/regional trail crossing on Dewey Hill Road (See Attached: Draft Hyland Lake Regional Trail - Edina, Exhibit A shows the approved route).

If approved by the Board, the agreement is anticipated to be considered by the Edina City Council on October 20th. At the request of the City, Three Rivers staff plan to attend the meeting and provide a brief update to the City Council on the greater regional trail planning, design and construction status.

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:

Draft Hyland Lake Regional Trail - Edina.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Prepared By: Danny McCullough, Regional Trail System Manager and Kelly Grissman, Director of Planning

Background:

For the last seven years, the Park District has provided reimbursements ($500/mile per season) to cities for providing regional trail winter maintenance. Approximately 95 miles are maintained under this program by local municipalities for an annual cost of roughly $50,000. Additionally, in three communities (Plymouth, Golden Valley, and Edina) Three Rivers adopted an alternative maintenance approach utilizing contracted maintenance services by Tree Trust and costing an average of $40,000/year for about 20 miles.

The contracted snow removal being done by Tree Trust was not ideal. It is still staff's belief that the cities are the best solution for winter maintenance at this time. Staff has reached out to Plymouth, Edina, and Golden Valley to discuss transitioning maintenance responsibility to them from Tree Trust.

In recognition of rising staffing, equipment and fuel costs, more and more communities have inquired about increasing the reimbursement rate to better align with actual costs as the original reimbursement rate did not fully cover winter maintenance costs for some cities and the rate has not been adjusted since its inception seven years ago (2019).

Additionally, it is important to recognize that some regional trail segments are more challenging to provide winter maintenance and may require specialized equipment (i.e. clearing bridges over major highways and boardwalks). Examples of more intensive winter maintenance work include the boardwalks and trail bridge over Highway 100 along the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail in Edina and boardwalks on the south side of Medicine Lake along the Luce Line Regional Trail in Plymouth.

In an effort to bring consistency across how regional trails are maintained in the winter, increase reimbursement payments to cities, and provide the most cost efficient and effective service, staff recommend the following changes:

• Increase the reimbursement rate to $700/mile for standard trail conditions
• Adjust the reimbursement rate for bridges, boardwalks, and underpasses in certain locations
• Eliminate the Tree Trust service contract

Staff anticipate these changes would be a budget-neutral solution while providing a bigger benefit and incentive to those cities participating in the reimbursement program.

Relationship to the System Plan:

The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:

Goal 2: Parks Matter

Goal 3: Lead by Example

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR GLEN LAKE GOLF AND PRACTICE CENTER AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO SUBMIT THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO THE HENNEPIN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR ADOPTION.

Prepared By: Jeff May, Mark Hill, Brad Chock, Mark Boonstra and Shaan Hamilton.

Background:

Three Rivers operates the Glen Lake Golf and Practice Center under a cooperative agreement with Hennepin County, which is the owner of the facility. The agreement outlines responsibilities of the Park District and the County and creates the Glen Lake Golf Joint Operations Committee, which is composed of staff from the Park District and the County. This committee oversees the operations, maintenance, and fiscal affairs of the facility. The agreement also includes a variety of financial issues including how any profits would be allocated between the County and the Park District.

The cooperative agreement calls for the Park District to develop an annual operating budget for the facility, including recommended fees. The annual operating budget is proposed by Park District staff, reviewed by the Glen Lake Golf Joint Operations Committee, recommended to the Park District Board of Commissioners for consideration and, once approved, is then submitted to the Hennepin County Board for adoption. The Operations Committee reviewed the budget at the August 12, 2026, Operations Committee Meeting.

The attached budget packet provides highlights and details of the Committee’s budget recommendations. If approved and authorized by the Park District Board, the proposed budget is then forwarded to the Hennepin County Board for consideration. The proposed 2027 budget recommends revenues of $1,338,987 and expenditures of $1,338,987 with a contingency of $134,176 (net revenues).

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:

2027 Operating Budget Glen Lake Golf DRAFT.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-14 CERTIFYING THE PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX LEVY AND ADOPTING A PRELIMINARY GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR 2027.

Prepared By: Shaan Hamilton, Chief Financial Officer

Background:

Commissioners are being asked to approve a preliminary 2027 tax levy, which sets the maximum amount the Park District can levy in taxes for the upcoming year. Following further budget discussions in October and November, the Board will adopt a budget and final levy in December. The final levy can be lower than the preliminary levy, but not higher.

The Park District is one of many agencies that levy property taxes on suburban Hennepin property owners. In addition to the Park District, cities, Hennepin County, local school districts, watershed organizations, Metropolitan Council, Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, and others are part of the property tax system. The Park District's tax levy accounts for two to three percent of a resident’s property tax bill. Hennepin County, the local city, and the local school district account for the majority of a property’s tax bill.

The amount of taxes levied (the total dollar amount of taxes needed to operate) is the only amount in the total property tax system that the Park District can control. All other inputs into the property tax system, including property valuation, tax capacity rates, fiscal disparities, and tax rates are determined either by state law or the city/county assessor.

The Park District’s property tax levy has two components: the operating levy and the debt service levy. The operating levy is set annually by the Board of Commissioners and can be used to fund any expenditure of the Park District. The debt service levy is set by the Board of Commissioners at the time General Obligation Bonds are sold and must be used only to repay those bonds. The Park District combines both these components into one levy when it talks about property taxes since that is what taxpayers see.

The Resolution sets the preliminary operating levy at $46,258,515. The proposed overall property tax increase is 3.8%, which includes both components: the operating levy and the debt service levy. The "Preliminary Property Tax Levy Report and 2027 Budget Status" provides more information about the preliminary levy and the status of the 2027 General Fund budget.

Relationship of Board Action to the Budget

The Park District's budget process, shown in the table below, outlines the steps and board actions that will need to be completed in the next several months. The table also shows the current status of each step in the process.

Relationship to the System Plan:

The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:

Goal 2: Parks Matter

Goal 3: Lead by Example

This resolution supports the goals of the System Plan by providing funding for the continued operation of parks, trails, facilities, programs, and natural resources management activities in a professional and intentional manner.

Attachments:

2027 Preliminary Property Tax Levy Report and 2027 Budget Status.pdf

2027 Preliminary Tax Levy Resolution.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background:

Commissioners are encouraged to share announcements and discuss ideas for future topics of interest.

Attachments:

Board Proposed Discussion Topics.pdf