Board of Commissioners Meetings

The agenda for the May 15, 2025, 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.

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED.

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:

• 2025 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar attached.
• Calendar of 2025 Meetings and Events attached.

Updates:

• Trail Mix Race Recap

Attachments:

2025 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar.pdf

Calendar of 2025 Meetings and Events.pdf

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 4A. Receive Mississippi Gateway Regional Park Construction Progress Update

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED.

Item 4B. Eagle Lake Regional Trail: MnDOT, Hennepin County, and Plymouth Cooperative Agreement

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 25-09 FOR MNDOT AGREEMENT NO. 1058416 - A COOPERATIVE CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT AND LIMITED USE PERMIT BETWEEN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND CITY OF PLYMOUTH AND HENNEPIN COUNTY AND THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT FOR THE EAGLE LAKE REGIONAL TRAIL WITHIN THE TRUNK HIGHWAY 55 RIGHT-OF-WAY AS PART OF THE CITY OF PLYMOUTH'S STATION 73 TRANSIT AND REGIONAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECT.

Item 4C. Eagle Lake Regional Trail: The Woods of Medicine Lake Townhouse Association Screening and Buffer Agreement

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE WOODS OF MEDICINE LAKE TOWNHOUSE ASSOCIATION SCREEN AND BUFFER AGREEMENT PROVIDING REIMBURSEMENT UP TO $15,000 FOR DESIGNING AND INSTALLING SCREENING AND A BUFFER ALONG THE EAGLE LAKE REGIONAL TRAIL UPON TRAIL CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION.

Item 4D. Hennepin County Cooperative Agreement for Cost Participation PW 05-44-25 for the Bassett Creek Regional Trail - Golden Valley Gap Project

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO HENNEPIN COUNTY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR COST PARTICIPATION PW 05-44-25 FOR THE BASSETT CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL – GOLDEN VALLEY GAP PROJECT.

Item 4E. Hennepin County Construction Cooperative Agreement PW 04-44-25 for Intersection Construction at Noble Avenue and Hidden Lakes Parkway within the Bassett Creek Regional Trail - Golden Valley Gap Project

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO HENNEPIN COUNTY CONSTRUCTION COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PW 04-44-25 FOR CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE NOBLE AVENUE AND HIDDEN LAKES PARKWAY INTERSECTIONS WITHIN THE BASSETT CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL – GOLDEN VALLEY GAP PROJECT.

Item 4F. Award of Construction Contract for Roof Replacement at Hyland Operations Center

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE ROOF REPLACEMENT AT HYLAND OPERATIONS CENTER TO PALMER WEST CONSTRUCTION CO., INC IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $522,600 INCLUDING ALTERNATE NOS. 1, 2, AND 3; AND TO ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSTRUCTION BUDGET OF $574,860 INCLUDING A TEN PERCENT CONTINGENCY, WITH FINANCING FROM THE 2024 ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

Item 4G. Baker Park Reserve Long-range Plan Final Adoption

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO ADOPT THE BAKER PARK RESERVE LONG-RANGE PLAN.

Item 4H. Amend Existing Metropolitan Council Grant Agreements SG-22P4-09-04, SG-24P1-09-04 and SG-24P3-09-01

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE AMENDMENTS TO METROPOLITAN COUNCIL GRANT AGREEMENTS SG-22P4-09-04, SG-24P1-09-04 and SG-24P3-09-01.

Item 4I. Board Minutes of April 17, 2025

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 17, 2025, REGULAR BOARD MEETING.

Item 4J. Approval of Claims for the Period Ended May 8, 2025

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE PAYMENT OF CLAIMS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED MAY 8, 2025, IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,511,801.36.

Superintendent's Recommendation:

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

Prepared By: Danny McCullough, Regional Trail System Manager

Background:

Staff are receiving increasing complaints regarding e-bike use on Three Rivers trails, specifically on regional trails in the western communities around Lake Minnetonka. Common complaints and concerns include:

• High speeds/safety concerns
• Youth safety - underage riding
• Disregard for other trail users

To address these items, staff have been proactively communicating with our city and community partners. At the request of the City of Wayzata, Three Rivers staff attended a West Metro Police Chief's meeting in March to learn more about specific e-bike issues affecting their communities, and to discuss solutions through education and coordinated public communication efforts this spring. On-going and increased enforcement efforts by both Three Rivers Park Police and local authorities has been taking place and will likely continue through summer.

Three Rivers committed to following up with additional communication tools to help support communities and ensure consistent messaging. This includes:

• Sharing a communication tool kit to assist local cities with social and public media releases (See Attached: Ebike Spring/Summer 25)
• Ensuring our local partners have a strong understanding of e-bike laws/state statutes (See Attached: E-bikes FAQ)
• Coordinating social media announcements across the region to ensure consistent messaging around state statutes and ordinances related to e-bike use

Additionally, the Park District continues to include signage along the regional trail system reminding users of trail rules and to respect other trail users when operating an e-bike.

A brief presentation has been prepared to review some of the recent changes to local ordinances and state statutes around e-bike use.

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:

Ebikes Spring/Summer 25.pdf

E-bikes FAQ

E-bike Safety and Communications Presentation.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

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

Background:

The Draft 2026-2030 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.

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 Ski Area and Baker National Golf.

Administrative: Funding of Dept. of Design positions through the CIP.

Highlights of the 2026-2030 CIP

Unless otherwise noted, projects in the years 2026 through 2029 are the same as what was shown in last year’s approved 2025-2029 CIP. Cost estimates are updated annually for future projects using data from the past year and may have resulted in slightly increased or decreased costs as compared to last year’s estimates. All projects that start in 2030 are proposed new projects.

Notable changes since last year’s CIP:

Infrastructure Management Program:

(NEW – 2026): Project 1.07: Seton Bridge Study ($50,000). This is a partner project with the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority to look at ways to improve the bridge and bridge underpass.

(NEW – 2026): Project 1.08: Trail crossing safety studies and improvements ($50,000). This project begins implementation of trail crossing safety improvements identified in 2025.

(CHANGE - 2028/29): Project 2.23: Lake Minnetonka Reconstruction of Phase 2 roads, parking lots and trails. This project was moved from 2026/27 to 2028/29 to allow sufficient time to update the park’s Long-Range Plan; to free up staff time to work on the Katrina Loop at Baker; and to help move towards a balanced budget.

(CHANGE - 2026/27): Project 2.24: Katrina Loop Trail Reconstruction at Baker PR. This project was moved forward from 2027/28 to 2026/27 as the trail is at the end of its useful life.

Preservation and Rehabilitation Program:

(NEW - 2026): Project 42: Gale Woods irrigation and livestock well improvements ($65,000). This project will improve farm efficiency and help conserve water.

Sustainability Program:

(ADDITION – 2029): Project 72: Solar Roof Installation ($500,000). This project is on-going and adds another solar roof in a location to be determined in year 2029.

(NEW – 2026): Project 74: Sustainability Plan update ($60,000). The Sustainability Plan was last updated in 2016. The updated plan will provide a framework for future sustainability actions and investments. Project 75 compliments project 74 and consolidates previously identified small projects to use as seed money for the updated plan actions.

Americans with Disabilities Act Projects:

(NEW – Ongoing): Project 77: Accessibility Site Improvements (Cost TBD). Staff are in the process of updating the ADA Plan to move towards a more initiative-taking ADA site improvement program, going beyond simply meeting code and focusing on enhancing visitor experiences. The adjacent Project 78 represents the first year of this project, with lakeside enhancements at Bryant, Fish, Cleary and Silverwood.

Commitment Projects:

(NEW 2026): Project C14: Rush Creek RT – Developer Project Reimbursement for construction of a trail segment from Territorial Road to French Lake Rd ($115,000). There are economic and efficiency benefits to having regional trail development occur in conjunction with housing development. This project reimburses the developer for their cost incurred for development of 0.25 miles of regional trail.

(NEW 2026): Project C15: Eagle Lake RT: The Woods of Medicine Lake Townhouse Buffer Agreement ($15,000). This provides reimbursement to the townhouse association to place screening between the regional trail and townhomes following regional trail construction similar to other regional trail projects where regional trails were near a residential structure.

(New 2026/27) Project C16: West Mississippi River RT: Preliminary Design of trail segment from 109th to Douglas Dr in Champlin ($1,000,000). The project focuses on trail and intersection design components for the segment of trail within Champlin and is needed to better qualify for future federal funding. The project is tied to obtaining full funding from Hennepin County grants.

(New 2027): Project C17: Rush Creek RT: City of Dayton Project Reimbursement: Dayton Parkway Neighborhood RT segment ($200,000). The City will develop the RT in conjunction with housing development.

(NEW 2027: Project C18: Medicine Lake RT: City of Plymouth Project Reimbursement: Reconstruction of the RT from French RP north to Schmidt Lake Road ($450,000). The total project cost is estimated at $900,000. Staff are working to include the County as a partner and the Park District share may go down.

(NEW 2027): Project C19: Rush Creek RT: City of Maple Grove Project Reimbursement: Trail development on the Old Troy ROW extension ($400,000). The City of Maple Grove will construct about 0.35 miles of regional trail as part of future residential development, building off of recently developed trail construction immediately to the south. This will provide reimbursement to the City for design and construction costs.

(NEW 2027/28): Project C20: West Mississippi River RT: Hennepin County Project Cost-share Reimbursement for the Colburn to S Diamond Lake Rd Trail Segment ($935,000). The County will be doing complete road reconstruction of the West Mississippi River Road/Dayton River Road in this segment. The project will include construction of 1.2 miles of the West Mississippi River Regional Trail. This is the current anticipated cost share amount for the design and construction work.

(NEW 2028): Project C21: Lake Independence RT: Preliminary Design for trail segment from Baker Maintenance Rod south to the Luce Line State Trail ($500,000). This project will begin design on reconstruction and Hwy 12 bridge crossing improvements on the Luce Line Trail to better position the larger project for future Federal grants.

(NEW 2028): Project C22: Eagle Lake RT: City of Plymouth Project Reimbursement: Eagle Lake RT reconstruction from 36th Ave N to Rockford Rd. (Amount TBD). The City had tentatively scheduled road reconstruction of Zachery Lane for 2028 but may move it to 2026. As part of that project the existing trail parallel to the road would be reconstructed and turned over to Three Rivers as a new segment of the Eagle Lake RT. The status of this project will be updated in the next draft of this CIP.

(NEW 2028): Project C23: Rush Creek Regional Trail: Regional Trail Design and Development in Maple Grove and Dayton (Amount TBD). This is a placeholder for an expected trail development opportunity tied to City and developer projects in the NW corner of Maple Grove and adjacent SW corner of Dayton.

Discretionary Projects:

There are a total of 20 Discretionary projects in this CIP. Ten of those projects were identified in last year’s CIP. The ten new projects are:

(NEW 2026): Project D2: Design & Construct: NRM Shop & Storage Improvements ($105,000). This project adds a mezzanine storage area in the NRM shop and adds auxiliary seasonal heating.

(NEW 2026): Project D3: Baker Campground Nature Exploration Area ($65,000). This project adds a nature exploration area play feature in the campground so that kids can explore nature while staying in the campground.

(NEW 2026): Project D4: District-wide: Gravel road and parking lot inventory and assessment study (No cost). This project will identify all remaining gravel roads and parking lots within the district and will recommend future actions regarding their upkeep or conversion to paved surfaces. The project is internal and is in the CIP as a placeholder for work assignment purposes.

(NEW 2027): Project D5: West Mississippi River RT: Mississippi River Water Trail Access in Dayton ($650,000). This project will construct a water access site on Three Rivers land adjacent to Goodin Park in Dayton. The project will complement planned City water access sites upstream and downstream. The project is contingent on a $500,000 grant from the LCCMR.

(NEW 2027/28) Project D6: Hyland Creative Play Area timber retaining wall replacement ($1,100,000). This project reconstructs the retaining wall system within the Creative Play Area, including removal and reinstallation of existing play area features as needed.

(NEW 2028): Project D11: District-wide: Design study for Nature Center Renovations ($100,000). This project will focus on determining what renovations are needed in the old portion of Richardson NC and for Lowry NC.

(NEW 2028/29): Project D14: Crow-Hassan PR: Design and construct an unpaved trailhead parking lot in the northern area of the park ($125,000). This project is part of the recommended improvements in the Crow-Hassan Long-range Plan and will serve the users of the proposed walking trail loop (Project D13).

(NEW 2029/2030): Project D15: French RP: Visitor Center remodel ($675,000). This project is part of the recommended improvements in the French Long-range Plan and will address functional space issues in the public areas of the visitor center.

(NEW 2029/2030): Project D16: French RP: Shared-use Picnic Shelters ($360,000). This project is part of the recommended improvements in the French Long-range Plan and will provide non-reservable picnic shelters within the picnic area along Medicine Lake.

(NEW 2030): Project D19: Baker Campground: Design and Construct Camper Cabins ($500,000). This project is part of the recommended improvements in the Baker Long-range Plan and will provide up to five additional camper cabins in the campground.

Expenses Summary

Expenditures in the Draft CIP total $143.9 million, broken out as follows:

Funding Summary

The Draft CIP was created before the State Legislature has acted on a Bonding bill or the 2026/2027 Legacy bill. The Draft CIP assumes no 2025 state bond funding for the regional parks system or for Three Rivers’ regional trails bonding request. The CIP does assume that Legacy funding for 2026 and 2027 will be approved at the amounts estimated by the Minnesota office of Management and Budget (MMB), and by the Metropolitan Council.

Funding shortfall

Using the target of $8.5 million in Three Rivers bonds each year, the Draft CIP shows a shortfall of funding in years 2027 through 2030:

For the years 2026 through 2029, over half of the current estimated shortfall is driven by significant reductions in MMB projections of annual Legacy funding, including a one-time reduction in 2026 to compensate for a previous statewide error in sales tax collection.

The other half of the shortfall for this time period is driven in part by increases in commitments (and opportunities) for regional trail development/redevelopment, increases in ADA project funding, increases in Sustainability funding, and the Hyland Creative Play Area retaining wall.

The 2030 shortfall is primary driven by the addition of the Elm Creek PR North Loop trail reconstruction project.

Addressing the shortfall:

The intent is to bring the next draft of the CIP to the Board in the fall of 2025, with the expenses and funding balanced across all five years. Action by the Legislature this year may help make that task easier to complete.

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:

Draft 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program 05 15 2025.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE A PURCHASE AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $460,000 FOR THE ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY FOR THE WEST MISSISSIPPI RIVER REGIONAL TRAIL OFF OF DAYTON RIVER ROAD (PID 0512022240007) IN THE CITY OF DAYTON; TO ENTER INTO AN ACQUISITION REIMBURSEMENT GRANT WITH THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL; AND TO ESTABLISH A PROJECT BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $545,000 WITH LOCAL FUNDING FROM THE LAND ACQUISITION DEVELOPMENT AND BETTERMENT FUND.

Prepared By: Ann Rexine, Principal Planner

Background:

Property owner Thomas Lennander reached out to Three Rivers staff to express interest in selling his property (PID 0512022240007) located along the West Mississippi River Regional Trail corridor off Dayton River Road to Three Rivers. The property is 1.14 acres with 150 feet of Mississippi River access and is located near 19 acres of recently acquired Three Rivers property, a 90-acre MnDNR island on the Mississippi River and City of Dayton's Goodin Park.

As with other recent acquisitions along the Mississippi River and West Mississippi River Regional Trail, acquisition of the property provides an opportunity to connect future trail users visually and physically with the Mississippi River. It also provides an opportunity to further separate the trail from the adjacent Dayton River Road (See Attached: Property Map).

The draft, unsigned purchase agreement is attached (See Attached: Draft Purchase Agreement) and anticipated to be signed prior to the Board meeting and reflects the appraised value of $460,000. Staff are not anticipating any changes to the purchased agreement but will update the Board of any requested changes for formal Board consideration at the Board meeting.

The total estimated acquisition cost, which includes the sale price, appraisal, legal fees and title commitment/insurance is $545,000. The acquisition is eligible for up to 75% ($405,000) reimbursement from the FY 2026 Parks and Trails Legacy Fund (PTLF) with the balance of $112,500 coming from Three Rivers Land Acquisition Development and Betterment Fund (LADB). This follows Three Rivers typical acquisition and funding process.

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:

Property Map.pdf

Lennander Purchase Agreement Unsigned.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

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

Background:

The Superintendent (or designee) will provide a verbal update to Commissioners on current Park District legislative initiatives. A copy of the 2025 Legislative Platform is attached for Commissioners’ reference.

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:

2025 Legislative Platform.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