Board of Commissioners Meetings

The agenda for the May 21, 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.

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:

MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-10; A RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO DANA JACKSON UPON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT.

Prepared By: Chris Springett, Construction Services Supervisor and Brad Chock, Director of Maintenance

Background:

Dana Jackson began his career with the Park District on May 2, 2005. Upon his retirement, Dana will have served the Park District for more than 21 years, contributing his skill, dedication, and craftsmanship to parks, facilities, trails, and public spaces throughout the Park District.

Throughout his career, Dana has been a valued member of the Carpentry team. He has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a willingness to take on challenging projects. Dana is known for his can-do attitude and his ability to step into a wide variety of work, from detailed carpentry projects to complex concrete forming and finishing.

For more than a decade, Dana has led the Park District’s memorial bench program, providing outstanding coordination and craftsmanship from start to finish. His work has included coordinating with donations, facilities, and maintenance staff, crafting benches, preparing sites, pouring concrete pads, installing benches, and helping ensure that each memorial bench is completed with care. Dana’s attention to detail and professionalism have made him a strong ambassador for the Park District, especially when working on projects that carry deep personal meaning for families, donors, and park guests. His contributions to the memorial bench program have left a lasting and visible legacy throughout the Park District.

Dana’s service, craftsmanship, and willingness to help wherever needed have been greatly appreciated by his coworkers, supervisors, and the many park guests who benefit from his work. Congratulations, Dana!

Attachments:

2026 05 Dana Jackson Resolution of Appreciation.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

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

Prepared By: Sierra Spicer-Zimmerman, Development & Events Manager

Background:

Commissioners and/or staff are encouraged to report any special matters, awards, recognitions or other acknowledgements at this time.

Acknowledgement of Donations

The Board wishes to acknowledge the following donations to the Park District of $500 or more made in the past month.

• WSB Engineering, Minneapolis - $5,000 for dedication on the Gateway Center donor recognition wall at Mississippi Gateway Regional Park.
• Ingrid Welty, Stillwater - $5,000 directed to Richardson Nature Center.
• The Burggraf Family, New Brighton - $800 for a Forests Forever tribute tree to be planted at Mississippi Gateway Regional Park in memory of Alan Burggraf.
• Holly Graubins, Victoria - $618 directed to Lowry Nature Center.

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

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):

• Turtle Fest Preview

Attachments:

2026 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar.pdf

Calendar of 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. Approve Cooperative Agreement with Scott County for Trail Reconstruction at Cleary Lake Regional Park

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO AUTHORIZE THE BOARD CHAIR AND SUPERINTENDENT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH SCOTT COUNTY FOR THE TRAIL RECONSTRUCTION AT CLEARY LAKE REGIONAL PARK.

Item 4B. St. Albans Bay Shore Fishing Site Cooperative Agreement

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTION NO. 26-11 AUTHORIZING THE BOARD TO ENTER INTO THE 2026 ST. ALBANS BAY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT.

Item 4C. Amend the 2026 Asset Management Plan to Include New Supplemental Grants for Natural Resources Management and Sustainability Planning

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO AMEND THE 2026 ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN TO INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS IN THE AMOUNTS OF $71,000 AND $42,000 FROM THE CONSERVATION PARTNERS LEGACY PROGRAM, AND $35,000 FROM THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY, TO SUPPORT NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING.

Item 4D. Receive 2026 First Quarter Financial Status and Projections Report

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED.

Item 4E. Board Minutes of April 16, 2026

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 16, 2026, REGULAR BOARD MEETING.

Item 4F. Approval of Claims for the Period Ended April 30, 2026

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE PAYMENT OF CLAIMS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED APRIL 30, 2026, IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,559,694.56.

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO:

1. AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE ELM CREEK PARK RESERVE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REPLACEMENTS IN MAPLE GROVE TO BLACKSTONE CONTRACTORS, LLC. IN THE TOTAL BASE BID AMOUNT OF $1,853,703.37.
2. ENTER INTO A CONSULTANT AGREEMENT WITH BOLTON & MENK, INC. TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION SERVICES FOR THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REPLACEMENTS AT ELM CREEK PARK RESERVE WITH A TOTAL HOURLY NOT-TO-EXCEED FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $227,516.00; AND
3. ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSTRUCTION BUDGET OF $2,289,341.31 INCLUDING A 10% CONTINGENCY, WITH FINANCING FROM THE 2020, 2024 AND 2025 ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS INCLUDING FUNDING FROM THREE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL GRANTS, A 2024 RECREATION OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT GRANT SG-24P2-09-02 AND TWO 2025 PARKS AND TRAILS LEGACY GRANTS (SG-25P4-09-06 AND SG-25P4-09-08).

Prepared By: Blake Hansen, Project Manager

Background:

The Pedestrian Bridge Replacements project will remove and reconstruct four (4) bridges at Elm Creek Park Reserve that have reached the end of their useful life. The bridges serve the Medicine Lake and Rush Creek Regional Trails and internal park trails.

Bid Results:

Advertisement for bids for this project was placed in Finance and Commerce, eAdvert, and QuestCDN. Construction documents were issued on April 16, 2026. Bids for this work were received on May 7, 2026. There were thirteen (13) contractor plan holders of which five (5) submitted bids.

The low bidder is Blackstone Contractors, LLC from Loretto, Minnesota with a total base bid amount of $1,853,703.37.

The Engineer’s estimate of probable construction cost is $1,744,677.00.

The construction contract is based upon unit prices and offers flexibility to increase and decrease quantities of work for pay items listed on the bid form. The final contract amount may be more or less than the original contract amount.

Park District staff and Bolton & Menk, Inc. have confirmed that Blackstone Contractors, LLC. has submitted the lowest responsive and responsible bid and has met the minimum contract requirements for this project.

Construction Administration Services:

Staff recommends approval of a contract with Bolton & Menk, Inc., the engineer-of-record, for the construction administration portion of the project in the hourly-not-to-exceed fee amount of $227,516.00.

Bidder Evaluation:

Some bids come in lower than expected, while others come in higher. All five bidders were relatively close in value, which tells us significant time and effort was spent preparing the quotes, and that the plans were clear and concise. Recent discussions with contractors and suppliers have revealed that long lead times are expected for prefabricated bridges and bridge installers are in high demand. This combination of factors prompted the addition of flexibility to the construction schedule during bidding.

In addition to construction challenges, consulting costs for design and construction administration are higher than budgeted. The additional consulting costs reflect the challenges with permitting, regulatory compliance, site investigation, and data collection encountered during design development.

While construction will exceed the budget allocated for this project, staff believes that constructing the project now will result in cost-savings and reduced impacts over the long term and recommends the Park District proceed with award of the construction contract. This requires additional funding in the amount of $270,000.00 to provide the total construction budget as established by the motion. The additional funding will be provided through available 2020 AMP funds.

Proposed Schedule:

Construction is scheduled to commence as early as August 31, 2026 and no later than September 13, 2027, subject to receipt of the contractor’s proposed schedule and favorable weather conditions. The construction contract requires work to be substantially complete by October 31, 2027.

This project may be constructed across multiple phases. Due to challenging site access and conditions, long lead times for bridge fabrication and a desire to minimize impacts to the public, the contract allows the contractor to construct in 2026 or 2027 during the off-peak seasons. Phasing will minimize impacts during the summer months and allow the contractor flexibility if materials are unavailable or site conditions are unfavorable in a given season.

Impacts to Public Services:

In addition to the increased noise, debris, and temporary traffic delays typically associated with construction activity, impacts to public services will be as follows:

• The trail segments will be closed during active construction activities. Posted detours will not be provided. Trail users will be able to use local city trails or other internal park trails to avoid closed trail segments.
• The Rush Creek Group Camp area will be closed during construction of Bridge 79.

Public Communications Approach:

The public communications plan, following board award of the construction contract, is as follows:

• Signs notifying the public of construction and closures will be placed in strategic and highly visible locations prior to construction.
• Three Rivers will include information and construction updates on the Park District’s website.

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:

ELM2501_DistrictLocationMap.pdf

ELM2501_ProjectLocationMap.pdf

20260507_PedestrianBridgeReplacementElmCreekPark.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE LEASE AGREEMENT WITH WE CAN RIDE FOR USE OF PORTIONS OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES IN BAKER PARK RESERVE.

Background:

In December of 2016, the Board approved a lease with We Can Ride for portions of the Baker Public Safety facility. This was an opportunity to partner with a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to provide programming to individuals with disabilities or special needs through equine assisted activities.

We Can Ride would like to extend the lease agreement to assist with their fundraising activities and show they have a secure location. Nita Hughes, the Executive Director, will be at the meeting to speak to the partnership.

Attachments:

BAK Hay Storage-Exhibit.pdf

TRPD WCR Lease FINAL.pdf

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO AMEND THE BARR ENGINEERING SERVICE AGREEMENT FOR THE SOCHACKI PARK WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL $328,000 IN GRANT FUNDING FOR NEW TASKS ASSOCIATED WITH CONTAMINATED SOILS REMEDIATION.

Prepared By: Jami Markle, Director of Natural Resources

Background:

The discovery of contaminated soils within planned construction areas for the Sochacki Park water quality improvement project resulted in increased costs associated with remediation planning, coordination, and environmental field investigations. In response to this change in project scope and additional budget need, staff applied for and were awarded a grant from the Hennepin County Environmental Response Fund. With that grant now executed and final design and permitting underway, staff propose an amendment to Barr Engineering's original service agreement, adding $328,000 to support the additional tasks and costs associated with soils remediation and regulatory compliance.

Overall funding for this project comes from multiple sources including a $1.6 million federal grant from the Community Project Fund, $600,000 from the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission, and $477,000 from the Hennepin County Environmental Response Fund. The attached Let's Talk page has been published in anticipation of public engagement later this summer.

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:

Sochacki Park Water Quality Improvements _ Let's Talk Page.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 2026 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:

2026 Legislative Platform.pdf