What is a Park System Plan?

The Parks and Recreation System Plan is West St. Paul’s future blueprint for providing high-quality parks, recreational programming, facilities, open space, and community events and gatherings. This document guides future park improvement projects, plans, policies, and operations. It’s intended to drive the evolution of the city’s park system by balancing big ideas with pragmatic solutions.

Why do we need a Park System Plan?

• The previous park system plan was outdated 
• The community, its priorities, and the way we interact with parks have changed and evolved 
• Take advantage of new opportunities and community assets 
• Address challenges of today – and tomorrow 
• Align with other plans and strategic initiatives 
• Align our values to how we build and operate the parks

What will the plan do?

1. Involve the community in the future of the parks and recreation system
2. Evaluate existing parks and recreation features, amenities, services, and operations
3. Identify community needs, concerns, and best practices
4. Outline a vision for future parks projects, programs, and partnerships
5. Provide guidance on how to achieve the vision, when to tackle projects, and how to pay for improvements
6. Spark conversations and inspire change

What the plan does not do:

• Implement itself - there's still a lot of work to do!
• Confirm, finalize, or make final design decisions, set budgets, or allocate resources
• Remain static - the plan can and should be updated as necessary

When all community engagement data sources are viewed collectively, several themes emerge. These themes will drive the development of recommendations and the action plan.

Connect Parks & Community

Stitch the parks together with safe walking and biking loops. Leverage parks to advance economic development goals and to bring people together.

Build Resilience

Climate change is impacting ever aspect of our lives. The park system should be built in a way to adapt to, combat, and withstand these changes.

Elevate What We Have

Bring our existing parks and facilities to the next level by investing in the pool, playgrounds, programs, bathrooms, communications, partnerships, and maintenance. 

Desire For New Facilities

Our park system is lacking certain amenities that would serve a greater proportion of the community. This includes a dog park, pickleball, gathering spaces, art, indoor recreation space, and creative designs.

Celebrate Community

The parks are at their best when they're full of people and life. Residents are looking for ways to connect, celebrate, and be together. We can do more to build and program parks in a manner that fosters livelihood.

Build a Cohesive System

Work to build parks that function as a system rather than individual parks. Increase connections, reduce redundancies, increase wayfinding, and emphasize consistent branding.

Reduce Barriers

Several barriers limit use of the parks, including unsafe passageways, lack of universal design, real and perceived threats to safety, weather, lack of free time, and costs to participate.

Parks System Vision Statement: We envision parks that are uniquely West St. Paul. Welcoming, well-maintained, and beautiful places for people of all backgrounds to recreate, gather, play, celebrate, learn, and relax, achieved through a place-based approach.

Dreaming Big

The System Plan is our opportunity to think and dream big. It's our chance to outline a new path for our community's parks and the well-being of future generations. Not all dreams come true, but by dreaming, we might be able to spark change!

Shoot for the moon, and if you miss you'll be among the stars.

Recommendations

The vision set forth in the Park System Plan will be implemented through a set of recommendations and strategies over the course of the next decade.

1. System-Wide Goals
2. Park Improvement Projects
3. System Strategies

Recommendation Categories

Good Governance

Recommendations to improve or continue best practices and customer-oriented, transparent operations.

Big Ideas

Recommendations that may be a change in direction or have broad impacts to the entire system, and may take time to implement.

Catalytic Projects

Recommendations that have the potential for a domino effect. Due to catalytic nature, we may want to invest sooner rather than later.

Bold Ambitions

Recommendations that may be difficult to achieve but that we'll include to inspire. We'll explore when the timing is right.

Implementation Toolbox

Unique ideas, problems, and needs require unique approaches. We'll use a large set of tools to implement the recommendations set forth in the plan.

• Projects
• Plans
• Programs
• Policies
• Protocols
• Partnerships
• Public Engagement
• Promotion and Education

Athletics

• Flexible, multi-season spaces
• More volleyball and soccer to accommodate growing diversity
• Divest from some warming houses, ice rinks, and one baseball field
• Revitalized basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts

Passive & Play

• Better signage and pathways to parks and within neighborhoods
• New dog park at Sports Complex
• More picnic shelters
• Creative playground design
• A universal playground at Sports Complex
• Plan for the future of the pool

Natural

• Increased efforts to combat Emerald Ash Borer and increase the tree canopy
• Low maintenance gardens and landscaping to soften parks
• Community gardens
• Increase biodiversity
• Environment and sustainability education

Community

• Convert the Sports Complex horseshoe pavilion into a multi-use gathering space with patio, yard games, and event space
• New park plazas and amphitheater
• Art and placemaking strategy
• More indoor classroom and gathering spaces 

To read more about possible park projects, visit: 

• Section 5. Action Plan
• Appendix A: Parks Analysis & Recommendations
• Appendix B: Proposed Amenity Improvements

Organizational Excellence

Operation with transparency, efficiency, and a focus on impact

Systems Thinking

Plan, invest, and operate the parks as a coordinated, cohesive, and unified system

Belonging

Foster a strong sense of community, uniqueness, and inclusion

Accessibility

Provide comprehensive amenities and safe connections that increase park equity, access, and use

Recreation & Programming

Support play, well-being, and growth for all ages

Natural Environment & Sustainability

Assemble a greener community and address climate change

Stewardship

Maintain and operate a great park system

Workforce Development

Invest in staff and their professional growth

Financial Value

Operate the park system in a manner that is financially sustainable and of high value to the community

To read more about system goals, visit:

• System Goals, Strategies, and Tactics

Implementation Tools

To accomplish the system-wide goals set forth in this plan, we’ll need to utilize a variety of tools. And like how one house project may require a hammer, another a screwdriver, and yet another both the hammer and screwdriver, so will different goal and objectives require different sets of tools. Below are the 11 typical project tools utilized by local government to implement goals. In Appendix C. Implementation Table we outline which tools we’ll utilize to implement projects.

• Capital projects
• Policies
• Programs
• Plans
• Protocols
• Practices
• Promotion and public engagement
• Process
• Resource development
• Partnerships
• Operations and maintenance

Capital Improvement Plan

Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) acts as a strategic tool for community planning and fiscal management, aimed at aligning the location, timing, and funding of capital improvements over several years. It generally encompasses detailed plans for the next five years, along with broader forecasts for years six through ten.

The implementation of this plan represents a notable change in our CIP planning method. Instead of replacing individual amenities throughout the system, we will upgrade and reimagine individual parks.

Capital improvement planning offers a snapshot based on the information available at the time. Circumstances can change quickly; some elements may fail while others may surpass longevity expectations. Moreover, grants can be awarded, and partners may surprise us with unexpected generosity. As a result, the CIP is updated annually and is likely to evolve. This is why we refer to it as a CIP Projection, as it reflects our best estimate for 2025, fully recognizing that project sequencing may change.

Tier 1: 

• Kennedy Park
• Sports Complex Phase 1
• Ice Arena Phase 1
• Albert Park & Plaza, Officer Scott Memorial
• 150 Thompson

Tier 2: 

• Sports Complex Phase 2
• Pool & Poolside Park
• Weschcke Park
• Southview Park
• Haskell Park
• Emerson Park
• Dome Phase 1

Tier 3:

• Oakdale Park
• Ice Arena Phase 2
• Orme Park
• Art Park

Tier 4:

• Harmon Park
• Dome Phase 2
• Mud Lake Park
• Garlough Park
• Marthaler Park
• Dodd Park