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 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board headquarters, located across West River Road fromNorth Mississippi Regional Park. | |
| Local government board overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1883 (1883) |
| Jurisdiction | City of Minneapolis |
| Employees | 500 full-time 1,300 part-time |
| Annual budget | $111 million |
| Local government board executive |
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| Website | minneapolisparks |
| Area | 6,804 acres (27.53 km2) |
| Visitors | 23 million |
| Paths | 102 miles (164 km) |
| Golf courses | 7 |
| Facilities | 179 |
TheMinneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is an independentpark district that owns, maintains, and programs activities in public parks inMinneapolis,Minnesota, United States. It has 500 full-time and 1,300 part-time employees and an $111 million operating and capital budget.[2][3]
The Minneapolis park system has been called the best-designed, best-financed, and best-maintained in America.[4] Minneapolis was rated the #1 park system in the country for the sixth year in a row byThe Trust for Public Land in 2018 and again in 2020.[5][6] In 2024, it won the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation.[7]
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was created by an act of theMinnesota State Legislature and a vote of Minneapolis residents in 1883.Charles M. Loring was elected the first president of the board. Loring convinced landowners to donate property aroundBde Maka Ska,Lake Harriet andLake of the Isles, and onMinnehaha Creek.[8]
Loring hiredHorace Cleveland to create the original plan for Minneapolis parks in 1883, Cleveland's finestlandscape architecture, preserving geographical landmarks and linking them withboulevards andparkways.[9][10] Loring and Cleveland were instrumental in creatingMinnehaha Park, with its falls as a centerpiece.[8][11]
Theodore Wirth was superintendent from 1906 to 1936 and managed the expansion of Minneapolis parks from 1,810 to 5,241 acres (732 to 2,121 ha).[12] Wirth was an advocate of active recreation in all city parks and put up signs saying "Please Walk on the Grass." Wirth also promoted neighborhood parks for the whole city, his plans called for a playground within one-quarter mile (400 m) of every child and a recreation center within one-half mile (800 m) of all residents,[13] however Wirth never built them.[14][15] In was from 1966 to 1978, during the tenure of superintendentRobert W. Ruhe, when the board built the city's neighborhood parks and recreation centers in underserved areas.[16] In 2020, 98% of all residents lived within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared to the national median of 55%.[17]
In July 2020, the park board voted to allow encampments for people experiencing homelessness at up to 20 city parks with 25 tents each. The change in policy came after several hundred people took up residence inPowderhorn Park in the aftermath of themurder of George Floyd by aMinneapolis police officer. However, the Powderhorn situation became untenable after numerous sexual assaults, fights, and drug use reported at the encampment generated alarm for nearby residents, leading to the eviction of many people in tents.[18] Four people died in encampments in city parks in 2020,[19][20] including a 38-year-old man who was stabbed to death on January 3, 2021, at an encampment in Minnehaha Park.[20][21]
On November 18, 2020, the board legalized femaletopfreedom in the parks.[22]
On July 2, 2024, MPRB employees announced a week-long strike, citing insufficient wage raises and hazard protections in recent contract negotiations.[23] The strike began on July 4, one of the city's busiest days for green spaces, with workers returning on July 26 following a new contract agreement.[24][25]
The park system's 6,084 acres (24.62 km2) make up 15% of the total area of Minneapolis, equal to the national median.[17]
The city'sChain of Lakes, consisting of seven lakes andMinnehaha Creek, is connected by bike, running, and walking paths and used for swimming, fishing, picnics, boating, and ice skating. Aparkway for cars, abikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians runs parallel along the 52 miles (84 km) route of theGrand Rounds National Scenic Byway.[27] Parks are also connected through theMississippi National River and Recreation Area regional parks and visitor centers.
Among the board'syouth work programs,Teen Teamworks[28] has provided on-the-job training forgreen careers to ages 14 to 24, since 1986.[29] In 2022, the program recruited 500 participants.[30] Other youth programs are Recreation Plus and the Youthline Outreach Mentorship Program, founded in the 1980s and 1991.[29] The board is the city's largest employer of youth.[31]
The country's oldest public wildflower garden, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, is located withinTheodore Wirth Park. Wirth Park extends intoGolden Valley and is almost 90% the size ofCentral Park in New York City.[32] Site of the 53-foot (16 m) Minnehaha Falls, Minnehaha Park is one of the city's oldest and most popular parks, receiving over 850,000 visitors each year.[26]Henry Wadsworth Longfellow named Hiawatha's wife Minnehaha for the Minneapolis waterfall inThe Song of Hiawatha, a bestselling and often-parodied 19th century poem.[33]
The firstnatural swimming pool in the United States opened in Webber Park in 2015. The outdoor pool does not use any chemicals, rather it uses natural filters and plants in several container ponds to keep the water clean.[34]
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board facilities include 6,804 acres (27.53 km2) of land and water, 179 properties, 102 miles (164 km) of biking and walking paths, 49 recreation centers,22 lakes, 12 formal gardens, and seven golf courses.[35]
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is an independently elected, semi-autonomouspark district responsible for governing, maintaining, and developing the Minneapolis park system.[2] The jurisdiction of the park board is contiguous with the City of Minneapolis borders, although it owns four golf courses[36] and its largest park,Theodore Wirth Park is outside the city limits.
Minneapolis voters elect nine commissioners every four years: one from each of the six park districts, and three that serve at-large.[37] The district and at-large members are elected usingranked choice voting.[38] The Board of Commissioners appoints the superintendent and sets policy for the park board.[2] Minneapolis and Vancouver, Canada are the two largest cities in the US and Canada to have elected park boards.[39]
The Superintendent of the Parks has oversight of theMinneapolis Park Police Department—the law enforcement authority of the park board. Led by a park police chief, the force consists of 30 sworn officers and 20 part-time park patrol agents. The park police is a separate entity from theMinneapolis Police Department, but the two forces have shared training, support services, and authority to police in both parks and throughout the city.[40] The park board voted unanimously on June 3, 2020, to end its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department following themurder of George Floyd by a city police officer.[41] The decision prohibited Minneapolis police officers from staffing park events and prohibited park police from assisting the Minneapolis Police Department. Nearly two years later, on May 4, 2022, the park board restored its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department to allow the return of large events in parks that had been disrupted due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[42]
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