MINNEAPOLIS— A multimillion-dollar renovation is coming to a Minneapolis landmark as leaders of the city’s parks and recreation department look to increase safety and accessibility.
The plan to renovate and restore parts of the park at Minnehaha Falls is still in development – mockups aren’t expected until July – but work will focus directly on the south side of the falls.
The goal will be to repair stairs and viewing areas that have been decimated by constant fog in the warm months and ice in the cold months. The plans also aim to replace a failing boardwalk along the creek below the falls.
“We want people to enjoy the view and enjoy the park, but we want them to be safe while they do it,” said Carol HejlStone, project manager for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “We want safe access for people, we want to keep all our park users safe as they enjoy the facilities. Unfortunately, these areas are just in a state where we just had to close them.”
The last attempt to repair the walls along the south side of the falls was in 2009-2010, HejlStone said. The “south slope” is technically more of an aggregation of projects spanning a period of nearly 90 years.
“From a high level overview I would say that the park is really in excellent condition. We spend a lot of time and effort on this to keep it in good condition. That said, there are a number of components that require quite some time a little love,” she said.
Construction on the project could begin as soon as next year – and could take as long as a year to complete. Once a plan is unveiled, it must be reviewed by the community and ultimately approved by city entities.
Once it’s finished, HejlStone says, it will create a more accessible park — and views of the falls will remain unseen for quite some time.
