Currently no playground exists on parkland along the west side of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, and there are no public play areas in the North Loop neighborhood. The location for the new playground has been chosen for its proximity to the newly burgeoning North Loop residential area with its increasing number of children. Providing amenities for children and youth of the community will help retain growing families in this near downtown neighborhood.

In addition to answering a clear need for a playground on the north side of downtown, this new playground will feature “nature play” as a major component. In an era where many children are content to stay indoors and play video games and watch television, many children simply miss the “outdoors experience.” The MPRB aims to increase children’s curiosity about nature by drawing them into the park with a nature play playground.

Plans for the new playground expand the picnic area in this Central Riverfront location in keeping with the Central Riverfront master plan, completed with the assistance of a citizen advisory committee and approved by the Board of Park Commissioners in 1982. Residents in the area have been advocating playground development in the neighborhood for several years. The proposed plan was presented to area residents and park users at an open house December 17. Many of those attending offered ideas and suggestions for the new playground.

The proposed playground project is also the official service project for the National Recreation and Parks Association’s (NRPA) annual congress, which will be held in Minneapolis in October 2010. The service project will consist of assisting in portions of the construction and planting in the play area; it may also include riverfront clean up and removal of invasive species along the river. When the plans have been approved by the board, fundraising for the new park will begin.