Cedar Lake South Beach Improvements Update
Posted on 26 June, 2018Cedar Lake Regional Trail is now open
The section of Cedar Lake Regional Trail that was closed for the Cedar Lake South Beach Improvements project has reopened as construction on the beach renovation nears completion. Please note the reopened section of trail is at a reduced width, so proceed with caution.
The beach will reopen on Friday, June 29! Please stay away from the fenced off construction zone and areas with new grass or plants. Signs are posted to notify beach users which areas are off-limits. The new restroom building is scheduled to open Friday, July 6.
Grand Opening
Save the date for a Grand Opening Celebration on Thursday, July 19, 2018! A special ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 4:30 pm and music and festivities will continue throughout the evening.
Site Plan
The plan for this project includes a new three-season restroom, drinking fountain, foot wash station, bicycle racks, shrub and tree plantings, benches, a terraced retaining wall with stair access to beach, restored turf areas, new crosswalks across Cedar Lake Parkway and trail improvements to Cedar Lake Regional Trail.
Cedar Lake South Beach Site Plan [PDF]
Project History and Funding
In 2015-16, community engagement began and the Cedar Isles Dean Neighborhood Association (CIDNA) allocated Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) funds to prepare plans and construction cost estimates for the project. An initial plan to upgrade the beach was approved by MPRB Commissioners on April 6, 2016.
On March 8, 2017 the MPRB accepted an anonymous donation of up to $409,000 to help fund the project, contingent upon the inclusion of a restroom with plumbing. Additional community engagement was performed in April 2017 and the amended plan to upgrade the beach, which includes the restroom building, was approved on May 17, 2017.
MPRB Commissioners accepted a construction bid on Nov. 1, 2017, construction began on Nov. 20, and the project is expected to be complete by summer 2018.
Cedar Lake South Beach is part of Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park and no regional park funding has been allocated for this project. Instead, a combination of the anonymous donation, $350,000 in park dedication fees and $75,000 in CIDNA NRP funds are paying for the project.