Help plan upcoming improvements at Sheridan Memorial Park!

Posted on 14 April, 2017

Sheridan Memorial Park will receive more than $1 million in park improvements in 2018, including a picnic shelter, playground and pathways. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is hosting three community meetings over the next few months to gather public feedback that will help shape the project.

The first meeting is Wednesday, April 26, 2017, 6-8 pm at East Side Neighborhood Services (ESNS), 1700 2nd St. NE. At the meeting, interested community members and park users will receive a project overview and be asked preferences regarding various project elements.  At the second meeting, scheduled Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 6-8 pm at ESNS, up to three alternatives will be unveiled for site layout and the building and playground design. At the third meeting, Wednesday, June 21, 2017, also 6-8 at ESNS, the preferred design option will be presented and discussed.

Concept approval by MPRB Commissioners is scheduled for fall 2017 following a public hearing. Construction bids will be awarded over winter 2017-2018 and the park improvements will be built during spring-summer 2018.

Some site work will occur at the park in the coming months in preparation for 2018 construction, including soil cleanup at the park paid for through a Hennepin County Environmental Response Fund grant.

Project History

In April 2015 the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board staff received a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership project for the development of recreation facilities at Sheridan Memorial Park. The grant requires a 100% local match, which was provided by Minnesota Parks and Trails Legacy Funding, administered by the Metropolitan Council.

The project scope defined by the grant is specific: “construct a playground, picnic shelter with restrooms and maintenance facilities, a multi-purpose/flexible use field, path connections to the river and to the regional trail network and an environmentally restored river front.”

Some initial community engagement was performed in 2016:
Summary of Playground Preferences [PDF]
Summary of General Preferences [PDF]

Park History

A grand opening celebration for the Sheridan Veterans Memorial occurred on June 28, 2014 after nearly 20 years of planning, fundraising and environmental remediation.  Read more of the park’s fascinating backstory on the MPRB website: Sheridan Memorial Park History

The park centers on a large spherical sculpture of protective shields created by local artist Robert Smart. The sculpture is surrounded with quotes about peace engraved into granite and vertical markers describing the ten conflicts in which Minnesotans have served. Smart imbued the steel and granite markers with faces of veterans cast in iron.

 In 2016 the Mississippi East Bank Trail opened. The two-way, off-street, lighted riverfront trail runs through the park.