Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board receives Award of Excellence for 20-Year Neighborhood Park Plan

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board receives Award of Excellence for 20-Year Neighborhood Park Plan

On May 17, 2017, Michelle Snider, executive director of the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA), presented Jayne Miller, superintendent of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), with a 2016 Award of Excellence. 

Each year, the MRPA recognizes agencies or organizations throughout Minnesota for a range of outstanding achievements, including communications, parks and facilities, programming and events, sponsorships and partnerships, sustainability and volunteer initiatives. 

MPRB was awarded for its 2016 adoption of the 20-Year Neighborhood Park Plan (NPP20), in the Administrative and Management Strategies category. 

“We are thrilled to receive this award,” said Superintendent Miller. “It affirms how essential neighborhood parks are to the livability and the vitality of Minneapolis. We hope other park systems can use NPP20 as a model to find ways to fund and carry out much-needed repairs, replacements and updates.” 

NPP20 is the MPRB’s response to a problem facing heavily used urban park systems across the country: a combination of chronic underfunding and overall aging of neighborhood parks.

A historic agreement between MPRB and the City of Minneapolis, NPP20 was approved as an ordinance in 2016 to accomplish the goal of revitalizing the city’s 160 neighborhood parks for current and future generations of park users. The plan protects current levels of park funding received from city and state sources and provides an additional $11 million annually for 20 years, with those funds dedicated to three areas: park maintenance, rehabilitation and capital investments. 

Just as important, NPP20 addresses disparities within a city that has grown far more racially and ethnically diverse in the past 20 years. An equity ordinance accompanying the NPP20 agreement ensures that funding for rehabilitation and capital investments is prioritized using a set of data-driven criteria that are focused on racial and economic equity. 

About the MRPA

The Minnesota Recreation and Park Association is a professional membership association serving nearly 900 members statewide. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in Minnesota by enhancing the profession of parks, open space, recreation, and leisure services.