In August, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) allocated an additional $10.3 million to the North Commons improvements project from its Capital Improvement Program. Now work on the project is progressing through the final design phases and MPRB is preparing for construction to begin in 2025.
Open-House Events for Contractors
One of the project goals during its construction phase is to increase participation of contractors and contracting businesses that are owned or led by minorities and/or women, or located in North Minneapolis. With a $45 million budget, MPRB is striving to keep a significant amount of project funding in the community while it delivers this once-in-a-generation project.
Open House Details
- Thursday, October 24
9-11am
Tri-Construction, 927 West Broadway Ave. Suite 200 - Monday, October 28
4-6pm
North Commons Community Center, 1801 N. James Ave.
These open houses welcome any contractors interested in participating in construction of the North Commons Improvements project. Attendees can meet with a range of people involved in the project to learn more about its various aspects, including:
- Design team: Locus Architecture
learn about the general scope of the project - Construction manager: RJM Construction/Tri-Construction
discuss project construction - City of Minneapolis Procurement staff
bidding procedures, Target Market Program (TMP) and more - City of Minneapolis Civil Rights staff
goals of the Small and Underutilized Business Program (SUBP) and the Minnesota Unified Certification Program (MNUCP)
Fundraising Update
As noted above, MPRB committed to investing an additional $10.3 million from its Capital Improvement Program to help address the project’s $16.4 million budget shortfall.
Click here to read more about MPRB’s $10.3 million reallocation.
The Minneapolis Parks Foundation increased its commitment to the project from $15 million to $16.5 million of its current $20 million campaign: Transforming North Commons Park.
Current funding status
$12.2 million MPRB funds
$16.5 million Minneapolis Parks Foundation fundraising commitment
$10.1 million State and Federal funds
$38.8 million Total
MPRB is confident about the options for securing the remaining $6.2 million that will fully fund the $45 million project.
A transformative park project
The North Commons Park project is not just the largest in MPRB’s history: it’s the organization’s most complex undertaking in terms of its scope, its financial demands and commitments to a community that historically has been underserved.
But the project is also more than a physical transformation of the park with new and renewed facilities. At its core, it’s dedicated to creating a thriving gathering place for a community whose members, on average, have less income and more health issues than all Minneapolis residents. (More on wealth and health inequities in the North Commons community.)
The facilities that are being constructed and renovated are dedicated to:
- maintaining current community programs and activities (such as the water park and swim instruction)
- accommodating longstanding demand (such as athletics programs)
- expanding offerings based on community needs and desires
Thanks for your support during this unprecedented, historic investment in North Minneapolis’s flagship park.