this is the Farmington feed bringing you information from the city of Farmington hi and welcome back to the Farmington feed I'm Karen Haj Niki the city's Communications specialist and I'm hungry for another episode of the feed in July we celebrate Parks and Recreation month with that being said we have Kelly Amed Parks and Recreation director and Katie putt Parks and Recreation commissioner with us today to discuss the updates happening at Rambling River Park Kelly and Katy hello and welcome to the feed our listeners are excited to hear about the changes happening at Rambling River Park thanks K excited to be here with you today thanks for having me yeah um you know Kelly's been on a few episodes already but this is your first one Katie thanks for coming yeah now tell me how long have you been on the Parks and Recreation Commission I think it's been about 2 years that I've been on maybe three it's been a while I started midterm so that's partly why I get confused okay seems longer than that you're so good at it it does but I think it's only been like two or three years okay so how did you become interested in joining the commission I saw the ad in the paper or the currents I'm not sure where it was but um saying that they were looking for a new member so I applied through the city website super easy process had an interview process again super easy I have two young kids and we use the parks and the trail systems extensively so it was super interesting to me to be able to be part of the discussions around keeping our systems up to date I also have worked with special needs kiddos for 25 years so advoc V ating for accessibility is very important to me as well oh for sure yeah so that's how you got involved and that is um it I mean it's important to get involved in your community and this is one way to do it is being on a commission so are residents able to attend your commission meetings absolutely the all meetings that we have are public meetings uh meeting notices and agendas are posted and they are invited to attend and we love it when residents come in and we get some feedback it's not very often we get guests to the meetings right when are they held again we hold them the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 here at City Hall okay great so let's get to the reason why we're here today to talk about Rambling River Park it's farmington's Premier Park and so many people use this on the daily um fishing baseball picnics Etc visiting the Veterans Memorial this park is important to the community so this is why obviously it's it's important to the commission as well so can you tell me a little bit about that we as a commission really want to make Rambling River Park a destination part in our County even not just Farmington we want to get a little bit more variety in the Parks we have in our city which is one reason we wanted the accessibility included in the park we don't have that yet in Farmington we also want at the skate park which is super exciting for us to be able to include our teens m in the planning has been awesome yeah that's a tough group to get right we're we're waiting news on a DNR outdoor recreation group grant for construction of the skate park we were supposed to hear in June and we haven't heard yet but hopefully soon um so because of this park being so important the master plan was recently updated can you tell me a little bit about that process and how often they get updated sure um we decided to update the park master plan for rambling Riv Park specifically because last one was updated in 2009 we know that interests activities demographics have changed since 2009 we thought if we were going to put a major investment into rambling Park which we haven't done in several years we needed to get the feedback from the residents the users the school district the Kota County businesses Etc on what they see the future of the park to look like it is the gateway to our our down town our community and we want to make it inviting for for all people Master plans uh for the parks are usually done right when you get a a piece of land for Park um in a subdivision often times they don't get uh updated unless you're looking for a major change so it could be 10 years or we have some Park Master plans that have never been updated yet oh wow well I mean there's a lot of parks how many again 27 Parks currently in Farmington that's a lot it's a lot yeah I was super amazed when I first moved to Minnesota how many parks there were everywhere yeah it's awesome it's it's important to uh to minnesotans to have an escape whether it's playing at the park or walking or running on the trails for sure so Katie how were you and the commission involved in this master plan process we had a lot of discussions around what we want to include what the community is interested and how to best meet all of the needs because they're varied and we certainly can't meet every desire but trying to fit as many in as we can we also looked at different Park layouts and different playground structures and kind of helped with the process of choosing we got to visit other parks and take a look at them and stuff we did and we had pictures sent in by the architect and the different designers and then we could go to the community with two options instead of 20 right cuz that really helps to narrow it down ahead of time we also just looked at different accessibility options and what needed to be updated like the bathrooms and the commission decided on we we knew we were going to go with a port in place rubber surfacing they decided on the color and make made a recommendation to city council they were active in the open house if you remember we had an open house at music in the park and Commissioners are that were available that night came out and and helped and engaged with uh the residents and other folks that came to that that meeting so they were without the commission and and City council's support I don't think we'd be here today so shout out to both of those groups for their uh support their drive and and continuing to work with staff to make this into a reality for sure I mean I remember seeing a lot of those uh kids on skateboards that night too talking about that yeah they were the group that was best represented they were out loud that night which was great to see them there they've been a driving force and um been respectful they still email me today and ask for status updates and um I still say we're hoping yeah we talked a little bit about funding for future improvements of Rambling River Park but where did the money come for this this new playground it's a great question Karen the funding for the playground equipment and poured in place rubber surfacing came from American Rescue plan act funds and a grant from Minnesota energy resources corpor ation so we can't thank city council enough for allowing us to use arpa funds and also to Nicole mcarthy and her pushing for the grant from Minnesota energy resources Corporation oh that's awesome yeah we're very excited so the plan involved many steps and then so so for our Rambling River Park you you got community feedback the commission saw different drawings and plans and all of that and now here we are like a year later from that in the playgrounds going in how exciting is this so exciting my two kids drive past we drive past it frequently and they're always asking can't we just go on it I'm like we have to wait the fencing is still up but they're so excited and I hear so many families in the community that are just desperately anxious for it to open up and be able to use it for sure yeah I get a lot of ask when is it going to open up when are you taking that fence down and to be able to take it from a master plan to putting the playground equipment in and seeing it just be probably less than days away from being open is awesome and I can't wait until we can have a grand opening and celebrate with the community this is a the momentum we needed to get the ball rolling at R River Park yeah sure and so the park just one part right so there's other things other plans but what are you most excited about Katie I am most excited to get the splash pad in which I don't know when that will happen as far as funding goes but it's such a great amenity to be able to bring to Farmington I cannot wait to have the water option available oh yeah for sure and that's good for kids of all ages it is it's great for all ages especially on a hot day who doesn't want to get just a little wet to cool down and exactly put your feet in my kids want to be under all the hoses and everything that's going to be great so we don't have to drive to all the other cities that have them for sure Kelly what are you most excited about well I'm excited for the skate park for the skateboard uh kids or skaters who have come out they've come to park and R commission meetings they've done presentations they continue email and call so I'm excited for that but the one other thing I'm I'm excited about is the pickle ball courts oh yeah right now we don't have funded identified for that either but I think that's the one amenity that is all ages it could be three generations playing it could be a young a young child 5 six it could be a parent and and a grandparent playing all at the same time on the same court yeah so to me that's the the amenity that I'm most excited about is is the pickleball courts and like I said we will be going out looking for some money for that as well and where is that supposed to be located we've been uh having conversations with the school district and they have tennis courts or former Tennis Courts at behind Dodge Middle School um so the talk is to rip those out and put the pickle ball courts there that's what it's shown in the the master plan currently is putting them there so School District I think is still on board with letting us use that land for that when we can find the funds right yep so what are you guys most EXC exed about besides Rambling River Park I'm excited for the ribbon cutting at Sunny Hills Park that's coming up oh when is that it is Wednesday July 10th at 6:00 p.m. at the park and do we have an address for that park for those that don't know we sure do it is 1 192000 clear water loop okay and that's a ribbon cutting for Sunny Hills ribbon cutting come on and join us and and help us celebrate uh one of farmington's newest Parks all right uh let's go back to the playground for a minute um talking about accessibility yeah do you want to you know dive deeper into what that means and what this park is going to offer sure so many of our families have various accessibility needs whether it's a child that is blind in a wheelchair someone elderly that has a walker or a cane there's so many different needs having a wide enough playground that the kids can all get up onto is huge having swings you know if an older child can't hold their head up strong enough they still have the big swing that they can get on it's just add so many options for a family to come out together and find a way to all use the same park at the same time without having to leave someone out yeah for sure I think the the definition I wrote it down so I could it one that kind of sticks out with me it's children and adults of all abilities can interact with each other and do what everyone wants to do play play yep that's it play yeah together yep that's really awesome um so the poured in place uh rubber surfacing obviously is the one key what are some other key elements The Wider paths within the playground and on the actual equipment to allow for a wheelchair to get up there a walker there's more space otherwise it's pretty cramped and hard to oh yeah be able to access any of it yeah there's there's nice ramps there that will provide that accessibility for someone if they're in a wheelchair or a walker Y and then the one thing that I do want to mention there's going to be a zipline right oh yes I mean come on yes there is a zipline that's the most exciting piece of equipment I feel like now my kids are always like does this park has a visit line it's a it's a hot ticket item for sure and it's so fun MH and then having obviously probably the the big chair on one or on both right yeah the big chair is fantastic again a kiddo that can't hold on for whatever accessibility reason can be buckled into the seat and still have the same experience as their peers or their siblings yeah yeah so the one will be the chair and the other will be like the little glider disc oh yeah okay so they could race they could they sure could yeah maybe we'll go out and race and then when it's open here all right who's going to win Kelly or Katie I don't know I don't know I think B put my money on Katie I don't know okay so let's just talk about Farmington in general like your favorite Parks what are the couple that you really like to go to or your kids like to go to Katie my kids love Vermilion Grove okay it has a rock wall oh awesome it's like back off the roads youve got to kind of hike to get in there that is their favorite park by far they also love Hill D which they call the Fish Park why do they call it that part of the playground structure is shaped like a fish oh okay so there you go there's a big fish on it yeah for sure so yeah those are the two that we hit the most often but they love all of them and just a quick plug the Geocache program we partner with the public library oh yeah I forgot about that fantastic for finding a way to intentionally explore the parks in the city and our two newest Parks now have caches and um Sunny Hills Park and Flag Staff Meadows Park oh okay so yeah go explore there I I bet most uh community members probably have never been to Flagstaff Meadows yeah just south of the high school yeah we already found the cash at Flagstaff Meadows and it was so fun I couldn't get my kids to leave any hints on where it's located ooh wee oh oh there you go all right we'll have to check it out so if they want to do the geocaching hunt what do they need to do go to the public library in Farmington they have a little packet they'll give you put your email down in case there's any changes okay and the Librarians there are super helpful so if you have any questions feel free to ask them they'll so you're basically just like writing stuff in your booklet when you find them you have a booklet with each park it has the coordinates for the cash as well as where to park cuz some parks have a lot of entrances yeah for sure and a lot of trails that lead in and out of them so that will help you be closer to it okay and then you write down the code that's in your geocache bucket and it'll make a phrase okay and you get prizes oh yeah for every Park you how many other levels you hit you get a prize there's three prizes I think it's 5 15 and 25 parks and then you get a prize from the library from the library oh awesome which is always cool it's doable all right yeah get to know your parks for sure and we talked about how many they have which one is the oldest Kelly good question I actually had to I well I text Jim Bell the city's first uh Parks and Recreation director and he called me and I was wrong I thought it was West View Acres it was actually Evergreen null oh okay 1968 and then Hill D was 1969 so you have one on the furthest end south of town and one on the furthest North and then Rambling River Park was um the third and that was started when he was hired okay so Evergreen null is the city's oldest Park all right well then now which one's the newest Flagstaff Meadows Park Flagstaff Meadows and that's the one by the high school that one's by the high school um off of 210 Street and Flagstaff Avenue kind of tucked in there in the neighborhood okay and we just released this and I believe it was on our socials the other day a how-to video for our new um parks and open space viewer yeah so if you've seen in the current we have a pullout guide or a Tarot guide on how to what of all of our amenities our parks and our Trails well this is now on the internet and you can filter by location um for instance parks that have grills shelters running water uh a basketball court and you put the filters on and off and it'll show you exactly which park has which amenities so we think that's a a great thing to do especially if you're looking for a shelter with a playground and potentially bathrooms um not all of our Parks have uh indoor bathrooms or portable toilets we only put portable toilets in parks that we have programs so there's a lot that don't have a portable toilet and that's definitely good to know before you go right Katie it sure is especially with young kids that are potty training right yep so I would encourage the residents to take a look at it uh Danny did great with it and the video is very easy to understand and oh for sure access yep so is there anything else you guys are itching to talk about about Rambling River just that we are super excited to see this and to get the community active in this park and we always love hearing more feedback so they can always email you Kelly yep absolutely uh feel free to reach out at K Alwood Farmington mn.gov or like Katie had mentioned stop at a a park and rec commission meeting like she said it's the second Wednesday of the month at 700 p.m. right here at City Hall agenda packets are published on Friday before so they can see what's what's on the agenda for that meeting some agendas are longer and some are are shorter than others but always open to the public and they can come and you know just get to know what's going on absolutely for sure all right well thank you so much for coming in today and giving us some background on the park master plan and how what you have been doing for the past year sounds like you've been really busy we have been on that commission and Kelly's been busy with all the recreation events and all this park planning so before I wrap up I want to remind listeners that updates to Rambling River Park and other Farmington parks and trails are posted on our website if you click on the project updates button on the homepage it'll take you right right there we can check out our socials during this month and we'll continue to celebrate Parks and Recreation month and we're going to feature different Parks throughout the city so get outside and visit a new park well I want to thank you again Kelly and Katie for coming today and I hope this Spurs more and more excitement for this new park and playground that concludes this month's episode of the Farmington feed thank you for listening we look forward to connecting with residents with this podcast if you have any feedback guest requests or ideas email me at communications Farmington mn.gov don't forget to Subs subsscribe to the Farmington feed wherever you like to get your podcasts