Minnetonka City Council — Transcript
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Story
Minnetonka seeks balance on nature preserve plan amid resident concerns
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives
Parks Updates
Summerfest Recap and Air Quality Policy
Upcoming Meetings and Strategic Planning
Votes (2)
Draft of the Coen Nature Preserve Master Plan
Dissent: Residents expressed concerns about security and trail proximity to homes. Park Board members advocated for greater trail accessibility and increased parking capacity.
Matt Kuma presented the draft master plan for the 30-acre Cullen Nature Preserve, outlining plans for public access, trails (compacted granite and earthen paths), overlooks, and boardwalks, all designed to provide a natural experience. The plan considers modest parking (5 stalls + 1 ADA) on Oakland Road. Funding discussions noted a denial of LCCMR funding and a shortfall in the CIP for proposed elements. The Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary were recognized for their significant volunteer and fundraising efforts. Park Board members raised concerns about the limited parking capacity and advocated for a fully accessible trail system. Residents from Crown Hill Lane bordering the preserve expressed significant security concerns due to recent burglaries, requesting trail adjustments to provide a larger buffer from homes and consideration of surveillance cameras.
DEI Initiatives Overview
Jace Alexander, DEI Supervisor, provided an overview of the city's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. This included a range of community events (e.g., Juneteenth, Tonka Pride), internal staff training programs (e.g., autism 101, 'Speak Up' sessions), collaborations with the Minnetonka Police Department (e.g., Multicultural Advisory Councils), and internal policy developments (e.g., language access plan). Key projects mentioned were an art audit of city displays and a grant-funded initiative to update the City Hall historical timeline to be more inclusive of marginalized groups. The presentation highlighted the City Council and leadership's strong support for DEI, demonstrated by resource allocation and increased staffing.
Notable Quotes (8)
So this master plan is really about the human use. How do we get people on site while providing an experience in a natur in a natural setting.
was there any has there been any discussion up to this point as to why this is not uh completely fully accessible park where all trails uh are accessible... because again this is an opportunity to create um a truly equitable and inclusive park experience.
The very practical challenge in terms of general trail construction is the topography unfortunately out there. Um that a lot of those tightlyk knit contours through here are quite steep and getting circuits up and down.
Only five spots for this investment and for the amount of people like to justify the public being able to access it and it's not super walkable.
Our concern is not the Colin Preserve. We fully support the Colin Preserve. Our concern is that we take a look at where some of those trails are relative to the houses along that just to have some bigger buffer allowing people to have access to the backs of our homes.
one of the things that we're really trying to work on is um you know there's only so many dollars and how can we um share them? How can we spread? And so you'll start to see more and more collaboration between us and the city of Hopkins for some of the events that we're working on.
we have a timeline here in city hall that isn't necessarily a full accounting of city history. It begins in the 1850s um and doesn't really acknowledge fully the indigenous people that were here beforehand or the people of color that have lived in the city throughout its history and the contributions they've made.
how can you kind of bake that into every decision, every review so that it's not unique and it's not uh aarent that that somebody who maybe has a special interest or that's a focus just brings it up.
Ordinances & Resolutions (15)
Draft plan detailing human use, access, trails, parking, and restoration for the Cullen Nature Preserve.
City-wide plan identifying goals, including the creation of the Cullen Nature Preserve Master Plan.
Specific plan for ecological restoration work already underway at Cullen Nature Preserve.
Guiding document referred to during the Cullen Nature Preserve master planning process.
City's funding program; noted a shortfall for the Cullen Nature Preserve master plan elements.
Grant request for Cullen Nature Preserve parking and trails, which was denied.
Agreement with Minnesota Land Trust protecting Cullen Nature Preserve, detailing permitted uses and restrictions.
Consultant report for the Cullen Nature Preserve Master Plan.
Online platform where the Cullen Nature Preserve master plan draft is available for public comment.
Guiding document for the DEI team's work, including goals like updating the city's historical timeline.
Submitted by the DEI team to fund research for updating the city's historical timeline.
Internal staff plan to assist non-English speaking residents.
Internal city tool for departments to assess projects and decisions for equity impacts.
Document to be reviewed, commented on, and edited by the Park Board in November.
New work plan to be developed by the Park Board in November, accompanying the strategic plan.