Minnetonka City Council — Transcript
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Citizen Comment: Tree Identification Initiative
Shady Oak Beach Season Summary
Lone Lake Park Mountain Bike Trail Annual Update
City Grant Applications Update
Park Board Ordinance Changes
Upcoming Park Board Schedule and Activities
Votes (3)
Shady Oak Beach Season Summary
The Shady Oak Beach report presented a detailed overview of the season from June 6th to August 16th. Key points included strong staff retention (34 returning out of 55 part-time hires) and extensive training hours. Financially, the gap between revenues and expenses is closing, with punch passes showing increased popularity. The beach experienced closures due to E.coli, particularly on the Fourth of July weekend, with goose poop and extreme heat identified as major contributors. Staff implemented daily cleaning and various deterrents, noting a broader E.coli issue across local lakes this year. Public appreciation for staff efforts was high. Concessions saw new menu items and a significant increase in freezie sales. A 'Teen Night' proved successful as a family-friendly event. The Shady Oak Beach lifeguard team again won the regional competition. A Hennepin County Youth Activities grant was secured for new Whibbit inflatables.
Lone Lake Park Mountain Bike Trail, Annual Update
Jesse Squared, Program Manager for the recreation department, provided the annual update for the Lone Lake Park mountain bike trail, now in its sixth year. The trail was open 79% of the time (287 days), an increase from the previous year due to drier conditions. Estimated annual use was close to 18,000 mountain bikers and around 1,000 hikers/runners. Strava data, combined with a historical algorithm, is used for user counts. The high school mountain biking league, particularly Edina, uses the trail, though large Hopkins and Minnetonka teams cannot be accommodated due to group size limits (40 total). Volunteerism remains high with 37 unique volunteers logging 385 hours of maintenance and restoration, valued at approximately $14,000. The city supports volunteers with appreciation events. The growth of mountain biking is evident with new trails opening in nearby communities.
City Grant Applications and Park Board Ordinance Update
Staff provided updates on multiple city grant applications. The city applied for approximately $1.2 million over three years from the Minnesota DNR for habitat restoration in Cullen Nature Preserve, Big Willow Park, Civic Center Park, Purgatory Park, and Lone Lake Park, leveraging existing stewardship funds. Decisions are expected in December. Additional applications for Hennepin County Youth Sports Grants include $75,000 for lighting at Big Willow Park's Southeast Field (matched by Big Willow Baseball Association) and $300,000 for Glen Lake Skate Park amenities and accessibility, adding to existing CIP and LCCMR funding. An update on the Park Board Ordinance changes, approved by the City Council on September 14th, was also given. Key changes include a seven-member commission with a new youth/young adult voting member (ages 16-24, one-year term), removal of historical Hopkins joint board language, and a new requirement for an annual work plan presented to the Council.
Notable Quotes (10)
So for us, it's really important put the work in prior so then the staff feel comfortable and confident going into the season and can respond to emergencies and help people um and do everything that's needed.
But the biggest factors for our E.coli E.coli really is the goose poop. And then when you have the the extended um extreme heat, so it's the whole week of 90 plus. Um they just thrive in that environment which makes it hard and then you have a storm that comes in and you have runoff. So it all kind of piles up together.
Um, and we still welcomed everybody to come to the beach. We didn't close it off to anybody. Um, but the event definitely turned more into I would say like the unforgettable family night.
Each year I I just hope we are the team to beat because we've come in first or second place every year. So it's just a fun thing we really push for.
But numbers are good, volunteerism is high. Um and we've got a really committed group of folks that are um helping us oversee the mountain bike trail.
But we really see people that use Lone Lake Park, they love biking there and they continue to come back. And our numbers have stayed consistent even after other um local trail systems have opened recently.
And so Straa is also um counting the runners or walkers. We we use we use the the previous documented trail counts on runners and um understanding the relationship between um mountain bike users and runners and using that as a percentage.
So all total it's about $1.2 million. Um there is some cash match required which would come out of our existing stewardship fund that we've already identified for this kind of work. So really it would leverage the money we do have we currently have and will have over the next three years to be able to do to really accelerate the restoration work we're doing.
So, this will be a voting member of this commission that is between the ages of I believe it's 16 and 24. Um, and then they serve actually one-year term, which is different. You uh the other members serve two years.
But the one new thing is that it does specify and I know you've already know this because we've been doing it for the c past couple of years that the commission will uh develop an annual work plan and then that work plan will get um presented to the council.
Ordinances & Resolutions (18)
Agenda for the October 7th meeting.
Previous meeting minutes reviewed.
Previous meeting minutes reviewed.
Grant received for Shady Oak Beach Whibbit inflatables for 2027.
Minnesota DNR's call for proposals for habitat restoration.
City's applications to Minnesota DNR for multiple parks.
Application for Big Willow Baseball Association for lighting.
Application for Glen Lake Skate Park amenities and accessibility.
Capital Improvement Project funding for Glen Lake Skate Park.
Legislative Commission of Minnesota Resources grant already received for Glen Lake Skate Park.
Ordinance governing the Park Board, recently revised by City Council.
New requirement for Park Board to develop and present to City Council.
Final draft expected in November.
Plans for priority parks identified in the CIP stewardship fund.
Annual review and adoption of the strategic plan.
Plan to be introduced and adopted for the upcoming year.
Delayed plan due to staff changes.
Feasibility study underway.