Parks round-up: Earth Day, spring sports, new hoops, summer jobs

The following report was submitted by Brian Hall, recreation supervisor for Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board’s Waite Recreation Center.

More than two dozen community members on Saturday helped do their part to keep the park and community clean as part of the MPRB’s Earth Day event.

We had 10 adults and 16 kids brave our chilly, windy morning walking around the park grounds finding trash and recyclables. Earth Day can be everyday if we all chip in to do our part. 

Other parks news:

• Spring sports practices are kicking off this week (April 26) with 61 kids signed up across levels and ages 5-13 years old. We will be making 6U T-ball and two 8U Coach Pitch teams, 10U baseball and 10U girls softball team and a 12U baseball team. We are looking for more players on the girls slow pitch softball team. 10U girls softball Birthdate ranges 9-1-2010 to 9-1-2012

• I would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to our VOLUNTEER COACHES! Without them, these kids would have no team. They include Luke Middendorf, Quang Nguyen, Will Dawkins, Jim LePlavy, Michelle Donovan, Nathan Ferguson, Jason Sellers Philip Markose, Clay Carter, Chris Rath, Jon Morgan. 

• Waite Park Rec Plus school-age childcare program fall registration begins Monday, April 26 at noon. Waite is a popular site, so sign up early for those families looking for care before school 7-10am and after school 2-6pm.  More info please contact our lead childcare staff Colleen at Waite Park.

• Our new basketball hoops are up and in action! They are adjustable and currently one is at 8 feet and the other at 9 feet with the 10-foot hoops on the full court. Come join in the fun, now for all ages!!

• We also will be getting a bang board for the tennis court for those who want a little more practice alone. Funds provided by WPCC general park programs and equipment allocations.

• Summer is right around the corner, we will have staff back — primarily outdoor supervision and drop-in leaders. Job opportunities are available — check out the parks job page. Current part- and full-time openings include: aquatics attendant, aquatics instructor, gardener, golf course park keeper, lifeguard and head lifeguard, park keeper, plumber, police officer, and seasonal equipment operator.

• Waite wading pool will open after school is out on June 12th. Outdoor restrooms will open alongside pool operations, they will also be available while sports teams are practicing or playing games.

What’s the latest on 35th Avenue construction?

The following article was submitted by Lisa Goddard, an engineer with the City of Minneapolis Public Works/Surface Waters & Sewers department:

A storm sewer replacement project on 35th Avenue is expected to be finished by the end of July after delays last year pushed the project into a second season.

Work began last spring to replace and enlarge the city’s storm main under 35th Avenue from Central Avenue to Ulysses Street, and on Tyler Street between 35th to 36th avenues. In addition to replacing the main, stormwater inlets that collect runoff flowing on the street and access structures have been replaced. A stormwater pretreatment unit was also constructed at the intersection of 35th Avenue and Tyler Street using grant funding from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.

The city’s pipe crew encountered several unexpected conflicts with other underground utilities that slowed their progress. Because the facilities that make concrete pavement materials close during the cold winter months, the city put down temporary pavement last fall to restore the streets after the pipe crews did their work on the western part of the project. 

The paving crew came back earlier this month to start prepping those blocks for permanent concrete west of Taylor Street. This entails removing the temporary pavement with backhoes to be trucked off site. Smaller equipment is then brought in to create a smooth base for the pavement. Finally, the concrete trucks will come when they are ready to pour the permanent pavement.

The pipe crew is currently at Pierce Street and working east to Ulysses, completing roughly 1 to 1.5 blocks per week. There will be road closures as they complete the work. They now expect the storm sewer replacement to be completed by June 1.

The paving crew will follow behind the pipe crew and continue to restore the road as the pipe crew advances to the east. The city expects to complete all paving work by the end of July. They will also be replacing sod where it was impacted by their construction.

This project was initiated out of a large study to reduce flooding, among other goals, in the Waite Park, Columbia Park, Marshall Terrace, and Audubon Park neighborhoods. The City’s storm sewer improvements work in conjunction with the new storm pipes and three stormwater basins currently under construction by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization in Columbia Golf Course and Park to the west. 

Once both projects are completed, the potential for flooding within the neighborhood will be less, and when it does flood, the depth of water covering the streets will be reduced. The stormwater basins in Columbia Golf Course and Park will also help improve the quality of stormwater reaching the Mississippi River, and the pretreatment structure on 35th Avenue. will help ensure the long-term function of those basins by separating and screening out trash, sediment, and hydrocarbons.