U.S. interior secretary touts urban park funding in St. Paul visit

Urban communities across the country need access to parks that allow their residents to enjoy the outdoors too, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said during a Minnesota visit Friday, as she announced federal spending on grants for parks that are likely to benefit some in the state.

“These investments made possible by the Land and Water Conservation Fund will go directly into cities and communities for the renovation of urban green spaces and the creation of new parks and trails across our neighborhoods,” Haaland said at St. Paul’s new Midway Peace Park, where she was joined by Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, Rep. Betty McCollum and other Democrats.

The $61.1 million in grant funding announced Friday will be made available to 26 U.S. cities, with three Minnesota parks in the running to receive $9 million. It comes from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, which was created in 2014 to create outdoor recreation for urban communities.

“This is the biggest amount of funding for this program yet,” Haaland said.

The Minnesota parks poised to receive funding if their final applications are approved are Soldiers Field Park in Rochester, Rice Recreation Center in St. Paul and Willard Park in Minneapolis.

McCollum highlighted how Peace Park, which used to be a parking lot, now features a basketball court and playgrounds, offers a safe place for children to explore in an area that was previously neglected, and came about partly thanks to a grant from the federal government.

“The vision coming from this program in [Washington] D.C. to create these spaces in community is incredibly valuable,” Walz said. “We know there is a legacy of neglecting certain spaces and certain people. We can’t have anybody be invisible.”

If Rochester’s full plan is approved, Soldiers Field Park will receive $5 million to expand its amenities which serve “a diverse, economically-distressed population with poverty levels reaching nearly 40%,” according to a news release from Haaland’s office. The funding will include pools, an inclusive playground and trail connections.

Rice Recreation Center could potentially receive $2.4 million from the federal government to create new recreation opportunities and several construction projects including a multi-use artificial turf field, a new play area and sepak takraw (also called kick volleyball) courts.

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