Because the Minneapolis Riverfront is a statewide asset, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation is playing a more active role in supporting the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s requests for state bond funding for Minneapolis parks this legislative session. Though we support all elements of the Park Board’s efforts at the capital, we’re primarily focused on supporting the Metropolitan Regional park agencies’ $15 million bond-funding request for metro regional parks, and the Park Board’s request for $3 million in state bond funding for the Great Northern Greenway River Link (26th Ave N Overlook & Pier).

Securing this funding is vital to fulfilling the promise of these RiverFirst projects. Water Works, located within the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park, will provide needed amenities for 2.5 million visitors to one of the state’s most iconic sites – St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge. And the Great Northern Greenway River Link will turn a dead-end street facing the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis into a destination for thousands of area residents and thousands more travelers on the Great River Road.

You, too, can make a difference. Legislators have told us that hearing from their constituents gets their interest; just seven contacts or more and they’ll know that parks are important to their entire community. Your call or email in support of these two bonding requests raises our voice and encourages our legislators to prioritize Minneapolis Parks when it comes time to negotiate what gets funded this year.

Minnesota is in many ways synonymous with the outdoors – in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” it’s our natural resources that draw us across political boundaries, whether they’re the parties we support or the cities we live in. Our legislature has many worthy projects to consider for bond funding this year, and parks should be chief among them because they’re essential for connecting all of us to nature and to each other. Join us in asking the state legislature to fund parks this year – your support helps unite us and makes us stronger.

Useful Information

You can reach out to your representatives in three easy steps. Here’s how:

  1. Contact your representatives by phone or email. Click here to find out who represents you and get a link to contact information. You can also go directly to the Senate and House roster pages.
  2. Tell them you support the Metro Parks and 26th Ave N/Great Northern Greenway bonding bills.
  3. If you email, please copy the bill’s lead author and the chair of the respective Capital Investment Committee. This information is noted below.

SENATE
Capital Investment Committee Chair: Sen. David Senjem

Regional Parks Bonding Bill
Bill No.: SF 3308
Author: Sen. Sandy Pappas

Great Northern Greenway Bill
Bill No.: SF 1586
Author: Sen. Bobby Joe Champion

HOUSE
Capital Investment Committee Chair: Rep. Dean Urdahl

Regional Parks Bonding Bill
Bill No.: HF 3187
Author: Rep. Leon Lillie

Great Northern Greenway Bill
Bill No.: HF 1533
Author: Rep. Fue Lee

Featured image courtesy MPRB

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