Spring has officially arrived and with it, our parks are buzzing with activity as people emerge from the winter. It’s always a joyful experience to see neighbors and friends in the park again, and it reminds me of how fortunate we are to have this spectacular park system.
I also feel fortunate because so many of you shared your thoughts and beliefs in our Voices of the Minneapolis Parks survey. We had a tremendous response rate, which helps us at the Minneapolis Parks Foundation know what is important to our supporters and how we should plan for our future. I wanted to share a few highlights since I think it’s an important step anytime you ask for people’s input to let them know what you learned.
One of the clearest themes from the survey was what people value most about our park system. Far and away, what respondents value most about the Minneapolis park system are our regional parks and lakes. Places like Minnehaha Falls Regional Park and the Chain of Lakes are not only popular destinations, they’re defining features of our park system and our city. Here’s the top 3 answers:
Another important takeaway is that many of you support the Parks Foundation in multiple ways – a reflection of just how important our parks are to this community. The top 3 ways respondents support the Minneapolis Parks Foundation were:
To me, it’s terrific to see so many people understand that there are multiple ways to help support the Parks Foundation! It’s also encouraging to see how many people are already stepping up as advocates for our parks.
As I wrote last month, soon the MN State Legislature will be considering a bonding bill that we hope includes $6 million for North Commons Park. Keep an eye out later this month and in May as we’ll be asking you to contact your legislators in support of this historic investment in North Commons.
Thank you again to everyone who shared their voice with us and I look forward to seeing you out in the parks!
Image Credit: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board