MPRB,  News

New Playground Equipment Installation Begins This Week

After three years of design and fundraising from the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council, new equipment will be installed at Linden Hills Playground beginning on Thursday, August 29th. The project is expected to take 2-3 business days, and adults and children are asked to stay out of the orange fenced area when the project is underway.

The new equipment includes:

  • 2-5 year old area: A “cozy dome” and steppers*
  • 2-5 year old area: A firetruck-themed playhouse
  • 5-12 year old area: New monkey bars, with the “boogie board” relocated

Project Background

In August of 2021, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board replaced existing playground equipment at Linden Hills Park. Due to budget deficits from COVID, the equipment was more sparse than previous iterations of the highly-trafficked playground, which draws kiddos from across the neighborhood, Edina and beyond.

The Linden Hills Neighborhood Council heard from frustrated parents and caregivers and assembled an advisory committee, which had a goal to add more equipment to the playground. Over the last three years, this volunteer committee:

  • Met with reps from MPRB to determine guidelines for new equipment
  • Ran community polls to determine the equipment that would be most exciting impactful
  • Worked with Flagship Recreation, MPRB’s playground vendor, to finalize budget and design
  • Set up the fundraising site and perks, raising $68,000 from private donations
  • Kept the project moving when it hit many roadblocks

50/50 Split Fundraiser

Perhaps most importantly, the committee spoke with MPRB and learned that the smaller-than-expected footprint at Linden Hills Park was happening in other communities as well. After speaking with MPRB, the committee learned that Hall Park in Near North, Minneapolis, was about to be redone and was facing a similar shortfall. The decision was made to split the $68,000 in fundraised donations 50/50 between Linden Hills Park and Hall Park. When project costs ballooned due to inflation, LHiNC added an extra $5,000 to the final project budget.

Hall Park’s renovations were complete in the fall of 2023. Linden Hills’ donation made it possible for the playground to have swings, two rockers, a spinner for older kids and a small rock wall.

Thank you to the donors and project committee

This was the first-of-its-kind project ever run by a Minneapolis neighborhood organization, and there were delays along the way. LHiNC would like to thank those who worked on the advisory committee to keep the project moving, and to the patient donors who allowed us more time than expected to get this done.

The committee was co-chaired by Gina Rautenberg and Becky Allen, with help from:

  • Michael Colicchia
  • Justin Jobelius
  • Barbara Merrill
  • Kyle Ryan
  • Diane Wartchow

Donor recognition gifts

Donor recognition gifts were dispersed in fall 2023 – early 2024, but there are some major donors still waiting to design their donor tiles. Chair Gina Rautenberg will be in touch directly in the coming weeks.

*Funded by excess budget from MPRB