Thanks to Cherokee Service and Dakota County for their support.
Construction has started on long-planned improvements to Marthaler Park. The City of West St. Paul is adding a new playground, trailhead with restrooms, picnic shelter, and fishing pier.
Why the delay: The latest upgrades, originally planned for 2022 and 2023, were pushed back a year so the city could apply for additional funding. They received $300,000 in state money and opted to do the work all at once instead of over two years.
- Parking lot: It’s being moved away from the former central location and positioned closer to the tennis courts.
- Playground: The playground will be moved to where the old parking lot was, giving the park two separate playgrounds (the other playground is off Wentworth). About 50 school children on field trips gave input on the design, preferring a net climbing structure, zipline, and tall tower feature with big slides.
- Picnic shelter: A new, larger picnic shelter will replace the two smaller shelters that were torn down in 2021.
- Trailhead: The city partnered with Dakota County to route the River-to-River Greenway trail through Marthaler Park and will add a trailhead with year-round restrooms, and plaza area with benches, bike rack, and bike fix-it station. Dakota County is contributing $400,000 for the trailhead.
- Fishing pier: A fishing pier is also being added on the southern end of the lake, vastly improving access.
Cost: The total price tag is about $2 million.
Construction work in progress:
Not included: Early proposals pitched improvements to the sledding hill and a trail around the lake. Neither are included at this time.
Wrinkle: A seeming clerical error identified a 75-foot diameter Native American burial mound in Marthaler Park, requiring an archeologist on site just in case.
Marthaler Park improvements timeline:
- 2017: City developed and approved a master plan that proposed multiple changes.
- 2019: The north end of the park saw a new parking lot, playground, volleyball, and resurfaced basketball courts.
- 2020: The old playground was removed.
- 2021: Trail work through park and picnic shelters removed.
- 2023: Parking lot, new playground, trailhead with restrooms, picnic shelter, and fishing pier are all happening this year, though some work could extend into 2024.
- Future: Planned improvements to the sledding hill will happen at a later date.
Sept. 15, 2023 Update: Fishing Pier
The fishing pier has been installed (though it’s not open to the public yet):
Nov. 8, 2023 Update: Delays But Progress
Multiple failed state permits delayed the project, but progress is finally being made as the playground and new picnic shelter are going in:
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