This Thursday, May 5th, the city will be hosting an open house on the final plan for the south end of Way Park. The open house will be at St. John's Lutheran Church from 7-9 pm. Postcards were sent to homes only within 300 feet of the park, so many interested residents may not be aware of the meeting.
A representative from van der Zalm + associates, the landscape design firm responsible for the current plan, will be presenting the final plan along with city staff. The plan will then be presented to the Park and Recreation Board (PRAB) at their next meeting on May 19th. We are hopeful that the PRAB will approve the plan without major changes so it can go out for bids in early June. The current schedule has the grading/seeding and trail work planned for August or September of this year.
This phase of Way Park development is foundational for future phases of the master plan to be implemented. We need good soil and final grading to plant the planned rain gardens and trees, and to make the south end of the park more useful and accessible for all ages. With the $80,000 committed to this project by the park board, along with over $30,000 raised in charitable donations to FWP, we hope to complete as much of the south end as possible this year.
You can view the most recent concept plan at this link, and we will add a link to the updated plan as soon as it is available.
A Park for All Seasons
Way Park is the heart of a vibrant neighborhood on the west side of Northfield. It features: a musical playground; playground equipment and swings; pre-school equipment; a basketball court; picnic and grilling areas; a walking path; a warming hut and ice rink (seasonal); a small baseball/kickball diamond (seasonal); a large open field perfect for pick up soccer games and kite flying; and lovely rain gardens.
Our organization, The Friends of Way Park hosts several events every year including Yoga in the Park, Pumpkin Fest, and a spring picnic event.