BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
McRae Park and Recreation Center is the sports hub of a pretty sporty neighborhood. Last year when we focused on this area of Chicago Avenue, going a few blocks south and north of 48th Street, we ended up discussing a major bicycle race, and I got the notion then that people in this neighborhood are very into active, competitive ways of enjoying the city and building community. My visit to McRae Park just reinforced that.
The park works very closely with two other groups: the Field-Regina-Northrop Neighborhood Group (FRNNG) and the McRae Area Recreation Council (MARC), or Sports Council for short. I talked to Heather Susag, who has been the park director since December 2015. We talked about the upcoming improvement project to the outdoor recreation areas around the park, which are already extensive, but in need of some redesign. Both of the above groups had a very major say in the new plans.
Currently, there is a sewer drain in the middle of the football field. The baseball diamonds abut the field. Broomball is very popular at this park, but the broomball court is in the center of the field, causing a major muddy area to develop after the season ends. The project for improvement calls for removing the sewer drain, and leveling the field, and altering the rain runoff so that it goes into a new rain garden in the park. The baseball diamonds will be moved farther away from the multipurpose football-soccer field, which will be planted with a permanent natural grass turf. Two new broomball courts will be built that are not on top of any other playing field. And then a broad walking path, with lighting and benches, will be added around the finished and upgraded main field.
In the original plan, construction would have been underway already. Heather told me that the delay of approximately one year was caused by the fact that the bidding process in the spring of 2014 yielded no bids within the project budget. This was later confirmed in more detail by communications rep for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Ben Johnson, who wrote to me that, “This year the project budget was increased and the low bid of $412,485 by Rachel Contracting has been recommended for approval by MPRB staff so that the project can be completed.” Voting on the proposed contract will occur with the MPRB Administration and Finance Committee on April 6 and the full board on April 20.
Assuming that the park board will approve the contract, the groundbreaking is scheduled for July 11, just after the Green Machine Football Clinic, a co-ed football day camp for ages 6 to 13 hosted by retired NFL star Derreck Robinson. The fields will remain closed through mid-summer 2017. A lengthy closure is necessary to ensure the new natural turf field has time to fully establish. Sports activities will continue at McRae Park, but practice will be relocated to othernearby parks and playing fields for those sports affected by the construction.
McRae Recreation Center is a very busy place and this spring and early summer is no exception. It is a host site for Rec Plus, and starting this summer will also include the summer vacation offering for the first time. Rec Plus is an after-school day-care and enrichment program offered at most of the major Minneapolis rec centers, which includes games and sports, arts and crafts, homework help, field trips and nutritious snacks, all for a low annual registration and a daily fee based on attendance. (There is also fee assistance for low-income families.) Additionally, McRae, like most parks, offers low-cost enrichment activities for both children and adults, including preschool age children and senior adults. McRae is one of the few recreation centers to focus on dance instruction for children. Creative dance and ballet are two long-standing programs at McRae, and Heather told me that just recently they have added tap dancing to their programs.
A couple of very fun sounding events are coming up soon at McRae Park, between now and the aforementioned football camp. On May 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., FRNNG will host its Annual Summer Celebration. This year it features live music, ballerinas, local food vendors, games and sports, a bouncy castle, a parade, and raffles with prizes including TVs and other desirable stuff. This is both a celebration of the coming summer and a fundraiser, so it’s a Really Big Deal. On June 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., McRae Park will host a Doggie Carnival. This event is still in the planning stages, but will definitely include treats for the canine attendees, an off-leash play area, information booths about vet services, grooming, pet products, an agility course and a movie. Stay tuned for more information as this event shapes up.
In the course of researching this article, I discovered a couple of features that even I did not know, or maybe knew but had forgotten, about Minneapolis’ wonderful parks. Fact 1) Although I am familiar with the use of recreation centers for meetings, I didn’t realize that they are also a popular venue for birthday parties, family reunions, baby showers and such. But yeah, it makes sense. Fact 2) This may be of especial interest to grandparents of Minneapolis children or friends of young families. Did you know that you can buy MPRB gift cards? These can be in any amount from $5.00 up and can be used to pay Rec Plus fees, tuition for classes, fees for tennis, golf, or water parks or even rentals. What a fabulous idea. Also, pretty much anything offered by the Minneapolis Parks system is searchable and accessible online, so be sure and visit one of their portals some rainy day and plan your summer activities to fully utilize the parks we are so fortunate to have.
