Battle Creek Regional Park, located in the cities of Maplewood and Saint Paul, encompasses over 800 acres of park land, a large pavilion, park shelter and water park. A playground located near the large pavilion will be removed in 2019. The playground is beyond its life cycle and has received funding for replacement. Rather than simply replace the existing equipment, a project has begun to determine what the play-related needs of the park are and to gain public feedback on what type of play area should be developed. Public input provided at community meetings and a public survey in fall 2017 was used to create the concept designs as well as the following vision and goals for the proposed play area:
Vision
Create a regional destination play area at Battle Creek Regional Park.
Project goals
- Replace old, outdated existing equipment.
- Move the existing play area out of the flood zone.
- Make a unique space with varied features.
- Expand the typical user group from children ages 2-12 to all ages.
- Universal, inclusive design for users of all abilities.
- Complement existing Battle Creek facilities including: Waterworks, picnic pavilion, biking and hiking trails and stormwater infrastructure.
- Create a large, regional facility.
- Consider future maintenance when creating features.
- The play area should be environmentally friendly with an education component.
Project status
Construction for the Battle Creek Play Area project started in November 2019 and is expected to be completed summer 2020.
Timeline
- Construction begins – November 2019 - Summer 2020.
Documentation