Open House for Reimagine Linwood Draws Over 100 Neighbors

On Monday August 3rd we held a community Open House for the Reimagine Linwood Park Project. Well over 100 community members - kids and adults alike - came out to the Rec Center on a beautiful summer’s evening, enjoyed an ice cream and told us about what they want to see in a redesigned community space.

Sharing Ideas for Linwood

We shared maps, information about existing facilities, pictures of play equipment, and survey data / analysis. By most displays, there were prompts, sheets and markers available to have folks respond to the information presented. Dot voting was extremely popular, and by the end of the night colored stickers covered almost everything on the wall.

Parks & Rec staff and SHA board members were also in attendance, and had lots of great conversations with community members throughout the evening.

Survey Readout and Analysis

We shared preliminary results from our community survey last night. We had over 200 responses going into the evening, and are now at close to 250 responses overall! Top priorities for a reimagined park include improved tree cover and shade, an amphitheater or similar for concerts and performances, picnic tables, and - parent favorite - a splash pad. Here’s the presentation:

If you haven’t taken the community survey yet, there’s still time!

Hearing from Kids

It’s important that kids’ voices are heard loud and clear throughout this process, not just the adults! Last night we set up tables where kids were led through a facilitated exercise to draw their ideal play and recreational facilities, which Linwood Rec’s kids program teacher facilitated.

We also made sure that dot voting and other activities were placed low enough so kids could engage with them directly.

Thanks to everyone who showed up, helped out, and made the event such a success!

How to Get Involved

We’re actively accepting volunteers to join a community working group for this project. The group will:

  • Visiting other play and rec spaces throughout Saint Paul and beyond for ideas and inspiration.

  • Working on initial concepts and ideas in partnership with Parks & Rec.

  • Conducting community engagement as plans take shape.

  • Planning small scale fundraising events to supplement grant funding.

  • Communicating regular updates to the community.

If you want to help us make this exciting project happen, please email reimaginelinwood@summithillassociation.org or call the office at (651) 222-1222.

Monica Haas