North Commons Park Breaks Ground: A Promise Made, And A Promise Kept

Craig Wilson is a former board member of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation and the editor of the Hill & Lake Press. He lives in Lowry Hill.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has broken ground on a $45 million renovation of North Commons Park — the largest neighborhood park investment in city history — promising long-awaited facilities and programs shaped by North Side residents to improve health, equity and community life. Pictured at right is Shawn Lewis with the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. (Images: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board)

The Minneapolis Park & Rec­reation Board just broke ground on a $45 million renovation of North Commons Park, the largest investment ever made in a Minne­apolis neighborhood park.

To learn more, the Hill & Lake Press recently spoke with Shawn Lewis, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s community relations manager, about why the North Side’s iconic park is a smart in­vestment in the future of the city.

A crowd of more than 200 turned up for the groundbreak­ing at North Commons Park on July 29. Why is this park im­provement important to North Minneapolis?

There are a lot of promis­es that get made in underserved or disinvested communities, but when those promises aren’t kept, that leads to disappointment, and that leads to frustration. Neigh­bors feel like “people want to come into our neighborhood here and just do things to us, and not do things with us.”

This project at North Com­mons has been a long time com­ing, but it’s been built on a lot of community engagement about what North Side residents want to see in this park — especially for the 10,000 kids who live within walking distance.

So what you’re going to see is a large new field house with three basketball courts and an indoor running track, community rooms for teens and seniors, a fully re­built water park where kids can learn to swim, great community and after-school programs that can help tackle some of the health disparities we have in North Min­neapolis by providing safe space for year-round exercise, and ac­cess to nature without having to leave the community.

I think that’s why we’re seeing this cross-section of folks from the African American communi­ty who were so thrilled about the groundbreaking. Because the con­struction means this is a promise made, and a promise kept.

The Minneapolis Parks Foun­dation has secured more than $16 million in private contribu­tions toward the project’s $20 million campaign goal. What’s your pitch about why this park improvement is important to ev­eryone?

Minneapolis always likes to talk about its access to parks, or great biking paths, but when you hear “We’re number one!” you should also be asking, “For whom?” Because for communi­ties of color, with different demo­graphics, you see a different story.

Minneapolis is an econom­ic engine for the whole state — think of it like a car engine with four cylinders or four pistons. For Minneapolis to truly be the top-rated city it claims to be, ev­ery geographical area needs to run well, and right now, North Minneapolis isn’t working with the same resources as other parts of the city.

Investing in parks is one way to make that happen. Study after study tells us that every dollar we invest in parks returns at least four additional dollars in things we all benefit from like reduced crime, improved public health and new economic opportunities.

You’ve been making the rounds at local meetings and gatherings for a few years to make sure North Minneapolis is informed and engaged in this project. What have you learned about what North Commons means to North Minneapolis?

It’s in the name, I think. North Commons — a place that belongs to all of us, where we feel wel­come, where the community gath­ers for events like the Festival for Fathers and so much more.

People often tell me, “I grew up there.” And when you have that personal connection, you want to make sure it’s still there, and even better, for the generation coming behind you.

Especially after George Floyd’s murder and the pandemic, I think we all saw just how im­portant our parks are to us — me included.

In 2020, I was hospitalized for 13 days with COVID-19, four of them on a ventilator, and when I recovered my sister told me, “It must be because God isn’t fin­ished with you yet. You’ve got more work to do in this commu­nity,” and I thought to myself, “That’s right — North Commons must be one of the things I’m here to get done.”

How can people contribute?

If you want to give directly, you can visit the Transforming North Commons page at the Min­neapolis Parks Foundation’s web­site.

But the broader definition of philanthropy I like encompasses the three Ts: time, talent and trea­sure.

If you’ve got time, or some expertise you can share, being a coach, being a mentor to kids, that’s an important contribution.

Your treasure includes both your money and your social net­works — letting people know how important this park is to the com­munity.

If you’ve been impacted by North Commons positively or negatively, it’s important for us to hear what that experience was, because we want to leverage the positive, and we want to avoid re­peating past mistakes.

All of that community input will help make this project more successful.