By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
One of the last pieces of business the previous Northfield City Council settled was approving the Sechler Park long-range plan. During the summer, City Staff collected feedback from the public and different user groups, such as the teams that currently use the park and would like to use Sechler in the future. Throughout the fall, consultants for the city took public feedback to design the project, and the outcome was presented at the December 3rd City Council meeting.
Some of the main positive items identified in the park were the baseball fields and green space and the overall rural/undeveloped feel of the park. However, several issues were cited with the park, including limited parking spaces, a lack of restrooms and a lack of playgrounds.
Highlights of some of the survey responses from the public input events. Part of the Sechler Long Range Plan.
In the park plan, some of the main amenities identified of interest were additional picnic shelters, additional lighting, winter activities, and expanding and improving the trails in the park. In particular, there was a large amount of interest related to pickleball.
Approving the plan does not set any construction plans in place; instead, it authorizes city staff to begin working to collect grants, donations, and any other funding sources to help fund possible future construction. The plan is focused on the long-term and includes projects starting in the next few years until 2038.
The overall plan is about 200 pages long, with over half of that being survey responses from the public input.
PREVIOUS STORY (11/21/2024): A Look At The Sechler Park Long-Range Design Plan
You can view the whole plan from the city here, below see some highlights from the plan:
The final concept plan of the park. Pages 1 and 2 show maps of the project, and the remaining pages focus on specific project elements.
The overall plan has split the projects into several phases and with each phase estimated the cost of the project. Note, that by approving the project, construction projects have not been approved only that city staff can begin making plans for future projects.
A breakdown of the different funding sources for possible future projects.