On the Road: Little Canada

The last stop on my tour throughout the state brings me to visit with MRPA On the Air Podcast personality and Little Canada Parks and Recreation Director Bryce Shearen. Little Canada is located along the I-35E corridor in Ramsey County. It has a population of approximately 10,000 residents, nine city parks and one county park. Bryce not only has worked for Little Canada for the past 15 years, with six years being the director, but he has also grew up in Little Canada. Bryce started off his career in Little Canada working in the public works department for nine years before becoming the parks and recreation director.

Little Canada’s parks and recreation department has three full-time staff and two part-time employees. As is the case with most smaller parks and recreation departments, the staff wear many hats not only within their own department, but throughout the city.

The department updated their masterplan in 2018, and Bryce states that the masterplan has been a valuable tool when working with the city council and parks and recreation commission when prioritizing construction projects and programs.

A significant project for the department that is currently in the works is a two-milliondollar upgrade of the Pioneer Park Athletic Complex. This project includes the installation of a new playground and water feature, enhancements to the landscaping that include establishing new areas of prairie and native plantings, the creation of a stormwater re-use system for irrigation, and greater ADA accessibility. One of the things that makes this project unique was how the department used the University of Minnesota to help them engage the community to gather input. Part of this input targeted youth from the community. Through their engagement, the U of M students found out some children felt that the playground was too close to the basketball and tennis courts. Bryce listened to their input and relocated the playground to create more of a buffer between the playground and the play courts.

With so many employment opportunities in the metro area, I ask Bryce what keeps him in Little Canada. Bryce stated he is able to be a part of a city that continues to make their residents top priority is very rewarding. He also says the current city council is great to work with. He looks forward to accomplishing many things during the next several years. It was great to visit with Bryce and to learn more about the Little Canada community. I would also like to thank the MRPA membership for allowing me to serve as MRPA president over the past year.

Field of the Year Award for Johnson Park in New Ulm

On January 12, 2023, the City of New Ulm Park Recreation Department was awarded the Minnesota Parks and Sports Turf Manager’s Association (MPSTMA) Field of the Year Award for Johnson Park. The award is given annually by the MPSTMA to one facility that exhibits dedication and excellence in the areas of turf and sports field surfaces. The City of New Ulm’s Johnson Park was built in 1938 and has become a destination stop for any baseball player or fan. Generations of New Ulm baseball players and fans have called this nostalgic ballpark home for decades. Johnson Park annually hosts about 85 baseball games from April-July. It hosts multiple regional tournaments. It is the home ballpark to at least seven different teams throughout the baseball spring and summer seasons. The maintenance staff and volunteers tirelessly maintain and manicure the playing surface to provide a consistent and high-quality playing surface. The City of

New Ulm and local organizations financially support the needs of the baseball playing surface annually.

This Field of the Year Award recognizes the countless hours of work completed by staff and volunteers that occur prior to the players and fans arriving at the ballpark for a game or tournament. The City of New Ulm thanks all the staff, volunteers, and city supporters that have dedicated time and resources to create the memorable experience that a game at Johnson Park provides.