Keeping Up

Matt Colwell Receives National Recreation and Park Association’s 30 Under 30 Honor

Congratulations to Matt Colwell from the City of New Brighton for receiving the 30 Under 30 for 2022 from National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Colwell began working for the City of New Brighton, as a temporary staffer in the agency’s Mission Possible program. This new program offered students, whose guardians couldn’t work from home during the pandemic, a place to do online learning while their caretakers were away. His impressive work earned him an internship, which led to a full-time position as sports and aquatics specialist.

NRPA’s Young Professional Network (YPN) and Parks & Recreation magazine recently presented “30 Under 30.” This recognition program is a joint effort by the YPN and the NRPA magazine to recognize 30 of the top young professionals whose work and contributions have made a lasting difference in their communities. More than 100 nominations were received, forming a diverse group of nominees from 27 different states.

Annual General Meeting Goes Virtual

Minnesota Recreation and Park Association held its virtual annual general meeting on January 21, 2022. The professional awards ceremony has been postponed to the spring. MRPA will honor the following outstanding parks and recreation professionals at the MRPA Professional Awards Ceremony:

• CLIFTON E. FRENCH AWARD

Tom Schmitz, New Ulm

• JACK NILES AWARD

Alex McKinney, Washington County

• DOROTHEA NELSON AWARD

Marcia Larson, Bemidji Becky Sola, Shoreview

• HORIZON AWARD

Jenna Smith, Bloomington

• BOARD AND COMMISSION AWARD

Thomas P. Anderson, Corcoran

MRPA Awards of Excellence Deadline is February 28

Nominations are now being accepted for the MRPA Awards of Excellence program. This program recognizes agencies in Minnesota for outstanding achievements in parks, recreation, and leisure services for projects completed in 2021. All nominations must be

submitted by the application deadline of

February 28, 2022. Visit https://mnrpa.org/ Award-Opportunities for application links and information.

1 MINNESOTA Recreation and Parks • www.mnrpa.org MINNESOTA RECREATION & PARKS

VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 4 • FALL 2021

2021

RECOGNIZING MINNESOTA AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS

ALSO INSIDE:

• Art Where We Play • 2021 Annual Conference in Review • CorporateConnections: Specialty Product & Service Providers

www.mnrpa.org

Stay Connected on Social Media

As a reminder, MRPA has a Facebook page called MRPA Connections for members to collaborate and share ideas. To join this group visit facebook. com/groups/676051986646073/ In addition, MRPA member Stacy Chouinard with the City of Crystal manages a group called the City Run Recreation Content Creators – MN. This group is for those who want to share posts and help others with their social media content creation. To join this group visit facebook.com/ groups/1418172651970170/

DONATING TO MRPF HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER!

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USA Today Readers Vote Water Works a 2021 “Top New Attraction”

By Janette Law, Minneapolis Parks Foundation

Water Works Park and Pavilion has been named one of the nation’s “10 Best New Attractions 2021” by readers of USA Today. We’re grateful to all of you – supporters, donors, partners, and friends – who joined us in supporting the most exciting new park in Minneapolis. Thanks to your votes, Water Works made the top 10 from a shortlist of 20 nationally significant destinations and experiences selected by a panel of USA Today experts and editors. Water Works brings significant new historic, cultural, and recreational amenities to one of the most visited and iconic areas in Minneapolis. The new park amenities were made possible by the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s $18.1 million RiverFirst Capital Campaign and our partnership with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “Water Works has been a wonderful success so far and I’m pleased to see so many people out enjoying the new riverfront space,” says Al Bangoura, Minneapolis Parks Superintendent. “I’d like to thank the Minneapolis Parks Foundation and its supporters, who appreciate the shared benefit of thoughtfully designed riverfront parks.” “Water Works is located at one of the most culturally and spiritually significant locations on the Mississippi River and the design honors our region’s history and our promise,” adds Tom Evers, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. “This recognition is shared with countless people who helped bring the site into reality. I hope everyone who visits Minneapolis has a chance to visit and connect to the stories Water Works has to offer and gains a deeper connection to the people who live here.” Discover the park’s range of visitor amenities – including the groundbreaking Owamni by The Sioux Chef restaurant – by visiting the Minneapolis Park Board’s Water Works Park and Water Works Pavilion pages on their website at minneapolisparks.org/parks__ destinations.

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Innovation in Park Design Award

The City of St. Louis Park received the Innovation in Park Design award the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) in 2021 for Westwood Hills Nature Center Interpretive Center. This award recognizes a park and recreation agency that manages a unique park or facility that embraces innovative technology, strategies or programs to improve their community. The NRPA Innovation Awards recognize and honor the latest advancements in the field of parks and recreation. These awards showcase the inspiring park and recreation agencies that have improved and empowered their communities through innovative practices in park design, health and wellness, conservation, and social equity. The 2022 application period is January 7 - March 25 for NRPA awards. Visit nrpa. org for further information.

MINNESOTA RECREATION & PARKS VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 2 • SPRING 2021

Managing Uninvited Guests Combating Invasive Species in Minnesota

ALSO INSIDE: • Aquatics in Minnesota Communities • Dakota County and Wright County Natural Resources Updates • CorporateConnections: Architecture & Engineering

1 MINNESOTA Recreation and Parks • www.mnrpa.org MINNESOTA RECREATION & PARKS VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 3 • SUMMER 2021 How technology has changed the way we work. TECH FOR REC MRPA Race and Equity Advisory Committee Survey Results

In Minnesota, Exceptional Golf is Par for the Course

www.mnrpa.org

2 021 MRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE GUIDE INS I • 1, Brooklyn Center 2 D E ! • OCTOBER 12-15, 20

www.mnrpa.org

Minnesota Recreation & Parks Magazine Connects MRPA Professionals and Suppliers

To see previous issues on MRPA’s new website, scan the QR code or visit mnrpa.org/Publications.

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