In recent weeks Dakota County held a slew of ribbon cuttings for greenways across the county. On Oct. 15, county officials and Minnesota legislators Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep Angie …
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In recent weeks Dakota County held a slew of ribbon cuttings for greenways across the county. On Oct. 15, county officials and Minnesota legislators Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep Angie Craig, and Rep. Liz Reyer recognized the completion of the first phase of Veterans Memorial Greenway. On Oct. 22, a ribbon cutting was held for the completion of the final stretch of the Mississippi River Greenway that now connects Hastings all the way to St. Paul. Finally, on Oct. 24, a ribbon cutting was held at North Creek Greenway, celebrating the completion of several gaps throughout the greenway.
Greenways across Dakota County now span some 48 miles, that combined with the county’s parks system, serve an annual 2.9 million visitors, according to the 2024 Construction Greenways Project Update presented by Greenways Manager Tony Wotzka, before the Physical Development Committee of the Whole on Oct. 22.
The blitz of funding, construction and planning that has gone into the steep proliferation of greenways across the county in recent years was recognized at the meeting.
“It was only a few years ago that we heard from residents that we need to step up our greenways,” said Commissioner Mike Slavik.
Planning for greenways in Dakota County dates back decades with the 2008 adoption of the county’s Greenway Guidebook, a document that puts forth the goal of creating a network of greenways across the county using the same “approach used in roadbuilding and applies it to creating a countywide network of greenways,” according to the Greenway Guide.
Many of these greenway projects have been supported by both state and federal dollars bolstering funds from municipalities and the county itself. Federal funds arrived in the amounts of $480,000 for the North Creek Greenway, more than $3.5 million for the Minesota River Greenway, $6.7 million for the Mississippi River Greenway, and $5.95 million for the Veterans Memorial Greenway, according to Wotzka’s presentation. This collaboration is a fact that legislators, commissioners and administrators were quick to point out.
“A majority of our greenway projects had federal funds,” said Wotzka at the October 22 meeting.
Commissioner Joe Atkins heralded the projects as “one of those wonderful examples where we have every level of government partnering together,” at the Veterans Memorial Greenway celebration.
Commissioner Bill Droske praised the cooperation of various business partners for the completion of the Mississippi River Greenway including Flint Hills Resources who donated land for the project.
“They were at the table working with the county and the city to make this happen,” said Droske.
The Oct. 22 ribbon cutting at the Mississippi River Greenway marks the end of a project more than 30 years in the making. Talks of the greenway began in 1989 in the South St. Paul Community Center, according to Atkins at the event. While much of the trail had previously been completed, the final 2-mile stretch connecting the Spring Lake Park Archery Range to Pine Bend Bluffs Scientific and Natural Area had yet to be paved and completed until this ribbon cutting.
While the final stretch of the Mississippi River Trail has been paved, it is not yet open to the public with construction crews continuing to work on it throughout the month. The trail is expected to officially open in November. This fact did not deter bikers who came and went along the trail, bypassing the crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting even while Commissioners and legislators spoke.
The North Creek Greenway Ribbon cutting celebrated the completion of several gaps in the greenway. Ten miles of the North Creek Greenway have been completed, stretching from Lebanon Hills Parks in Eagan to Rambling River Park in Farmington. Four more miles of greenway are currently unfinished.