09-06-2016 Park Commission Packet

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Hackberry Park • Named for the hackberry trees that used to be on its perimeter • Might be fun to replant some hackberry trees here, since they are a native species with an interesting twisted trunk. Livingston Tower • Main claim to fame is that it was on the site of the old Navarre Amphitheatre, which used the motto "Cool by the waters of Minnetonka" • The Dairy Queen a few blocks away on Shoreline dates at least to 1955 and was one of the first Dairy Queens. Bederwood Park Name reflects the Beder Wood strawberry which was grown in the area in late 1800's/early 1900's but did not survive commercially, due to limits in its transportability Even more significant was the existence of the White Mather Creamery on the site. The creamery processed milk from farmers in the area and was aided by extension of the Luce Line Railway to serve these farmers in 1916-17. The line extended to Hutchinson. The history of the creamery and farms that served it could be interesting to feature at the park. Crystal Bay Playground • There is a lot of history around this park that could be shared with the public. • Mail was originally delivered here by the railroad Potential Additional Park Opportunities for Orono • Undeveloped land just west of the Orono Golf Course and south of the Luce Line trail would be a great acquisition of open space for Orono. The title holder is Longridge Associates and the property is owned by the Macmillan family. Orono should consider letting the owners know that there could be an interest in this land on the part of the city if it were to become available. • Orono offers limited access to Lake Minnetonka for those not living on the Lake. Are there any remaining opportunities? General Observations/Comments • Bob was told by contacts at Three Rivers Park District that the most frequent request that they receive for new park facilities were for frisbee golf and mountain bike trails. • A comment on the Orono website that cites Co. Rd. 6 as the line between Medina and Orono could be confusing and should be more specific as to which part of Co. Rd. 6. • When looking at the historical context of a given park, one should "pick an era" and focus on the role/impact/location of that park during that era. • Considerable information is available in past copies of the Minnetonka Herald, which are available at the Ridgedale Library. • Bob is a strong advocate for using QR codes on signs so that a greater amount of information can be provided to those who are interested, allowing more sign space to be used for things like photos and maps, which casual users find the most interesting. The Western Hennepin History Center has made extensive use of QR codes.