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[ # ] Gold Medal Park Update
May 6th, 2007 under Mineapolis, Parks


The Deets has been fielding a lot of questions from readers about the status of Gold Medal Park next to the Guthrie Theater.

In my effort to figure out what’s up, I did some Googling, and dug deep into the Minneapolis Park Board’s website to figure out what’s going on. Surely an opening ceremony must be in the works. And there was no mention of the park among the list of parks on the Park Board website.

As The Other Mike pointed out on our run across the Stone Arch Bridge the other day, the geese have already moved in.

A quick email conversation with a park board member helped explain things a bit: the reason there is no open date on the park board website is because it isn’t a park board owned park. Apparently, it’s entirely private.

That’s news to me. I was under the impression that the park board received donation from William McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealth to the tune of $500,000 per year for 10 years to cover the development and maintenance costs. I also remember hearing that the park was going to be called the McGuire park, but that may have been before he resigned on short notice last fall.

So, does anyone have any information about when this will actually open? The people building the StoneBridge condos across 2nd Ave would probably like to see an open park rather than fencing across the street.

Will a private goose control company come in before the park opens? A division of Blackwater security, perhaps?


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    Read the Comments

    [ # 2032 ] Comment from Shek [May 7, 2007, 6:14 am]

    Google for: McGuire park, minneapolis

    Check out the first link. Talk to RT.

    [ # 2033 ] Comment from kohler [May 7, 2007, 7:37 am]

    Thanks for the tip, Shek. I have a better understanding of the history now, but haven’t found an opening date yet.

    [ # 2037 ] Comment from mh [May 7, 2007, 3:08 pm]

    The official opening is Wednesday, May 16th at 5:00 pm. (I work in an office very near the park and finally called the architects to find out.) Meanwhile, those geese have been in geese heaven since the incredible sod was laid down last fall.

    [ # 2061 ] Comment from Michael [May 14, 2007, 10:44 am]

    Who are the architects? Does the park have a website?
    M.

    [ # 2109 ] Pingback from Top Posts for May 2007 » The Deets - Ed Kohler’s Blog [June 6, 2007, 8:36 am]

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