Latest news with #SaintPaulParksandRecreation
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Minneapolis ranks among best parks in country, while St. Paul drops out of top 3
Minneapolis ranked among the top three park systems in the U.S. for the third straight year in the Trust for Public Land's annual ranking. Minnesota's largest city dropped to third after ranking second last year. Meanwhile, St. Paul ranks fifth in the nation, falling out of the top three after 10 straight years on the podium. While there's a bit of jockeying between the Twin Cities, they are consistently among the best park systems in the nation. Prior to its run in the top three, Minneapolis placed fifth in 2022, third in 2021, and first in 2020. Meanwhile, St. Paul was third last year and placed second in 2023, 2022, and 2021. 'This national recognition reflects our city's unwavering commitment to equity, environmental stewardship, and expanding access to parks and green spaces for all,' Andy Rodriguez, Director of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, says. "We believe parks are essential to building healthy, connected communities, and we're proud to be recognized for our work to ensure every resident has access to vibrant, welcoming public spaces." For the fifth straight year, Washington, D.C., which has preserved 21% of the city's land for parks, topped the list. According to the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, these are the top 10 highest-ranked park systems. Scores listed are out of 100. Washington, D.C. (85.5) Irvine, Calif. (84.3) Minneapolis, Minn. (83.6) Cincinnati, Ohio (82) St. Paul, Minn. (81.8) San Francisco, Calif. (80.2) Arlington, Va. (77.9) Seattle, Wash. (77.4) Portland, Ore. (76) Denver, Colo. (75.1) The ParkScore index used by the Trust for Public Land ranks the 100 most populous cities in the country and is often seen as a reliable, detailed source for park evaluation. Those cities are ranked on five factors: park access, park equity, park acreage, park investment, and park amenities. The first category measures the percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk from a park. Equity compares per capita park space and that 10-minute walk access in communities of color versus white communities and in low-income neighborhoods versus high-income neighborhoods. In both Minneapolis and St. Paul, 99% of residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park. That's significantly higher than the national average of 76%. Similarly, both cities are above the national average of spending $133 on parks per resident. Minneapolis is at $324, and St. Paul is at $248. Minneapolis had perfect or near-perfect scores in access, investment, and amenities. Though it ranked lower in acreage, with 14% of the land used for parks, which is below the national average of 15%, the same split as St. Paul. "No other state can claim what Minnesota can: two nation-leading park systems in its largest cities. As other communities raise the bar, we're reminded that continued investment is essential to keep our parks strong, accessible, and equitable," says Sophie Harris Vorhoff, Minnesota State Director for Trust for Public Land. The drop in rankings for both Minnesota cities was largely due to gains made in Irvine and Cincinnati, the Trust for Public Land adds. Among niche rankings inside the ParkScore, St. Paul topped all park systems in the country for basketball hoop access. St. Paul also got high marks in rec and senior centers (100 of 100 points), sport fields (88 of 100 points), and bathrooms (100 of 100 points). Minneapolis ranked well in basketball hoops (100 of 100 points), rec and senior centers (100 of 100 points), sport fields (93 of 100 points), bathrooms (100 of 100 points), and splashpads (100 of 100 points). Other cities that topped some of those niche categories include Boise, with the best park system for dogs. Las Vegas has the highest score for playgrounds, and Boston got top marks for splashpads and other water features in parks.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'The Loop' offers St. Paul youth free after school transportation
The Brief St. Paul Public Library, Parks and Recreation launch "The Loop", a collaborative youth transportation initiative. Youths aged 10-18 can get free after-school transportation to recreation centers and libraries in the Rondo and Frogtown neighborhoods. Parental permission needed to ride. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Getting students where they want to go after school can often be a game with many moving parts. 'It's been a community ask of 'how I can get my young person from a Rec Center to a different nonprofit in a safe way?' So, this is a very creative way to do that," says Andy Rodriguez, Director of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. FOX 9 rode along with Rodriguez and youth leader, Kao Yang, on the brand-new set of wheels named "The Loop." It's so new, not many families in the Rondo and Frogtown community know it's available to them for free now. "It's a fun thing," says Yang. What they're saying Similar to a school bus, this 15-passenger van is available for 10-18-year-olds in St. Paul, Mondays through Thursdays from 3-8 p.m. The Loop makes six different stops at libraries, recreation centers, nonprofits, all in an effort to expand the programs students can get to after school and in this summer. "I think providing our young people a multitude of options to transport themselves around the city is super important, right? If you want to get from a rec center to a library, the walkability might not be there, or parents may not feel it's safe, but this is another kind of city-led option that provides that opportunity for a young person to get from A to B," says Rodriguez. "I just don't want the barrier of a busy road or a bit of a hike to be the thing that keeps them from getting what they want," says Loop manager, Kali Freeman. As manager for The Loop, Freeman explains the $1.5 million after-school community learning grant comes from the Minnesota Department of Education. In addition to physically connecting kids with places they want to get to, the goal is to increase access to culturally-affirming after-school community learning opportunities that specifically support the academic and social and emotional well-being of young people and their families. Network for the Development of Children of African Descent and Irreducible Grace Foundation Black Youth Healing Arts Center are just a couple of the community partners. "If our children's families feel supported, and we are also supporting their kids, that's a loop of care right there," says Freeman. For now, Yang and others are hopeful the word will spread to more parents to sign permission forms, and for kids to take a seat and get where they need to go. "This is very important," says Yang. "When I was younger, we didn't really have nothing like this, and now that we have something like this, you know, this is a good thing to give back to the community that made me who I am." What you can do More information can be found here.
