After closing it for three months for renovations, Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan has reopened its visitor center with some changes: a paved sidewalk looping through the campus, a parking lot with improved lighting and accessibility, rain gardens, and a safer sledding hill and natural amphitheater.

The paved walkways, which will stay brushed all winter long, are intended to improve access for those with mobility issues or for those with young children in strollers.

"There is a great group of seniors that visit us, and they come almost every day. A lot of them have walkers and canes," said Katie Pata, park operations coordinator for Dakota County Parks. "When we reopened, it was like Christmas for them."

In a section winding into the oak savanna next to Schulze Lake, lights snap on at dusk, which extends trail use during dark winter months. "We have seen people using it late afternoon and early evening, which is great," said Beth Landahl, Dakota County Parks manager of operations and education.

In the past, kids walking to the swimming beach at Schulze Lake had to cross traffic at "hold-your-breath intersections," said Pata. The new parking lot sits about 25 feet from the beach, and a roundabout drop-off area has been added.

The newly paved overflow parking lot used to get muddy and require constant re-grading, Pata said. During the winter, it was difficult to plow. "It was kind of a maintenance nightmare," she said. "It was so expensive to fix it all the time." Also, without designated spots, people parked randomly, often reducing the number of available spots.

The county added 10 parking spaces -- more, Pata said, if you consider those lost due to lack of designated spots -- and improved lighting throughout the lots.

The plan also included shading for the deck area near the lake and rain gardens designed to filter storm water runoff. Pata said she hopes they provide a model for people wanting to create their own rain gardens.

"It was really important that we be part of the solution," she said. "We're excited to interpret that."

North of the visitor center, the re-graded sledding hill now overlooks McDonough Lake and doubles as a natural amphitheater, which the county plan to use for school groups, health and wellness activities, races and other events. "We're really excited about that space," said Landahl. She said the parks staff anticipates starting a music series and coordinating events with Dakota County libraries.

Glenn Jacobson of Rosemount likes walking the paved sidewalks with his young daughter. "You get out there," he said, motioning to the other trails, "and a lot of the snow pack is slippery."

Others are less enthusiastic. Rick Vatsaas of Eagan runs or skis the trails every evening, calling it "the best-kept secret in the Twin Cities for skiing."

"It just seems like there's an awful lot of pavement," he said. "They must have needed the parking because they added an awful lot of it. I'm concerned about how it's going to work for skiing."

Landahl, a skier herself, said that when it snows, the county plans to pack snow on ski trail sections that intersect with concrete walkways. Pata said they also plan to add benches and ski racks for skiers in the near future.

"I'm sure this will be nice," said Lacey Burres of Inver Grove Heights, who frequents Lebanon Hills with her family to snowshoe or hike. "I liked it a little more wild." However, she and husband, Casey Burres, appreciate the improved parking; on past visits, they had to park along the road.

Landahl said renovations came to about $1.3 million.

Liz Rolfsmeier is a Minneapolis freelance writer.