Ramsey parks plans range from 'going ape' to manufacturing snow

A "park in the sky," strung from tree to tree.

A 9-mile off-road trail, finished across the width of the county.

Snow-making capacity that could greatly expand the number of skiing and tubing days in winter.

These were among the highlights when Ramsey County parks officials recently delivered their State of the Parks message to the County Board, outlining concrete plans for 2016 along with some mistier hopes and dreams.

The discussion ranged from near-term certainties to more nebulous longer-term prospects.

The Hwy. 96 regional trail, an off-road pathway stretching from New Brighton to White Bear Lake, will be completed this year with a new bridge over Interstate 35E, Parks Commissioner Rich Straumann said.

"Regional trails are getting completed," Straumann said.

Such amenities have been spreading in public parks nationwide; in fact, one is opening this week at Swope Park in Kansas City.

Other developments discussed in the State of the Parks message:

Snail Lake Marsh, Shoreview, a 47-acre area with a 2,300-foot long paved loop that will be an addition to the Hwy. 96 regional trail. The area includes more than 2,300 feet of natural-surface trails with more seating, enhanced landscaping, public art, interpretive signage, nature observation areas and restoration of uplands, shore lands, and woodlands.

Battle Creek Regional Park Winter Recreation Area, St. Paul and Maplewood, for which lobbyists this session will be seeking $2 million in bonding that Gov. Mark Dayton included on his wish list. "The average ski season is 60 days with real snow, 100 with snow-making," said Ramsey parks spokeswoman Alisha Seifert. "We'd have snow for lit-at-night trails, sledding, tubing, skiing — a one-stop winter rec area for the east metro. More than 30 high school teams use this area for their meets."

Twin City Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul, which will open this spring just north of University Avenue near the old Amtrak depot. The museum, long located at Bandana Square, had sought a site on parkland near the old New Brighton rail depot. Pederson said the possibility of housing it in a park was still "under discussion," and Seifert described the Midway venue as "where they're going for the time being."

Saving the bees, under a newly-approved "pollinators policy" that aims to spread a limited initiative to protect bees and other pollinators to the entire park system. One example of the policy: using less harmful fertilizers.