The Brooklyn Park City Council on Monday approved a resolution to ask the Legislature for about $29 million to go toward its community center improvement project, build a new fire station and expand the Zanewood Recreation Center.
The north metro suburb is seeking $12 million to improve entrances and add exterior event space at the Community Activity Center. The request also includes money for a multicourt gymnasium to be added onto the building at 5600 85th Av. N.
Officials had floated the idea of removing one of the center’s two ice rinks and converting it to gym space for basketball, pickleball and special events, a top priority for the city since voters approved a $26 million park bond in 2018. Last year, the city secured $5 million in state bonding money specifically tied to such a conversion.
The idea, however, garnered pushback from ice rink users, prompting the city to explore building a new gymnasium.
Brooklyn Park also is seeking $12.7 million for a new Central Fire Station that would double as a regional emergency operations center and training facility, and $4 million to add a teen center at the Zanewood Recreation Center.
