Minneapolis Park Board seeks input on changes at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board plans to spruce up the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, and it wants the public's input on the new facilities.

Initial ideas for the park improvements include a new front entrance area, an addition to the visitor center for garden staff and operations as well as a new bathroom.

The plans also call for replacing the tool shed with one outside the garden's fence.

Area residents and garden visitors can give their feedback on the projects by taking an online survey and participating at pop-up engagement events this summer at the garden and nearby neighborhoods.

The improvements are part of the master plan for Theodore Wirth Regional Park, where the garden, which draws an estimated 60,000 annual visitors, is located.

"One of the goals is to make the park more accessible to diverse visitors in terms of demographics, race, age and the neighborhood where they come from," said Emma Pachuta, senior planner with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

The Park Board plans to finish collecting feedback by the end of September, Pachuta said.

Pachuta said the cost of the projects is not yet known. The funding sources are also being developed.

"Implementation sources are still being defined," Pachuta said. "We are seeking donations for the actual implementation of the project and will also consider funds within the board's current [capital improvement project] allocations."

The garden, named for the late botany teacher Eloise Butler, is known for seasonal displays of native wildflowers in woodland, wetland and prairie habitats.