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4th District Dispatch: Minneapolis Park Updates from Commissioner Jason Garcia
 Aerial view of Elliot Park construction, 10-27-2025
Welcome to the District 4 Newsletter
New Board, New Commissioners, New Commitments
Haú mitakuyepi (greetings my relatives)!
As a new park board commissioner, I was hoping to launch this newsletter earlier this winter, but unfortunately, due to the lawless ICE invasion of our city, it had to be put on the back burner for a while. With spring coming and more positive news coming to our park board, it seems like a perfect time to open this new line of communication with District 4 constituents, and everyone who cares about our parks!
We started this term with five new board members, including District 1 Commissioner Dan Engelhart, District 5 Commissioner Kay Carvajal Moran, At-Large Commissioner Amber A. Frederick, Park Board Vice President Kedar Deshpande (District 3), and myself. While responding to the federal government's actions took up much of the time we had set aside for learning the mechanisms of the board, meeting staff, and building relationships, I'm proud of the work we were able to do in our first few months as a board. In addition to our orientation meetings and staff presentations, we have passed many significant resolutions, including:
- Aligning with city standards on disallowing ICE staging in park properties
- Supporting our employees' right to take time off without consequence to protest Operation Metro Surge on January 23
- Passing an eviction moratorium for renters in MPRB-owned properties
- Approving concept plans for Willard Park and East Phillips Park
- Restarting a pilot study of infrastructure for temporary closures on West River Parkway near the Stone Arch Bridge vs. continued rental of barriers, signage, and cones
- Reauthorizing staff to collaborate with the Met Council on potential improvements to the Mall Park in conjunction with their work in the same area
- Adopting our 2026 Legislative Agenda for our colleagues in the state legislature
As you can see, it's been a busy few months! I'm also at a point in my physical recovery from last fall's surgeries to start attending neighborhood association meetings. I'm looking forward to attending more and building out a schedule to visit with these organizations regularly. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call or email me- my contact information is at the end of this newsletter!
Spring Means Parks Improvements
Downtown District 4 Parks are seeing upgrades and new construction this year!
I'm excited to see the new plans for parks in downtown Minneapolis coming to fruition this year. Some highlights of upcoming projects-
Elliot Park
Elliot Park’s improvements began last fall, and are on track to be completed by this summer. The project focuses on activities, amenities and art for people who live, work and play in the Elliot Park neighborhood, including:
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A central lawn and gathering space for concerts, movies and other events as well as informal events and games
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New playground closer to street, recreation center, parking
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Patio and sports plaza outside the recreation center for yard games, other activities
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Splash pad connecting to the patio
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Attractive fencing and landscaping along park edges
Franklin Steele Square
Construction on improvements at Franklin Steele Square Park will begin in late spring! Some preparatory work will take place before then, including the removal of park benches for later reuse.
New features and other improvements coming to the park include:
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Central youth soccer field with adjacent lawn for spectators
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Ornamental fencing and landscaping along Portland Avenue
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Full basketball court near the pavilion
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Playground with a challenge course and other new equipment
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Looped paths connecting new park entrance with features and amenities
Stay tuned for more updates on park improvement projects across District 4!
 Berger Fountain, Loring Park
Park Focus: Loring Park
One of the "crown jewels" of our park system is central to District 4!
Since taking office in January, I've been fortunate to have several conversations with neighbors from the Friends of Loring Park and Citizens For A Loring Park Community (CLPC) about how the Loring Park neighborhood interacts with one of our flagship parks. As they will tell you- Loring Park is the heart of a vibrant community, and I'm honored to represent them as D4 Commissioner.
Loring Park is a unique urban park in Minneapolis, featuring amenities like basketball and pickleball courts alongside ponds and the signature Garden of Seasons. The park is also home to many species of wildlife including ducks, geese, cormorants, herons, squirrels, turtles, and rabbits. Loring Park is also home to numerous events throughout the year, including the annual Twin Cities Pride Festival, the most widely-attended LGBTQIA+ event in the Upper Midwest. It's safe to say Loring Park is a centerpiece of the city, and a park renowned across the world.
Did You Know? Loring Park was established in 1883, and was originally known as Central Park!
Right now, our neighbors are raising funds to restore the Berger Fountain (pictured above) and add a plaza to the park! You can get involved by working with CLPC or Friends of Loring Park, and they have also set up a project page where you can learn more about the history of the fountain, donate toward restoration, and sign up for updates! I've shared some of my ideas for the future plaza with the organizations, including a potential monument to the city coming together during Operation Metro Surge and memorializing the neighbors we lost during this time, and I'm looking forward to working with the Loring Park neighbors to move this project forward!
Thank you all for reading this far! I look forward to working with you all over the next four years on our shared park spaces and ways to help the system thrive!
Our next regular Park Board meeting is April 15, 2026 at Mary Merrill Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board Headquarters. If you can't attend in person, you can stream or watch later on the MPRB YouTube page.
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