No changes likely in 2024, Silverwood programming may be eliminated

The Three Rivers Park Board has asked staff to come back early next year with a report on the future use of Silverwood Park, located on Silver Lake in St. Anthony Village.

That report may include reducing programming at the park and spreading that programming out through other parks in the system.

It may mean eliminating Three Rivers programming at the park altogether in future years.

“The board asked us to come up with options on programming and services at the park and to have that report by the first quarter of next year,” District Superintendent Boe Carlson said. “The budget is set for 2024, so there probably won’t be any immediate changes.”

Carlson said over 500,000 people use the park each year, and from 1,700 to 2,000 take advantage of the programs at the park, often dealing with the arts. There are about 600 programs and events at the park each year. 

He said Three Rivers Park District, which serves suburban Hennepin County, would like to work with other jurisdictions, such as Ramsey or Anoka counties, to talk about sharing the costs of programs and services at the park. 

Several local citizens are concerned about losing services at the park. Dave Johnson, who lives in St. Anthony and is a frequent park user, said the programming at the park is outstanding and he and his family take advantage of such things as art classes, interpretive hikes, movies on the lake, concerts and community mingle events.

“The park is a beloved gathering place for our community where we can restore, unplug and explore connections between art and nature.”

Johnson said he hopes the Three Rivers board considers that, “Silverwood Park contributes to its value of equity by serving communities in the eastern part of the district — and it’s accessible by public transportation.”

Silverwood Park is in kind of a jurisdictional quagmire. The park is in St. Anthony Village, which is part of the Three Rivers umbrella, but Silverwood itself, on the banks of Silver Lake, is actually in Ramsey County. Silver Lake is located in both Columbia Heights and St. Anthony. Two-thirds of St. Anthony is within the boundaries of Hennepin County, according to the city’s website. 

A survey the Three Rivers board looked at showed that 45% of park users are from Ramsey County, 22% are from Anoka County, 15% are from Minneapolis, and only 12% are from suburban Hennepin County, the tax base for the Three Rivers district.

Three Rivers manages 27,000 acres of parklands that annually have over 2.4 million visitors. It was established in 1957. 

Opposition to Three Rivers’ ownership of Silverwood is not new. In an Aug. 29, 2010 article in the Star Tribune, Three Rivers Commissioner Mark Haggerty said he opposed Three Rivers’ opening Silverwood Park because it is in Ramsey County, not easily reached by suburban Hennepin residents and primarily serves northeast Minneapolis, Ramsey and Anoka counties —none of which contribute funding to Three Rivers. “The taxpayers of suburban Hennepin County should not be paying for that.”

While the jurisdiction and spending at the park are confusing, what was not confusing at the Oct. 19 meeting of the Three Rivers Board was the determination of some board members that the district curtail or end programming at the park or seek other partners to bear the load.

One board member suggested that Three Rivers cut back 25% of funding for programs each year for four years, until there is no programming. Three Rivers would continue to fund the maintenance of the park.

Silverwood has normal park amenities but also specializes in combining art and nature. The park’s features include an art gallery, education facilities, a café/coffee shop, picnic facilities, canoe rentals, an outdoor performance space and a sculpture garden.

One board member suggested that the sculpture pieces in the park, one of its most distinguishing features, be moved to other Three Rivers parks. General budget figures for Silverwood (park maintenance, forestry, etc.) are not included in Three Rivers’ 2022- 23 published budget. Carlson said Three Rivers doesn’t budget “park by park,” but the organization typically spends about $1.7 million annually on Silverwood. About $800,000 goes toward staff time, some of which is spent in programming; however, he did not have a specific dollar amount lined out for programming.

Superintendent Carlson said the sculpture pieces are sometimes rotated within the park and rotating them with other locations would be possible. He said, though, that some of the sculptures combine with the natural elements of the park and probably are permanent. 

One board member noted that this discussion has been going on for over a decade. The park, which has been open since 2009, was once a Salvation Army camp on Silver Lake.

Doug Jones, who lives on Silver Lake, was on the park’s planning commission. “Silverwood meets the needs of this side of suburban Hennepin County,” he said. He recalled when the Salvation Army was going to sell the property, interested buyers included a housing developer and a casino operator. “We’re very fortunate to have this park,” he said.

Rosemary Franzese, a St. Anthony resident and a member of the Three Rivers Board of Directors, was instrumental in getting the Metropolitan Council to help fund the purchase of the camp. The Met Council paid $4.15 million to help Three Rivers buy and develop the park, according to a Nov. 11, 2008 Star Tribune article. Franzese called Silverwood “an oasis for the spirit.” The Met Council considers Silverwood a regional park.

Johnson noted that programs at the park are often paid for by user fees and not by Three Rivers. Carlson agreed that most adult programs are subsidized by fees, but that most children’s programs require the district’s financial help.

Johnson said at this time he doesn’t think most people know about the Three Rivers discussion on changing the park. “But everyone I’ve talked with about this is very concerned. It seems there is still time for the community to take action.”

Concerned citizens can contact the Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners via mail at Three Rivers Park District Administrative Center, 3000 Xenium Lane, Plymouth, MN 55441, or online contact form at threeriversparks.org/page/contact-us. For dates and times of Three Rivers board meetings, see threeriversparks.org/page/study-sessions-and-board-meeting-calendar.