Minnehaha Creek Pedestrian Bridge Nears Completion

From the city of Minnetonka:

Decorative railings have recently been installed on the pedestrian bridge spanning Minnehaha Creek at Baker Road in Minnetonka.

Rock walls were added in the gaps between the railings and the bridge. A dedication of the park is being planned for June 22 during the Ice Cream Social.

The Upper Minnehaha Creek Corridor extends from the creek headwaters at Gray’s Bay for six miles through the city of Minnetonka, encompassing nearly one-third of the creek’s length. This area is unique in many ways—most notably, about 85 percent of the adjoining land is either publicly owned or controlled.

Recognizing that this represented an extraordinary opportunity to collaborate on creating a premier natural resource for residents to enjoy, the Minnetonka City Council and Park Board, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board, Three Rivers Park District Board and Hennepin County’s area commissioner met over five years ago to discuss a shared vision for the Upper Minnehaha Creek Corridor.

Since then, the most visible improvements have taken place in Minnetonka Mills Park, surrounding the Burwell House.

Improvements to this area have been funded not through taxpayer dollars but through interest from the city of Minnetonka’s Community Investment Fund. This fund was created to be used solely to pay the capital costs for projects of general benefit to the residents of Minnetonka.

Examples of other projects for which the Community Investment Fund’s interest has been used in the past include construction and/or renovation of the Williston Center, the Ice Arena, Shady Oak Beach Gray’s Marina, and the Minnetonka Public Works building.