Merriam Park Recreation Center Projects

Project Overview

The City of St. Paul needs your input in redesigning Merriam Park. Share your ideas and priorities through our survey tool to help shape the future of this community space. There will be multiple opportunities for engagement for staff to receive feedback.

Merriam Park, located at 2000 St. Anthony Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104, is a lively 10-acre park that serves the Union Park neighborhood. It has a recreation center and fun spaces for people of all ages.

With funding from the city's new Common Cent Sales Tax, the City of St. Paul Department of Parks and Recreation is planning to improve the park. These changes will help make Merriam Park even more welcoming and easy to use for everyone.

Funding Source: Common Cent Info(External link)

Planned Improvements Include:

Playground
Court & Amenities (Tennis & Basketball)
Baseball Fields

Project Update

Community feedback helped inform City staff about the key improvements and priorities residents would like to see in the park. This input was gathered through an online survey in 2024. Survey responses highlighted concerns about maintenance, park infrastructure, and issues with the playground equipment. A summary of the survey results can be found below.

20250715 - Merriam Park - Survey Results.pdf (1.55 MB)

Summer of 2025, the City secured a $500,000 grant towards development of a new Skate Park for Merriam Park! The location of the updated skatepark will be identified as part of the overall Site Improvements Plan this year, with design and construction for the skate park as a separate, future phase.

Upcoming Community Engagement Opportunities

(External link)

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Make your voice heard on improvements that you may want to see here at Merriam Park! Your feedback and participation will help guide the design process. These improvements aim to enrich the park’s facilities and ensure it remains a welcoming and accessible space for everyone.

In September, project staff from the design team will be present at the upcoming PB&Jam community event to continue gathering feedback and sharing updates with Community Members.

Thank you for your participation!

Project Timeline

Fall 2024 – Community Engagement & Design Concept Priorities
Late Summer/Fall 2025 – Vision Plan, Design, & Engineering
Winter/Summer 2025-2026 – Bidding & Construction

Contact Us:

Project Manager
Mary Norton
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
Mary.Norton@ci.stpaul.mn.us
P: 651-266-6407

DAC Meeting 1

The City of Saint Paul and DAC conducted a site walk to gain a clearer understanding of the area and its current usage. The walkthrough provided an opportunity to observe the site firsthand, discuss its features, and identify key points of interest. Below is a summary of the site walk, along with a proposed timeline and pictures from the initial meeting.
- Merriam Park - DAC 1 Content_Site Walk Through.pdf (13.29 MB)
DAC Meeting 2

The City of Saint Paul and DAC met again to figure out what was most important and what could wait. They also looked at examples of designs to get a better idea of what improvements they want to make. Below is a summary of what they talked about, a video of the meeting, and the design examples and priorities.
- Video recording of DAC Priorities & Precedents click here
- Merriam Park - DAC 2 Meeting Notes and Comments.pdf (1.42 MB)
DAC Meeting 3
The City of Saint Paul project staff joined the Union Park District Council and DAC members at the "Ice Cream, Peanut Butter, and Jam" event in Merriam Park on September 21, 2024. Thank you to everyone who came by the Parks and Recreation table, staff were able to hear from lots of families and community members about their ideas for future park improvements!
- Merriam Park - DAC 3 Community Event-Tabling Photos.pdf (3.08 MB)
DAC Meeting 4
The City of Saint Paul and DAC reconvened to further refine the design direction. During the meeting, the design team presented the feedback gathered at the Ice Cream, Peanut Butter & Jam event. The group also reviewed key trends and insights that emerged from the community engagement session.
- Video recording of DAC Design Direction click here
- Merriam Park - DAC 4 Design Direction.pdf (27.79 MB)

The City of Saint Paul is responding to a digital security incident. Emergency services remain fully operational.

You are using an unsupported browser. Please use Microsoft Edge.

Project Overview

Project Update

Upcoming Community Engagement Opportunities

Project Timeline

Contact Us:

Project Documents

DAC Meeting 1

DAC Meeting 2

DAC Meeting 3

DAC Meeting 4