FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 19, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Clare Cloyd
Clare.Cloyd@ci.stpaul.mn.us
612-760-5074
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 19, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Clare Cloyd
Clare.Cloyd@ci.stpaul.mn.us
612-760-5074
City of Saint Paul seeks new consultant team to design and construct Mississippi River Learning Center
Proposals due May 15
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The City of Saint Paul, along with the Great River Passage Conservancy, Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service, is requesting proposals for a multidisciplinary team of design and engineering experts to advance the Mississippi River Learning Center through complete design and construction documents, building on the schematic design, programming and engagement work completed on the project to date.
The River Learning Center will be a one-of-a-kind space for environmental and cultural learning and a gateway to the Mississippi River, welcoming Saint Paul residents as well as visitors from across the region, nation and world to experience the land, water and culture of the Mississippi River. The River Learning Center will be situated in Hidden Falls-Crosby Farm Regional Park, a more than 600-acre site managed by the City of Saint Paul that sits at the convergence of key cultural, historical, ecological, recreational and developmental places.
“We are at an exciting point in this transformational project,” said Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. “I look forward to seeing our vision for the River Learning Center come to life, creating more opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience and connect with our greatest natural asset – the Mississippi River.”
The River Learning Center was first envisioned in the 2013 Great River Passage master plan to reorient Saint Paul to the Mississippi River. A technical study was done in 2017, and a feasibility analysis was completed in 2018. In 2022, the partners of the River Learning Center hired a design team to complete the initial phase of development. After a yearlong process of public engagement, technical study and design, the previous multidisciplinary design team moved the vision for the River Learning Center into a conceptual, or schematic, design.
“This next phase of the River Learning Center is a critical one and will be built upon the invaluable feedback we gained from the community in 2022,” said Katie Nyberg, executive director of the Great River Passage Conservancy. “I look forward to working with the awarded design team to bring us across the finish line and get ready to put shovels in the ground.”
With funding to advance design secured from the State Legislature in 2023, the project is ready to move into final design development and construction documentation. The awarded design team will test and refine the initial concept plan for the River Learning Center as a starting point from which to begin their design process.
Proposals are due by May 15, 2024, at 2 p.m. A consultant team will be selected and the project will kick off this summer. For more information and to view the RFP, visit here.
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