The Saint Paul Parks Conservancy was born due to insightful Saint Paul leaders—Mayor Chris Coleman, Deputy Mayor Ann Mulholland, and former Parks and Recreation Director Bob Bierscheid. These community leaders believed that enhancing Saint Paul’s parks programs and facilities is essential to ensuring a vibrant and healthy community. They also realized that the City alone cannot provide adequate funding for creative and expansive park enhancements. While Saint Paul sustains one of America’s most impressive and expansive park systems, public support struggles to keep pace with new needs and emerging opportunities. A partnership with private funders was essential to productive growth and service to the community.
Enter The McKnight Foundation.
At the request of our City leaders in late 2007, McKnight committed invaluable start-up funding to determine the most feasible model for creating and sustaining a new non-profit organization to generate support from private individuals, corporations, and foundations to provide for new parks enhancements, programs and facilities. In January of 2008 Jim Olsen was hired as project consultant for the Conservancy. Jim subsequently conducted a series of feasibility study interviews with a wide array of community organizations, representatives of the philanthropic community, public officials, and others with a special interest in the vitality of Saint Paul’s parks and recreation programs. As a result of those interviews, late in 2008 an initial Conservancy board of directors was recruited to review feasibility study results and to establish an initial mission statement and general direction for the organization’s development. The mission embraced by that board was to work in concert with other community groups to raise funds that enhance and expand parks and recreation opportunities throughout the community. That board also adopted the 2008 Parks and Recreation Vision Plan as a guide to selecting projects and programs to support. That Vision Plan calls for new ventures that promote active lifestyles, vibrant places, and a vital environment. In addition, the board adopted a stunning logo designed by local artist and parks advocate Michelle Hoffman, and a website design by local artist and jet-engine mechanic Karen Caldwell.
Effective May 8, 2008 the Conservancy was incorporated as a Minnesota, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Inaugural Project Embraced and Advanced
Following a thorough analysis of various initial program opportunities to pursue, in early 2009 the Conservancy Board selected its first major project initiative: the Lilydale Regional Park Enhancement Project. The Conservancy’s primary community partner for this first major project, aside from Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, is Friends of Lilydale Park—an organization that has focused its efforts, over many years, on improvements to and activities in this Regional Park. See the Projects page of this website for additional information on the Lilydale venture.
During 2009 the Conservancy produced its first two friend-raising events—each of which was focused on introducing a wider public to the Conservancy and opportunities to support the Lilydale project. The first event, the Lily Pad Party, was chaired by Inez Bergquist. That inaugural occasion was and hosted by John and Colles on July 14, 2009 in the gardens of their charming home in Dellwood, Minnesota. Special guest speakers at this party included Mayor Chris Coleman, Conservancy President Priscilla Brewster, and Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hahm. A second occasion on September 27, 2009, and entitled It’s for the Birds, was chaired by Eunice Cote.’ This event involved a Mississippi River cruise on the lovely Jonathan Padelford Riverboat and featured the presence of four expert “birders” who shared insights into the birds frequenting Lilydale Regional Park and beyond. Conservancy partners in this venture included Audubon Minnesota and Friends of Lilydale Park.
In addition to friends and funds resulting from these events, the Conservancy and the Lilydale Regional Park Enhancement Project have benefited from: 1) Involvement in the first-ever Holiday Lights in the Park Program (sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and King of Kings Lutheran Church); 2) inclusion in Saint Paul’s annual Employee Combined Charitable Giving Campaign; 3) participation in the GiveMN.org on-line giving program of the Minnesota Foundation; and 4) though charitable appeals to a rapidly expanding list of people for whom enhanced parks and recreation opportunities are critical to a vibrant and healthy community. The result of these combined efforts is a financially sound new non-profit that, in just a few months of hard work, has raised nearly half of its first project goal of $531,000 for Lilydale Regional Park.
This early momentum can be attributed to the commitment of an active Conservancy board of directors: Inez Bergquist, Norlin Boyum, Priscilla Brewster (president), Eunice Cote’ (treasurer), Michael Hahm, Marge Hols, Thomas C. Kayser (vice president), Dr. John Larkin, James Miller, and Ann Mulholland (secretary).
Future Adventures
While raising funds for the timely completion of the Lilydale Regional Park project, in early 2010 the Conservancy will be refining its process for selecting subsequent projects and determining a range of giving opportunities for those interested in investing in enhancing parks and recreation opportunities throughout the community.
Thanks in advance to all who join us in this effort!
