First construction phase complete, more to come, Graco Park, a new river amenity, opens to the public

After a year of construction, the first phase of Graco Park, the newest addition to the city’s park system, has opened to the public. A ribbon-cutting event on Wednesday, Sept. 25, brought out several participants in the project at its nine-acre space along the Mississippi river just north of the Plymouth Avenue Bridge. 

Members of the Gray family, which created the Graco company in 1929, along with Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Superintendent Al Bangoura, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) Executive Director Kevin Reich, MPRB Commissioners President Meg Forney, and Graco President and CEO Mark Sheahan all spoke about the history of the project and how the park will add to the amenities available on the riverfront. 

Bangoura said he had “the incredible privilege of being in these spaces, and I’m blown away by it.” He called the project another milestone of “the new golden era of riverfront park development.” He noted the history of the area, including the historical, spiritual and personal significance for its original stewards, the native nations including the Dakota and the Ojibwe people. He also spoke about the history of the logging industry from the 19th century to the present, which used the site as a sawmill that later became a lumberyard. 

Bangoura pointed to the next phase of construction, set for completion in mid-2025, which will include finishing the park building, completion of the shoreline rehabilitation and a riverfront trail connection under the Plymouth Avenue Bridge to Boom Island Park (for which The Metropolitan Council awarded a $2.56 million regional solicitation grant). Bangoura also thanked Graco for the company’s long partnership in the park project.

Forney talked about the site’s history going back more than a century, and then the 1929 establishment of the Scherer Brothers Lumber Company, for almost a century. She recalled that Scherer Brothers “slowly crept out into the river, annexing Halls Island” (which has since been reclaimed). She called the island a vibrant ecosystem now. She added, “Today we are making major progress on this vision for a restored riverfront, with full habitat and recreational opportunities. What is more critical is making this iconic body of water accessible to areas of the city that have been void of access to water and other riverfront parks.”

Sheahan said, “It’s nice to see the vision that the park board had and that our foundation was able to make come to life here, probably sooner than it would have otherwise been.” He said the land on the Mississippi River was a “special spot” for the company. He said generations of Northeast families have worked in Graco factories. 

“This community has really helped to create what we call our brick and mortar values at Graco: hard work and accountability for quality, and we have a deep pride in the trust of our customers and the communities where we have facilities and factories and employees, and we try to give back through things like our foundation and volunteer service.”

Reich thanked MPRB staff for putting in best management practices for the green storm water infrastructure so that 99% of the pollution that would normally reach the river will not happen. 

Earlier this year, MWMO awarded a $480,000 grant for native vegetation and habitat restoration, a low-maintenance pollinator lawn and a heated sidewalk and plaza snowmelt system which will eliminate salt runoff into the river during winter/spring thaws. 

A geothermal heat source is part of the “net zero” design for the community building. The next phase of the project will expand on the native habitat restoration work completed at nearby Hall’s Island, which the MWMO supported with a $1.5 million grant in 2017. 

Reich said, “The river now has its island back, and we’re going to continue to do that type of work. And so here at this park, more than any other park that I know, the river is the star of the show, and that helps our mission as much as any technical feasibility study will ever do.”

MPRB purchased the 11-acre riverfront site from Scherer Bros Lumber Co. in 2010. The area was cleaned up and grass was planted. Six years later, the Mississippi East Bank Trail was paved through the site. Hall’s Island, which had been covered up by years of lumberyard expansion, was restored and a gravel beach created on the river’s east side. That same year, MPRB and Graco agreed to get a trail easement, sell a 2.2-acre parcel of MPRB property to Graco and end other legal proceedings, allowing MPRB to go ahead with park construction. Approximately $5 million from Graco and the Graco Foundation was dedicated to the park’s development.

In 2021, after researching conditions at the site and collecting community feedback, MPRB staff produced some early design ideas. MPRB commissioners approved a final design and preliminary grading began at the site. In August, 2023, ground was broken.

Following the ribbon-cutting, John Gray Sr., commented, “As a family, we are proud that Graco continues to collaborate with the City of Minneapolis to transform and improve this area. It’s a wonderful opportunity for local residents to enjoy the enhanced outdoor environment.”