Maple Grove’s Central Park wins state award

Maple Grove park and rec officials have reason to celebrate. The city's 1-year-old Central Park recently received a statewide Award for Excellence from the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association. Park officials say Central Park was selected for its creativity and unique "urban style design in a suburban setting."
"You can't find another park like this in the Twin Cities," said Suzanne Albrecht of Plymouth.
"I drive all the way here from Blaine," said Kaela Rekucki. "It's new and innovative, and one of my favorite things is it's an inclusive park."
The park is even open year-round thanks to a concrete ribbon that becomes an ice skating loop when temperatures drop. More than 65,000 visitors skated the loop last winter, which is one of Central Park's signature features.
"There's always some degree of skepticism, okay how are we going to do this, what is it really going to look like?" recalled Maple Grove Mayor Mark Steffenson before the park was built. "You look at it today and it is absolutely fantastic."
Eric Nelson, reporting
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