New recreation center will feature full-court gym, track, classrooms, exercise/activity space & community kitchen

Please join the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and Northeast Athletic Field Park supporters at 5 pm on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 for a special groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the beginning of construction on a new recreation center next to Jim Lupient Water Park.

The Northeast Athletic Field Park Recreation Center will feature a full-court gym, walking track, classrooms, activity space and a community learning kitchen. The recreation center will be built using sustainable building practices and the MPRB will pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification upon its completion.

A generous $100,000 donation from Barbara Lupient through the Minneapolis Parks Foundation was critical in bringing this long-awaited project to fruition. Northeast Athletic Field Park has benefitted from longtime support from the Lupient family, which was also instrumental in funding the construction of Jim Lupient Water Park and youth scholarships for programs at the water park.

Plans for the new recreation center were first outlined in the Northeast Athletic Field Park Master Plan, a 25+ year vision for the park approved by the Board of Commissioners in 2014. Construction on the recreation center will begin shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony and the building is expected to open by early 2018.

“The new recreation center will be an incredibly valuable community asset where people of all ages and abilities can come together,” said MPRB Commissioner Liz Wielinski, whose district includes the Northeast Park neighborhood. “I’d like to thank community members who contributed their time and ideas to the Northeast Park Master Plan and Barbara Lupient and the Minneapolis Parks Foundation for donating the funds necessary to get this project to the finish line.”

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Date: March 21, 2017

Time: 5 pm

Location: Northeast Athletic Field Park

Address: 1615 Pierce St. NE (Festivities will take place in the northeast corner of the park, next to Jim Lupient Water Park)

Event Details: There will be a brief program featuring local officials, a ceremonial gold shovel dig, light refreshments and time for the neighborhood to connect.