Work at Bryn Mawr Meadows Park delayed

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), in coordination with the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission and the City of Minneapolis, recently advertised to receive bids from construction contractors for park and water quality pond improvements at Bryn Mawr Meadows Park (601 Morgan Ave. S).
After bids are received in late July, the MPRB will recommend a low, responsive bidder.
Originally scheduled for early spring, the bidding process was delayed due to longer-than-expected permitting and approvals processes. In response, the MPRB now anticipates a construction timeframe between mid-September 2022 and summer 2023.
The updated timeframe reduces the chances of MPRB receiving too few bids or more expensive construction bids during the summer, the busiest season for contractors. In that case, the project would be further delayed.
MPRB will send another update in late July or early August, as soon as results of the current bidding process are confirmed.
MPRB’s planning, design and construction of park improvements at Bryn Mawr Meadows Park is based on the park’s approved master plan and about $3.7 million in available funds. The project also includes construction of a stormwater pond on the park’s north side, in partnership with the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission and City of Minneapolis. The concept plan for park improvements includes the following features:
• Native landscape greenway
• Reconstructed athletic fields
• New trails
• Play area
• Picnic shelter
• Basketball court
• Broomball and open skate meadow
• Batting cages
• One-mile trail loop
• Parking lots
• Bike park skills area
• Open free field space
The first building constructed at Bryn Mawr was a combined toilet building and storage shed to serve the athletic fields in 1953. In addition, about 7,000 yards of clay were removed from the playing field areas and replaced with a good grade of back fill. A small part of Bryn Mawr was lost to freeway construction in 1966, but freeways ultimately resulted in the enlargement of the park. Seven athletic fields at The Parade were lost due to freeway expansion and the park board replaced some of that loss by expanding Bryn Mawr and building more playing fields there.
Important renovations were made to Bryn Mawr’s playing fields in 1992. Bryn Mawr was connected to the Luce Line bicycle trail in 2005, which connected paths from Wirth Park with the Cedar Lake Trail and links to downtown Minneapolis.