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Arden Hills Service Directory 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. City Contact Information 651-792-7800 www.cityofardenhills.org Sheriff and Fire 911 Water and Sewer Problems (During non-business hours) 651-767-0640 Mayor: David Grant 651-538-0747 dgrant@cityofardenhills.org Councilmembers: Brenda Holden 651-636-2987 bholden@cityofardenhills.org Fran Holmes 651-631-1866 fholmes@cityofardenhills.org Dave McClung 651-332-0352 davemcclung@comcast.net Robert Woodburn 651-633-2389 rwoodburn@cityofardenhills.org City Administrator: Patrick Klaers 651-792-7810 pklaers@cityofardenhills.org Communications Committee Editors: Susan Cathey, Tina Kulzer, Member: Emma Theis Council Liaison: David Grant Staff Liaison: Amy Dietl Desktop Publisher: Mary Nosek Council meetings are held at City Hall on the second and last Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are televised live on Cable Channel 16. Meetings of the Planning Commission are televised as well. Visit www.cityofardenhills.org for information about taped meeting playbacks. Arden Hills Notes is the official news- letter of the City of Arden Hills, an equal-opportunity employer. 2 City Park Profiles--a series Freeway Park 1370 W. County Road E continued on page 4 It has been a somewhat uncooperative winter so far for outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Though you may have thrown in the towel after the rain and snow melt in December, it is now time to sharpen your skates and head to your nearest neighborhood skating rink, if you haven’t already. For many City residents, their skating destination is Freeway Park, which is this month’s park profile. “Upper” Freeway Park The upper level of Freeway Park was the first park developed in Arden Hills. Six lots were purchased by the City from John J. and Mary T. Kenna in 1957 for $10,000. The Minnesota Highway Department purchased 70,095 square feet of this land, leaving one lot and half of another lot at the intersection of County Road E and Highway 51 (Snelling Avenue) to be developed by the City as its first park. As noted in a Parks and Recreation Department archive file, “The size and state of this park is best suited for high intensity uses requiring less area…” Rather than reimagine this first park acquisition with extensive landscaping, the City developed Freeway Park by adding amenities the land was suited for. A skating hub in the middle of the City was born. By 1965, both hockey and free skating rinks were available to residents. Hockey boards and lights were installed; the skating area was fenced in for safety; and a small parking lot was cleared at the park’s main entrance off County Road E. That same year, Arden Lumber Co. built the park’s first (semi-portable) warming house. (Fun fact: The warming house that currently stands in Freeway Park is a “transplant”—it is the same warming house that was first built for and used at Cummings Park.) A neighborhood petition was signed and submitted to the City in 1968 requesting a fenced-in, year-round playground facility at Freeway Park. The following year, play- ground equipment consisting of a sandbox, double swings, a merry-go-round, and a slide were installed in a small corner of the park—all enclosed by fencing for safety purposes. “Lower” Freeway Park In 1968 the City Council began looking into the purchase of an adjacent lot for use as a parking lot to accommodate the number of residents using the park, which increased significantly during the winter months. One lot was purchased from Dorothy A. Johnson in November 1968 for $4,000. This parcel is commonly referred to as “Lower Freeway Park” due to its lower elevation in comparison to the original parcel where the rinks are located, or “Upper Freeway Park.” The two lots are separated by a short but steep hill that is easily traversed but has no per- manent path or trail to create connectivity between the two. This addition also provides a second, more pedestrian-friendly park entrance at Arden Place and Glenarden Road. Though this lower lot was originally purchased to alleviate parking issues, residents and by Tina Kulzer