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Big Willow Park is one of the gems in Minnetonka's park system, with an active baseball, soccer, and softball complex and several miles of trails and paths winding along the Minnehaha Creek corridor and through adjacent wooded areas.
The Minnetonka City Council approved the updated Parks, Open Space and Trail (POST) System Plan in 2022. The POST Plan provides a road map for planning park improvements, ensuring that the city’s parks, trails and open spaces continue to serve the needs of the entire community.
A key recommendation from the POST Plan includes creating master plans for all major community parks, including Big Willow Park. Staff is working with a consultant to create a master plan outlining future park improvements to pursue that support restoration that is currently underway.
The sports complex is used by numerous local, long-standing sports organizations as well as a host site for large, regional tournaments.
Restoration efforts in this park focus on removing invasive species and working to increase plant diversity and resilience to changing climate conditions. In addition to restoration, staff - with the support of volunteers and contractors - will conduct long-term maintenance to monitor tree health, identify and manage familiar or new invasive species, and conduct controlled burns as needed to clear debris and promote native plant growth.
Big Willow Park is one of the gems in Minnetonka's park system, with an active baseball, soccer, and softball complex and several miles of trails and paths winding along the Minnehaha Creek corridor and through adjacent wooded areas.
The Minnetonka City Council approved the updated Parks, Open Space and Trail (POST) System Plan in 2022. The POST Plan provides a road map for planning park improvements, ensuring that the city’s parks, trails and open spaces continue to serve the needs of the entire community.
A key recommendation from the POST Plan includes creating master plans for all major community parks, including Big Willow Park. Staff is working with a consultant to create a master plan outlining future park improvements to pursue that support restoration that is currently underway.
The sports complex is used by numerous local, long-standing sports organizations as well as a host site for large, regional tournaments.
Restoration efforts in this park focus on removing invasive species and working to increase plant diversity and resilience to changing climate conditions. In addition to restoration, staff - with the support of volunteers and contractors - will conduct long-term maintenance to monitor tree health, identify and manage familiar or new invasive species, and conduct controlled burns as needed to clear debris and promote native plant growth.
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Survey is now open! Park master planning is currently underway. Public open house meetings and pop-up events in the park are being planned to engage with the local community and understand how we use the park and what improvements should be considered.
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Staff conducted outreach with residents and volunteers to discuss restoration and maintenance goals. The preliminary restoration and maintenance plan were presented to the Park Board. Park Board comments will be incorporated into the planning document and the plan will be made available for public feedback.
Summer 2025 through 2027
Restoration and plant community maintenance work will be enhanced by prioritization strategies developed in the plan.
Big Willow Park is one of the gems in Minnetonka's park system, with an active baseball, soccer, and softball complex and several miles of trails and paths winding along the Minnehaha Creek corridor and through adjacent wooded areas.
A key recommendation from the POST Plan includes creating master plans for all major community parks, including Big Willow Park. Staff is working with a consultant to create a master plan outlining future park improvements to pursue that support restoration that is currently underway.
