Hennepin Youth Sports Grant Celebration Scheduled for September 14, 2012
Community members are invited to celebrate the completion of the Hennepin Youth Sports grant projects on Friday, September 14.
Wilshire Park
A celebration of the playground and field improvements at Wilshire Park will be held outdoors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 14, 2012. WPPA will provide freeze pops to the children in attendance. Please email a reservation with your name and the number of children attending to cridge@stanthony.k12.mn.us.
Stadium Field at Central Park
A celebration of the improvements on the St. Anthony Middle School/High School stadium field will be held at the stadium at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 14, 2012. Please email a reservation with your name and number of attendees to turdahl@stanthony.k12.mn.us.
In December 2012, Hennepin County’s Board of Commissioners approved the 2012 Hennepin Youth Sports grants and St. Anthony-New Brighton School District was awarded a $249,000 facilities grant and an additional $8700 grant for gymnastics equipment. Commissioner McLaughlin explained, “this is the use of some of the sales tax money that paid for the Twins ballpark and for the expansion of youth opportunities.” The 2012 grant program included twelve awards for facility improvements which totaled almost $2.2 million. McLaughlin said, ”I think it’s another great success and it’s going to make the lives of our young people that much better.”
The facility improvements for St. Anthony-New Brighton School District included:
• Maximizing the use of available recreational space within the City of St. Anthony by constructing a soccer-specific facility at Wilshire Park Elementary School to meet the increasing demand of the high-growth sport without harming existing spaces. Recreational space is being renovated this summer at Wilshire Park. The existing t-ball field will be reconfigured, a new youth soccer field will be constructed, and a perimeter fence will be installed.
• At the middle school/high school stadium field, an energy efficient lighting system and a perimeter fence were installed in the spring. This lighting system will extend the hours the football/soccer stadium field can be used, provide a more neighborhood-friendly experience, and reduce operational costs.