MINNEAPOLIS – Tonight, the Minneapolis Park Board Planning Committee intends to discuss and vote on the Lake Hiawatha Master Plan, which would change the golf course from 18 to 9 holes in order to improve environmental and flooding outcomes which have become unsustainable.
State Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL – Minneapolis) supports the plan and released the following statement:
“This Lake Hiawatha Master Plan is the product of over 6 years of public engagement and creates a balance between golfers, Black community members, Indigenous community members, nearby neighborhoods, and other park users.
Currently, it is impossible to build an 18-hole golf course that can withstand the flooding of Lake Hiawatha, which already sees closures for almost one-third of the summer months due to poor water quality. This plan retains golf in the area, expands opportunities within the sport and more for other park users, and honors both the history of Black golfers who fought for equality on the course as well as the history of the Dakota people who stewarded the land and water for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers.
The community is invested in the Master Plan moving forward and has been waiting for a number of years for it to progress. At a time where our climate is predicted to bring more frequent and more severe rain events, I hope the Park Board will pass this plan which reflects this reality."
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