Close Menu
Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Wednesday, May 21
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Threads LinkedIn
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Donate
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»City of Eden Prairie»New park building has room with a view
    City of Eden Prairie

    New park building has room with a view

    Mark WeberBy Mark WeberFebruary 6, 20244 Mins Read
    Eden Prairie Parks Director Amy Markle and Parks and Natural Resources Manager Matt Bourne look out the giant windows of the community room that anchors a new facility at Round Lake Park. Photos by Mark Weber

    The new $3 million park building at Round Lake isn’t the kind of park shelter your grandparents would remember from their youth.

    TV monitors, security cameras, a mini-kitchen, changing rooms, a rooftop rain garden, solar panels, and an expansive outdoor patio are all a part of the multi-purpose building that has replaced a 40-year-old, cement-block building at Round Lake Park.

    Also a part of the new building is a warming room – equipped with Wi-Fi, counter-height table seating, and flooring durable enough for ice skates – that serves skaters using nearby outdoor rinks. It is definitely not the old trailer with dilapidated stair steps and an ailing heater in the corner, as Parks Director Amy Markle recalls from her childhood ice-skating days.

    But the topper is the new building’s 80-person community room, with a huge wall of windows allowing one to enjoy scenic Round Lake from indoors. This is rentable space that, for the first time, makes Round Lake Park conducive for weather-protected graduation and birthday parties, family reunions, baby showers, and business meetings.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn McReavy

    “I’m guessing it’s going to be fairly popular,” Markle said about the new facility while seated in its community room. “It’s a nice building, it’s centrally located, there’s parking, there’s a beautiful walking trail – there’s a lot for people to do aside from being in this room.”

    The older building, she added, “didn’t meet the community’s needs. We really wanted something that could accommodate use year-round. The other building was used primarily in the winter for a warming house. This building is four-season. It can accommodate people at the beach, the splash pad, the playground, and just walking. Also, all the winter sports.”

    The new multi-purpose building at Round Lake Park has a modern design and large outdoor patio.

    Numerous ‘green’ features

    The modern design results from taking a list of city needs and ideas – including functional ideas that have proved popular at the city’s next-oldest park-building project, the building at Staring Lake Park – and handing the list to ISG Architects, which touts the project on its website.

    The city went the extra mile to add sustainability features to the building, providing capacity for geothermal heating, energy-efficient appliances, and the aforementioned solar panels and rooftop plants. Things that raise the project price initially. “But you’ll make (the additional cost) back with savings on energy,” added Markle.

    “We’ll also be using the building as a teaching tool, because it’s energy-efficient, so we can talk about some of the unique building features,” she said.

    In fact, guided tours that tout the building’s sustainability are expected to be part of an Arbor Day event on April 27, the building’s big formal debut.

    The building also has numerous features to make it accessible to people with disabilities. It puts everything on one level, utilizes automatic door openers, and has tables designed for wheelchair use.

    Easy access to new changing rooms is expected to benefit users of the beach and “splash pad.”

    The new building is the latest in a long list of improvements to Round Lake Park over recent decades. Most of the projects ahead are smaller, including this year’s renovation of tennis courts.

    Funding for the project was split between the city’s capital maintenance and reinvestment fund, which includes some proceeds from the EP Liquor operation, and the park improvement fund.

    Round Lake Park is one of four large community parks operated by the city. Others are Staring Lake Park, Miller Park, and Riley Lake Park. All are busy, but Round Lake Park is notable for the large events held there, including the Schooner Days and Corn Feed events held by the Eden Prairie Lions Club and the city’s Fourth of July Celebration.

    More information about renting the new building and other City of Eden Prairie park facilities is on the city’s website.

    The new park building replaces a cement-block warming house and storage facility that existed at Round Lake Park for 40 years.

    Comments
    We offer several ways for our readers to provide feedback. Your comments are welcome on our social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn). We also encourage Letters to the Editor; submission guidelines can be found on our Contact Us page. If you believe this story has an error or you would like to get in touch with the author, please connect with us.

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleWitnessing nature’s drama: Wolves and the circle of life in Yellowstone
    Next Article PiM Arts High takes ‘Lost Girl’ to One Act Play state competition

    More to READ

    10 Mins Read

    Getting where you need to go – with less driving

    May 8, 2025
    6 Mins Read

    Eden Prairie Schools’ centennial bash wins heritage honor

    May 8, 2025
    6 Mins Read

    Where does the recycling go?

    April 30, 2025
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    Eden Prairie High School program gives seniors a head start on careers

    May 21, 2025

    Shakopee man charged in Eden Prairie sexual assault of 15-year-old girl

    May 21, 2025

    EPHS synchronized swim team advances to state meet

    May 20, 2025

    Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list

    May 20, 2025

    Former Eden Prairie man sentenced for posting nude images of woman online without her consent

    May 20, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    INN Network Member Guidestar Seal
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2025
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.