Playing Together Pays: Community Engagement to Transform Aitkin’s Park

Aitkin, Minn. — Community engagement is coming soon to help design our park. Parks and recreation are the heart of community wellbeing. The Aitkin Community Park and Recreation Subcommittee is working hard to transform and update our park to provide new opportunities for fun, social connection, and overall wellness. First, we need your help!

Aitkin County CARE received the Building Resilient Inclusive Communities (BRIC) grant from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to help support social connectedness, access to nutrition and physical activity in the county. The City received $15,286.00 from the BRIC grant. In addition, the Aitkin County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) program awarded the City $4,714.00. With both grants received, the City of Aitkin will contract with Confluence to help create a vision for the park.

Confluence will provide master planning services to assist in creating the vision and design. The plan will facilitate current and future needs of the community. Together, the idea is to work with the Aitkin community to graphically illustrate the vision and enhance the programming and activation of park and recreation opportunities. Community participation in planning, designing, and developing parks and recreation opportunities brings an array of benefits to all involved. It can speak to the needs of the community, local stakeholders, and the environment. Designers will tap into local knowledge and needs to create a vision that optimizes resources and works for everyone.

Future events and community discussions will be planned. To stay up to date and informed, please visit www.aitkincommunitypark.org.