Brooklyn Park To Receive $7.5M for CAC

A long-awaited expansion to the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center (CAC) is one step closer to reality, thanks to a multimillion-dollar boost from the state legislature.

Lawmakers officially awarded the city $7.5 million in the latest state bonding bill to help fund a brand new, multi-court gymnasium at the facility. The expansion aims to accommodate a massive spike in local demand for indoor sports, including basketball, volleyball, pickleball and wrestling.

In addition to the new gym space, visitors can expect to see major upgrades to the building’s infrastructure. The project will fund improvements to the CAC’s main entrances, internal corridors and surrounding parking lots.

An artist’s rendering of a new athletic court at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center.

Moving Past the Ice vs. Court Debate

The funding milestone marks a major turning point for a project that has seen its share of local debate. An earlier 2023 proposal floated the idea of converting one of the CAC’s existing ice arenas into indoor courts, which sparked pushback from local hockey and ice sports advocates.

According to Brooklyn Park Recreation and Parks Director Brad Tullberg, the new gymnasium design eliminates the need to choose between different youth sports groups.

“Moving forward now really gets us away from the pitting ice sports vs. court sports,” Tullberg said. “And I think that was ultimately what our community wanted. We don’t want to subtract from one group to support another group. We want to have both.”

Bridging the Budget Gap

While the multimillion-dollar award is being celebrated, city leaders still have some financial maneuvering to do. Brooklyn Park initially requested $11 million from the state for the project. Despite the $3.5 million shortfall, city officials are calling the $7.5 million allocation a highly “successful outcome” given the competitive nature of local bonding requests statewide.

To bridge the remaining funding gap, the city plans to utilize existing funds from a 2018 park bond referendum, which had previously been earmarked for entrance and corridor improvements.

Project leaders will also review the current plans for potential “value engineering” and minor scope reductions. However, Tullberg emphasized that any design adjustments will be made carefully to ensure the overall intent and functionality of the new community space remain intact.

The city will spend the next several months finalizing design plans and locking down the remainder of the project’s funding. Local officials hope to officially break ground on the expansion sometime in mid-2027, with a target opening date slated for early 2028.

Artist’s rendering of the new lobby at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center.

Brooklyn Park