• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Subscribe
Program Guide
Watch Live

CCX Media

Skip NavigationMenu
  • News
    • Close
        • CCX News
          • CCX News Home
          • News Stories
            • CCX Daily Newcast
          • CCX News Special Reports
          • CCX Media Schools
        • Feature Segments

          • Business Matters
          • School Spotlight
          • Standout Student
          • Weekend Showcase
          • Newsmakers
        • News Tip

          Send us a story idea or news tip!
          Facebook Instagram Twitter
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
        • Apple News
    • Close
  • Sports
    • Close
        • CCX Sports
          • CCX Sports Home
          • Sports Tips
          • Hall of Fame
          • Upcoming Event Coverage
          • Play of the Week
        • Sports Coverage

          Adapted SportsAdditional SportsBaseballBasketballFootball
          GymnasticsHockeyLacrosseSoccerSoftball
          Swimming & DivingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyballWrestling
        • Social Media

          Facebook Twitter Instagram
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
          Shop/Order
    • Close
  • Cities
    • Close
        • CCX Cities
          • CCX Cities Home
          • The Connection
          • In The Community
          • Our Town’s Story
          • Community Resources
          • CCX Media Schools
          • City Meetings
        • Your City

          Brooklyn Center Local News and Events
          Brooklyn Park MN Local News and Events
          Crystal
          Golden Valley
          Maple Grove
          New Hope
          Osseo
          Plymouth
          Robbinsdale
        • Social Media

          Facebook Twitter
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
    • Close
  • Create
    • Close
        • CCX Create
          • CCX Create Home
          • Channels
          • Resources
          • Meet The Create Team
          • CCX Create Virtual Tour
        • Get Creative

          • Make Your Own Show
          • Free Classes
          • Contact Us
          • Polka Spotlight
          • Diversity Minute
        • RueShare

          • Member Login
          • Member Guide
        • Social Media

          Facebook Twitter Instagram
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
    • Close
  • Subscribe
  • Program guide
  • Watch Live

Expanding Use of Cooper Stadium Heads to Council Vote

2:42 PM | Friday, April 5, 2019

A proposal that raised a flood of concerns among residents in the Robbinsdale School District now heads to a city council vote. The New Hope Planning Commission this week heard the pros and cons of expanding the use of the Cooper High School football stadium to people who live outside the district.

Under the proposed changes to the district’s conditional use permit, the use of the stadium would no longer be limited to youth, opening up its use throughout the year to adults. There would also no longer be a residency requirement. Currently for groups that hold events at the stadium, 50 percent of the users must live in the district.

Cooper High School Football coach Willie Howard believes it’s important to open up access to outside groups.

“If I wanted to bring some of my ex-Viking teammates to put on a 7-on-7 adult fundraiser for our kids. That it’s open for that possibility. Because right now we are landlocked to be able to say I can’t even open up that opportunity, which I feel as though it’s a great opportunity for our kids to be able to experience this, but unfortunately we can’t,” said Howard.

Cooper Stadium

Cooper High School Stadium

Howard says other cities allow this kind of use at their high schools, listing Burnsville, Minnetonka, Hopkins, East Ridge high schools as examples.

Residents Raise Concerns

Similar to a meeting that was held March 5, residents who live near the stadium raised concerns about livability issues. They also wondered how problems would get addressed.

“Now for the second meeting in a row, you’ve got a room flooded with people telling you how our lives and our livability and our enjoyment of our neighborhood are affected by the traffic, and the sound and the trash,” Amira Friedson told the New Hope Planning Commission.

The proposal would expand the use of the stadium’s PA system. It would allow up to eight times per year for non-district events. The chair of the New Hope Planning Commission also wanted to know what the district would do about garbage cleanup.

“The statement was made earlier that there was couple in the audience that does an awful lot of trash pickup around the school on a daily basis,” said Tom Schmidt, chair of the New Hope Planning Commission. “So it kind of sounds like this is closer to the rule than the exception. And I don’t really find that acceptable. This is a situation that needs to improve.”

However, despite reservations, the New Hope Planning Commission did recommend approval to expand use of the use of the stadium. The vote this past week was 6-2.

“A month ago, I absolutely would have said ‘no,'” said Schmidt. “I don’t believe the school district started out very well prepared at all. There’s been a great improvement in the proposal. It’s not perfect. So I’m going to give sort of a half-hearted yes.”

The New Hope City Council now takes up the issue at its April 22 meeting.

Corey Bork, reporting

New Hope

Related Stories

Newsmakers: People Incorporated Sees Growing Demand for Mental Health Training:  There's increased… Read More
Brooklyn Center Organization Offers Free Mental Health Services:  The Lee Carlson Center for Mental… Read More
School Districts Respond to Texas School Shooting with Advice, Support:  School districts sent out… Read More
Nong’s Thai Restaurant Reopens After Three-Month Closure:  Nong’s Thai Restaurant Reopens More… Read More
Lawmakers Still at Odds Over Public Safety Solutions:  With the legislative session winding down at… Read More
Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School Celebrates 35 Years:  In kindergarten, nothing quite gets the… Read More

Footer

NAVIGATE

  • CCX Media
  • NEWS
  • SPORTS
  • CITIES
  • CREATE
  • Job Opportunities
  • Meet the CCX Media Team
  • ABOUT CCX MEDIA
  • Annual Programming Reports
  • CABLE COMMISSION

SUBSCRIBE

Get email updates for daily story previews. “Week in Review” video links, and programming previews.

Subscribe Today

CONNECT

HAVE A NEWS TIP? CALL OUR TIPLINE AT:  763-533-1710
Send us story ideas and comments!
Get in touch with us
               
 NEWS   SPORTS
 SHOP/ORDER

LOCATION

CCX Media
6900 Winnetka Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

Main Phone:  763-533-8196

CCX Media serves the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, including Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.
Copyright © 2022 CCXMedia | All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement
Web Design and Development by CEL Marketing PR Design and BizzyWeb | Log in