Scheid Park Neighbors Concerned about Park’s Future
Residents who live near Scheid Park in Golden Valley voiced concerns about the future of the park at a recent city council meeting. The City is currently studying options for building a fire station several years down the road. Scheid Park is one of the considerations.
“What we want is for them just to take Scheid Park out of consideration for building a new fire station,” says Karen Boehne, who lives near the park. “We aren’t against a new fire station, but not in our park.”
Boehne is one of the residents who filled the public comment portion of Tuesday’s city council meeting. The item was not on the agenda, but the city has been studying the future of fire stations and investigating options. They could choose to remodel current facilities or build a new one. One study did focus on a station in Scheid Park, which is about ten acres.
Neighbors unite
Neighbors have been vocal about the issue. They have organized a Facebook group called “Save Scheid Park” and collected more than 700 signatures on a petition.
“We’re really impressed with how quickly things have moved,” says Sue Mauren, one of the neighbors and organizers. “We are impressed with how interested residents are in this issue, how much they love and value this park and how much they want to preserve this park.”
The Golden Valley City Council could be years away from making a decision on the future of the park. Mayor Shep Harris told residents that nothing is set in stone yet. An action to put money in the 2019 budget to study options for a new fire station and collect more feedback could be on the agenda in August.
“I admire that they are working so hard on this,” says Joanie Clausen, Golden Valley City Council member. “They are passionate and don’t want to see it come. So they are being proactive and want to make sure we hear their concerns.”
