And next year, the Park Board is scheduled to launch an ambitious, public database listing ADA amenities at every park, so users can plan their trips before they go. The goal is to meet the new 鈥渄igital accessibility鈥 rule of the ADA, which looks at how effectively government agencies communicate their services.
鈥淓verything should be accessible, but that鈥檚 not reality,鈥 Moe said. 鈥淭he hurdle is, there鈥檚 competing priorities. I mean, everybody has a stake in this game called the parks.鈥
Year after year, Minneapolis ranks among the top park systems in the country, thanks in part to its founders鈥 foresight to design a green city 140 years ago. But that also means the built environment of the park system is old.
Many neighborhood recreation centers, with their missing ceiling tiles and stuffy, windowless rooms, date back to the 1970s. Crumbling sports courts, playgrounds and paved trails are in constant need of repair, even while the Park Board aggressively develops new park spaces in former industrial zones and neighborhoods of color in the name of equity.
With money tight, the Park Board can鈥檛 in good conscience replace an asset that鈥檚 still useable, like a wading pool that hasn鈥檛 met its full life expectancy, even if it isn鈥檛 ADA compliant, Moe said.
But when funding becomes available for major new projects, ADA is included in designs. The new riverfront park Water Works opened at St. Anthony Falls with spacious bathrooms and a restaurant, Owamni, which has a rare adult changing table. The area now has a reputation as one of the best local destinations outfitted for accessibility.