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Representative Angie Craig Announces More Than $1 Million in Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants for MN-02 Parks

August 25, 2021
Press Release

WASHINGTON DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig announced that the Cities of Belle Plaine, Cottage Grove, Inver Grove Heights and Lake City will receive a combined $1,041,000 in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants through the National Park Service's LWCF State and Local Assistance Program. This funding will help facilitate the redevelopment and improvement of five parks in Minnesota's Second Congressional District.

"From offering recreational opportunities to providing space for local events, our public parks play an essential role in the overall health and wellbeing of our communities," said Representative Craig. "I'm so pleased that more than $1 million has been awarded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund to facilitate improvements to five local parks here in the Second District. These grants will help ensure that all of my constituents have access to safe and beautiful public spaces."

You can find a breakdown of the grants allocated to Minnesota's Second Congressional District below:

  • $150,000 for Belle Plaine's Fountain Park. This funding is eligible to be used by the City of Belle Plaine to construct a ball field with dugouts and a gaga ball pit, replace the playground and remodel the restroom at Fountain Park.
  • $391,000 for Cottage Grove's Oakwood and Hamlet Parks.Of this funding, $250,000 was awarded for renovations to the existing playground, picnic shelter, restrooms, scenic overlook, parking lot and landscape at Oakwood Park. An additional $141,000 was awarded for the construction of trails, restrooms, picnic facilities and landscaping at Hamlet Park.
  • $250,000 for Inver Grove Heights' Valley Park. This funding is eligible to be used by the City of Inver Grove Heights to redevelop Valley Park to include a playground, picnic shelter with restrooms, trails, parking, performance space, walkways and site amenities.
  • $250,000 for Lake City's Ohuta Beach. This funding is eligible to be used by Lake City to redevelop Ohuta Beach by constructing access to the swimming beach area, a boarding dock, a flexible plaza, splash jets, walkways, a picnic pavilion with restrooms, parking and road access.

The LWCF State and Local Assistance Program provides matching grants for local and state park projects outside national park boundaries. LWCF grants are locally determined and competed at the state level through a process designed and managed by state partners. LWCF funding is separate from NPS operational appropriations and comes through annual congressional appropriation.