Parks commission votes to advance Pine View–Ion Gardens trail connection, authorizes full project for 2025

The Dayton City Parks Commission on Jan. 7 voted to advance a full trail connection between Ion Gardens and Pine View Meadows and directed staff to ask the City Council to authorize preparation of plans and specifications for a 2025 build.

The commission’s decision follows a presentation by Jason, the project presenter, who described the segment as “the last piece” of a continuous pedestrian connection from L.C. Stevens Park to Elm Creek Park. Jason said the East–West trail segment from Brookshire to the Vinewood connection is estimated at roughly $585,000 and that construction of a pedestrian landing and associated road widening at North Diamond Lake Road would add several hundred thousand dollars more. He presented a high-level estimate that the full project would be about $1 million if constructed now rather than coordinated with a county reconstruction in 2029.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the connection would give residents a continuous route to parks and reduce cyclist and pedestrian use of high-speed road shoulders. The project includes a raised pedestrian landing at the crossing, and staff said the county is likely to require a controlled intersection (roundabout or signal) when it reconstructs North Diamond Lake Road as part of a larger River Road program scheduled for about 2029.

Commissioners discussed three options: build the full project now (city-led), wait and coordinate construction with the county’s 2029 project, or build a trail now that dead-ends at the county right-of-way. Several commissioners said they preferred constructing the full connection now to improve safety and provide an immediate benefit to neighborhoods such as River Hills and Pine View Meadows.

Jason explained county constraints: Hennepin County enforces warrant criteria for marked pedestrian crossings and has in the past allowed trail access improvements while declining to certify crossings that do not meet those warrants. He said the county indicated the Vinewood location would be acceptable if a 10-foot raised median (pedestrian landing) and limited roadway widening were provided; the crossing-specific work was estimated in his presentation at roughly $400,000 to $450,000, including a rectangular rapid-flashing beacon option.

Marty, Parks staff, provided fiscal context and noted the trail fund balance, which he reported as $2,895,000. He summarized next steps if the commission’s direction was approved: staff would request council authorization to prepare plans and specifications and begin formal coordination with the county. The commission voted by voice to proceed with the full 2025 project; the motion passed with all commissioners saying "aye," and staff said it would be brought to council for authorization to begin design and bidding.

Jason and staff emphasized that some details remain subject to county review and right-of-way needs; preliminary concepts identified limited additional land acquisitions as possible but not extensive. If the commission had chosen to wait, the county’s reconstruction program anticipated a coordinated crossing as part of its River Road schedule in 2029.

Ending: Staff said it will prepare materials for the City Council (potentially the second council meeting in January or the first in February) requesting authorization to prepare plans and specifications, and that construction, if authorized, could occur later in the summer or fall of 2025. The commission also agreed to pursue coordination with 3 Rivers Park District and to refine cost-sharing assumptions with Hennepin County during design.