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3 Rivers Park District outlines Mississippi Gateway redevelopment, Diamond Lake Trail work and possible Corcoran park
Summary
At a Corcoran City Council meeting, Marge Beard of 3 Rivers Park District described ongoing projects including the Mississippi Gateway redevelopment, a partnership with Bloomington on golf and park management, and future planning work that could bring a regional park into Corcoran.
Marge Beard, representing 3 Rivers Park District, briefed the Corcoran City Council on the park district’s mission and several projects that affect Corcoran residents and surrounding suburbs.
Beard said 3 Rivers is a stand‑alone local unit of government created in 1957 and operates about 25 parks and park reserves across roughly 27,000 acres, with 175 miles of regional trail and about 300 miles of trails inside parks. "Our mission is to promote environmental stewardship through recreation and education in a natural resources based park system," Beard said.
She described the Mississippi Gateway redevelopment — a multi‑year effort to build a visitor and education center with a large deck overlooking the Mississippi River and a raised "Treetops Trail" that will allow visitors to experience the river and canopy from an elevated platform. Beard said a ribbon cutting is scheduled for this summer and called the Gateway Center a major regional attraction.
Beard also reviewed a partnership with the city of Bloomington that began with 3 Rivers operating a closed golf course and culminated in Bloomington conveying the land to 3 Rivers in December. The district is aligning operations and signage across municipalities, she said, and noted long‑standing partnerships with Hennepin and Scott counties to manage parks and trails that cross jurisdictional boundaries.
On trails closer to Corcoran, Beard said Corcoran residents already use Elm Creek, Baker and Crowhassen parks frequently; Elm Creek was the single most visited 3 Rivers park by Corcoran residents in recent data. She said Diamond Lake Trail work is moving forward in collaboration with the city and that trails can take many years to assemble because easements and land acquisitions are incremental.
Looking ahead, Beard said 3 Rivers added a park search to its 2025 work plan and is considering locations near Corcoran and Rogers; staff will return to local councils later this year to begin public engagement on where a future regional park might be sited.
The presentation closed with an offer to act as a technical resource for city staff on water, wildlife and plant issues.
Beard’s slides and spoken remarks emphasized 3 Rivers’ mix of recreation and natural‑resource management, the agency’s regional partnerships, and specific projects that could affect Corcoran residents’ access to trails and park facilities.
