Rosebrook Park: Roseville proposes splash pad, playground replacement and added parking after community engagement

Roseville Parks and Recreation staff presented a site plan for Rosebrook Park on Feb. 24 that would replace the park's aging wading pool with a chlorinated, recirculating splash pad, relocate the playground adjacent to the splash area, add roughly 35 parking stalls near the park building and install pathway lighting around portions of the park.

Director Matt Johnson and Superintendent Jim Taylor said the existing wading pool dates to the 1970s, has an outdated filtration system and a deck surface beyond repair. Taylor said earlier repair work (2009, 2016) is failing and that parts for the pool's original sand-filter system are discontinued, leaving the city “1 major kind of breakdown from not having the water feature at this point.” Stantec or outside vendors had estimated a full wading-pool reconstruction could cost roughly $1.0–1.3 million; a splash pad with a recirculating/UV-treated system was estimated at about $500,000.

Staff described extensive engagement: a neighborhood meeting attended by 17 residents, a community survey with 104 responses and in-park outreach through the department's Discover Your Park events. Meetings showed general enthusiasm for a splash pad among users and a recurring resident desire for more on-site parking and for improved lighting along the park loop. Some respondents expressed nostalgia for the existing pool and asked whether both options were feasible.

The staff site concept moves the splash pad where the playground sits today and moves the playground east into an open lawn area so the two features function as a unit. Proposed work includes roughly 35 additional parking stalls near the building, a new playground (estimated $200,000), pathway lighting ($~70,000) and an LHB-contracted site-plan design to unify the elements ($~$19,000 estimated). Staff estimated crown-and-sod repairs for the wet soccer fields would cost roughly $170,000 but recommended phasing that work in a later CIP cycle.

Johnson noted the park is highly visible from County Road C and Snelling and suggested a measured approach: build a splash pad large enough to serve neighborhood needs without creating a regional destination that would overwhelm parking. Staff proposed using existing park-dedication funds and the city's adopted CIP funds (roughly $730,000 currently budgeted for the project) to pay for the work; staff also applied for a community resiliency grant that would reduce the city's share if awarded. A conservative engineer-level total estimate for the proposed package was about $995,000.

Council voted to provide staff guidance to proceed with the proposed approach, including site design and additional public engagement. The motion to proceed was moved by Council Member Schroeder, seconded by Council Member Graff and passed unanimously.