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Dakota County staff honored with state and national awards; parks trail project recommended for partial LCCMR funding
Summary
At the July 29 Dakota County Board meeting, the county manager and parks staff announced multiple awards for library and parks work and said one parks project was recommended for partial LCCMR funding.
The Dakota County manager reported to the Board of Commissioners on July 29 that staff and county programs received several state and national recognitions and that one parks project applied for Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) funding was recommended at a reduced level.
The county manager said the Dakota County Library has been named among the Star Tribune’s “Minnesota Best” libraries; the manager recognized library staff and noted that Margaret Stone is retiring in roughly six weeks. County staff Trish Bremer was singled out for capital-project work: the manager said Bremer helped secure nearly $9,500,000 in DHS and state dollars tied to a contract amendment listed on the consent agenda for a county recovery center (item 10.1 on the consent agenda).
Parks and recreation staff received multiple honors. George (presenting for Dakota County Parks) announced that Beth Landahl, visitor services manager for Dakota County Parks, received a professional-fellow award from the National Association of County Parks and Recreation Officials; the county also received a Minnesota Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA) Award of Excellence for the Highway 32 wildlife tunnels project, a reconstruction piece intended to enhance corridor safety and ecological connectivity.
Jared Fluellen, assistant parks and recreation director for the City of Eagan, presented the MRPA award and praised the county’s partnership on the Highway 32 wildlife tunnels, which involved Dakota County Parks, transportation staff, the City of Eagan and the Minnesota Zoo. “The Highway 32 Wildlife Tunnels is a great example of a project in Minnesota that meets the criteria of excellence,” Fluellen said.
The county manager also said the county applied for five LCCMR 2026 funding requests; one of those projects — a sustainable trails improvements proposal at Lebanon Hills — was recommended for funding at 87% of the original request of 2.1 (units not specified in the meeting). The manager said three other projects for which Dakota County provided letters of support are also moving forward in the LCCMR process (Minnesota Zoo bison work, Met Council regional park acquisition funds, and a Lake Marion Greenway project in the city of Lakeville).
No board action was requested at the meeting; these items were presented as informational and as recognition of staff work.
