Oakdale commission outlines 2026 park upgrades; Tanner’s Lake may gain shoreline work if DNR grant arrives

The Oakdale Parks and Recreation Commission on Feb. 17 reviewed design and schedule details for park improvements planned in 2026 and 2027, including playground replacements and accessibility upgrades at Golf View and Tower and a base scope of improvements at Tanner’s Lake that could expand if a DNR grant is awarded.

Nikki Schlle, senior landscape architect at LHB, told commissioners the work for Golf View will focus on replacing playground equipment, adding a central concrete plaza and keeping engineered wood-fiber surfacing. At Tower Park, LHB proposes renovating playground equipment, providing an ADA pathway from the street to the play area and restoring turf used for sledding and summer activities.

For Tanner’s Lake, Schlle described a base scope that is funded now and includes a new playground, accessible trails, ballfield drainage improvements, upgrades to ADA parking for the boat launch, wayfinding signage and general park improvements. She said the scope could expand to shoreline restoration and a picnic shelter if the city receives a DNR grant; city staff described the grant as "north of $700,000." Final design work on Tanner’s Lake will be paced to wait for the grant decision expected in April.

Staff and the consultant emphasized that the adopted parks master plan remains the guiding document but that the master plan is conceptual, not prescriptive. Several commissioners pressed for preservation of informal uses — including sledding on the hill at Tanner’s Lake — and for community input on trail alignment and playground siting. Schlle and staff said final trail locations and grading will be determined by survey and geotechnical work now underway and refined through public engagement.

LHB described a community engagement program that includes online surveys, pop-up events, an in-person open house and printed materials; staff said they will coordinate engagement dates with the commission and city council and target more extensive outreach for Tanner’s Lake given its community park status. Schlle said survey crews and geotechnical teams are already conducting fieldwork and that Tower and Golf View will be placed in an early-summer bid package to allow construction to proceed in 2026 while Tanner’s design continues pending the grant outcome.

The commission will revisit design options when survey and geotechnical information is available and after public engagement. Staff encouraged commissioners and residents to submit feedback by email or at future meetings. The commission thanked LHB and noted the consultant will return for additional public-engagement milestones and construction oversight.