Carver County board hears proposal for Three Rivers Park District to operate county parks

County staff and officials from Three Rivers Park District spent more than two hours outlining a proposed partnership under which Three Rivers would manage operations for Carver County's regional parks and trails, while the county would retain policy and budget authority.

Bo Carlson of Three Rivers described the district as a "single-purpose agency" with roughly 27,000 acres and about 16.5 million annual visits, saying the district operates golf and ski enterprises with self-funded capital programs. County staff and Three Rivers presented a draft 2027 operating proposal that would transfer most park employees and equipment to Three Rivers, add in-house trades capacity (including an additional carpenter), and centralize programming, reservations and asset-management systems.

Staff recommended drafting a joint powers agreement (JPA) with a target effective date of Jan. 1, 2027 and returning to the board with a JPA draft by early October. Commissioners asked detailed questions about timeline, local control, branding, employee benefits and union status; staff emphasized the need for further HR and union coordination and said employees would be transitioned on an individual basis with lateral-entry processes where appropriate.