Brooklyn Park says revamped community center project doesn’t have to pit ice rinks vs. gym space

Brooklyn Park parents often have to drive across the city to watch their elementary-aged kids practice basketball late at night because no other courts are available.

The lack of gym space in the northwest metro is a problem city leaders have worked on addressing for decades, as needs grow along with Brooklyn Park’s population. But the issue became divisive when the city a couple of years ago considered converting one of the two ice rinks at its community center into gym space.

“It got ugly,” said Dan Williams, with the Brooklyn Park Athletic Association, saying court and ice users felt pitted against each other as groups went on the defensive to guard their sports.

But now city leaders are pitching a new concept that would retain the community center’s ice while expanding the facility to add three courts. The new gym would serve sports such as basketball, volleyball, wrestling, dance, cheer, pickleball and futsal. The expansion would also add new space for community events.

“We should have never been put in a position of saying to get basketball courts, we need to take and tear away,” Mayor Hollies Winston said, adding the new council feels it can better meet needs across the community with the re-envisioned project.

“Hockey is part of our heritage and legacy that’s been here for some time in Brooklyn Park. We don’t want to rip that away,” he said. “But we also have to find ways to accommodate new cultures and new preferences.”

The expansion, including remodeling the community center’s entryway, adding parking and improving outdoor space at the facility at 5600 85th Av. N., is estimated to cost about $23.5 million, said Brad Tullberg, city recreation and parks director. The city is seeking $9.5 million in state bond funding for the project this legislative session.

“A community divided can become a community that comes together,” said Sarah Fercho, with Three Rivers Figure Skating Club, who has served on a city taskforce for the project. “We’re in such a better place around this topic and it’s much more positive than it’s ever been before.”

The city has made adding gym space at the 40-year-old Community Activity Center a top priority since 2018 when voters approved a $26 million park bond referendum.

But Tullberg said the need for more gym space has been acknowledged since at least the 1990s. Brooklyn Park has quickly grown and become increasingly diverse. The city is now one of the largest in Minnesota with 86,000 residents, about 64% people of color.

A recent Minnesota Star Tribune analysis found as schools across the metro are becoming more diverse, some high school sports, like volleyball and soccer, have seen a boost in participation. But others, including hockey, have reported a decline in numbers.

In Brooklyn Park, city leaders previously cited cooling hockey participation, and a local hockey association folding, as reasons to consider replacing a rink with courts. Fercho said after the association shuttered, those athletes joined other outfits in the northwest metro and continue to use the community center’s ice.

Meanwhile, Williams said basketball teams don’t have enough space for games or practice. He said about 1,000 basketball players participate in the Brooklyn Park Athletic Association’s program, which he says is the maximum that facilities can accommodate.

The group has relied on renting out space from schools to get by, he said, but those prices are rising. The community center has one gym but it’s primarily used by the Minnesota National Guard, and court space at Zanewood Recreation Center is often booked.

“We have a lot of kids that we do financial assistance with, so we still try to do our best to keep fees reasonable,” Williams said. “But it gets harder and harder.”

The city hired a firm to conduct a needs assessment, which showed the center could support as many as four courts.

Winston said it’s beyond time a city the size of Brooklyn Park has adequate court space to serve the entire community.

Tullberg said leaders hope expanding the community center to attract more tournaments and events to Brooklyn Park will boost tourism and visits to hotels and restaurants.

He said the center today brings in 350,000 visitors a year.

While Williams is excited about the prospect of finally getting more basketball courts for his teams in Brooklyn Park, he’s also looking forward to playing pickleball and walking around the track.

“We don’t really have a central focal point for our city,” he said. “For me, this expansion is going to give us that.”

The project would add about 56,000 square feet to the 185,000-square-foot community center, Tullberg said. He added the primary goal is securing state funds, but officials would consider alternatives for financing if the request is not approved during the tight state budget year.