Community Center Re-Visioning and Public Participation Plan

For decades, a Community Center has been discussed for the City of Ramsey, and in recent years, it has been proposed that a large, two-story park building at The Waterfront might fulfill much of this community desire.  At the same time, the vacant land on the south side of Ramsey Parkway has been reserved more-or-less as a place-holder for a traditional community center, usually described as being realized under a public/private partnership model.

Because there has been so much uncertainty relative to even whether-or-not to pursue a traditional community center, and what might constitute the program elements for the proposed park building at The Waterfront—it would appear that a 'reset' of this planning may be the best strategy to sort these questions out, and also be in the best, and long-term interest of residents community-wide. 

The first attachment is a community engagement plan that would yield a way forward in addressing the matters above, and was crafted by the architectural firm that the city has been working with in recent years, with staff input in February and March. The plan details the means and methods, as well as deliverables to achieve a community consensus on how to address many of the community center questions.  As this proposal speaks for itself, this case narrative will conclude here by indicating that if the Commission supports this plan, City Council can be expected to take up the proposal as soon as March 24th, 2026. More information will be available at the meeting.

Funding for this community center and public engagement endeavor is estimated to be between $50k and $66k as represented in the proposal by Cuningham Architecture. The funding source may be from City Council's 2026 Council contingency line-item or the Park Trust Fund or a combination of sources as approved by Council.

Staff recommends moving forward with the community center study, survey and public engagement process.

Motion to recommend to City Council, proceeding with a Community Center Re-Visioning and Public Participation Plan and process.