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 extensive public engagement aspects of the Community Center Re-Visioning and Public Participation Plan will also coincide nicely with the beginning of Ramsey's 2050 Comprehensive Plan update—which will commence as soon as this late Spring.

Observations:
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 the Park & Recreation Commission recommended this plan to the Council at their regular March 2026 meeting.

Time Frame:
It is anticipated that approximately 10 minutes may be required for staff to highlight the proposed public engagement plan and process. Representatives from Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. will be present for the work session, and discussion of the proposed plan and scope may entail another 10 minutes, depending on Council direction.

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 will be determined upon Council support for this recommended planning process and its scope.

As this proposed planning endeavor aligns with the 2050 Comprehensive Plan update, funding may be shared between the General Fund professional services allocations between Administration and Community Development for the first and second 'phases' of the plan (Phase 1: Internal Discovery + Survey Draft, and Phase 2: Community Engagement). The latter Phase 3: Synthesis, where the proposed building(s) program elements may be organized (for either or both) the park building, and the Community Center could be funded by the Park Trust Fund.
 

The Park & Recreation Commission and staff recommend moving forward with the Community Center analysis, survey and public engagement process, which would formally begin at the April 2026 Business Expo.

By consensus, acknowledge that approval of Cuningham's Community Center Engagement proposal will be on a subsequent consent agenda for formal approval.