Universal design in parks focuses on creating accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable spaces for everyone, regardless of age or ability. It goes beyond just meeting minimum accessibility standards by integrating inclusivity into the design and planning process from the beginning, ensuring all users can participate and enjoy the park’s features and activities.

The Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime. Since the main barriers for these participants arise from the natural grass fields used in conventional leagues, Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assertive devices while helping to prevent injuries.

To learn more about The Miracle League, visit their website at miracleleague.com.

ISD 112 purchased a parcel of land in the Southwest corner of the park site to have a location for a future elementary school. The timeline for the school is unknown, however, city staff have been meeting with school district leadership to plan for shared amenities such as parking, playground, and play fields in coordination with the overall park.

We will be seeking community feedback on the 3 park concept plans throughout the month of July and early August. This feedback, along with other factors such as budget, site topography, maintainability, and programming will be used to develop a preferred concept plan throughout late summer and early fall. The preferred concept plan will go to the Chaska Parks and Recreation Commission for recommendation to City Council for approval before the end of year.

Once the preferred concept plan is approved, the majority of 2026 will be needed to develop architectural plans and construction documents which will give us a better sense of costs and will be used to bid out the project. There is potential for site grading to begin in the Fall of 2026, however, we anticipate the majority of construction will take place in 2027.

Another factor that will influence the timeline is the extension of Savanna Way from Big Woods Blvd to the South where it will connect with Chaska Blvd. Savanna Way will need to be constructed as it will be the primary access road to the park site.

The Big Woods refers to a type of temperate hardwood forest that once stretched across western Wisconsin and south-central Minnesota. Historically, it would have spanned about 5,000 miles in a diagonal band roughly 100 miles long and 40 miles wide and was the forest landscape described by Laura Ingalls Wilder in Little House in the Big Woods.

Over time, most of the original Big Woods were cleared for agriculture and urban development. Today, only scattered remnants and secondary stands remain primarily protected within parks and conservation areas.

While property taxes will not be used to fund the construction of the park, the ongoing maintenance, programming, and replacement of amenities over time will need to be supported through the city’s general fund/property taxes and factored into the development of the preferred concept plan.

The following sources will be used to fund the construction of the park:

Park Development Fees

The majority of the park will be funded through park development fees, which are fees the city receives as part of residential and commercial developments in the city. This park has been identified in the city’s Comprehensive Plan as part of the SW Chaska growth area in which a budget has been established based on recent and planned development in this area.

Fundraising

The Chaska Rotary Club has been spearheading efforts to raise funds that will go towards the Miracle League field and universally designed destination playground that is being planned for the park. Thus far, they have helped raise about $700,000 dollars and continue to seek contributions from businesses, organizations, and individuals. They have created different levels of giving in which donors will be recognized on a monument of some sort near the Miracle League field. Every amount helps so if you are interested in contributing towards this park and helping to build community, you can go to the Chaska Rotary Club website to learn more. https://rotaryclubofchaska.org/page/full-width-with-single-nbsp-column-nbsp-(3-images-at-top)

Grants

Thus far, the city has been successful in receiving two grants, totaling approximately $1 million, that are being used to help preserve land within the Big Woods which are located adjacent to the southern border of the park site. Once the preferred concept plan is developed, the city will be in position to apply for other grant opportunities.

Factors that will go into the decisions for the preferred plan include:

• Goal for park to be universally designed
• Community input/feedback
• Market study evaluating Chaska’s park system to national benchmarks
• Site topography
• Budget to construct park
• Future costs to maintain, program, and replace amenities over time

For nearly 25 years, the City has envisioned a large community park and the preservation of Big Woods, in southwest Chaska, within its comprehensive plans. Comprehensive plans serve as a community’s long-term vision for growth, recreation, and the protection of natural resources.

Key milestones in the park site’s history:

• 2001 – The 2020 Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2001, generally identified the two potential areas for a community park site and emphasized Big Woods preservation.
• 2011 – The 2030 Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2011, generally identified the site as the area for the future community park, recognizing potential connections to the Big Woods.
• 2013 – The Southwest Chaska Plan was adopted to guide development across the 1,800 acres in southwest Chaska. It further refined the 50-acre site as the preferred park location, with a playfield and connections to the Big Woods.
• 2017 – Land was acquired for Savanna Way, the community park, and the future school site.
• 2019 – The 2040 Comprehensive Plan formally identified the site as a future community park, with potential amenities such as a ballfields, a Miracle Field, mountain bike trails, and event facilities.