Maplewood Parks Renovations Include New Lights, Dog Pool

Deer Creek Park

Maplewood is making improvements to its fields in Deer Creek Park, which the city hopes will help with overbooking problems.

The $137,300 project aims to reorient the southern soccer fields, adding enough room to create an extra field. The city will equip the southern fields with an irrigation system, more durable grass and a better lighting system. The project is being paid for by the Deer Creek Special Allocation Fund.

The construction hasn't affected team practices yet, Assistant City Manager Anthony Traxler said.

"We've had to do some shuffling," he said. "But we've opened up the north field for soccer, and are having some teams practice over at Kellogg Park. No teams have been left out, and coaches have yet to complain."

The new lighting system will be remote. With the current system, workers have to physically switch lights off in the park when games and practices are over, but Traxler said they sometimes forget. Other nearby parks have cut their costs by 10 percent after switching to a remote lighting system, Traxler said.

Traxler said park-goers can expect to see a sand volleyball court too. The work on the fields in expected to be finished by the end of October.

Kellogg Park

The city added a 15-space parking lot in Kellogg Park to accomodate residents visiting the Maplewood Dog Park. Traxler said that a bid will be sent out this fall to add a new dog swimming pool to replace the old tub. The city hopes to have it installed in the spring.

"Older and smaller dogs often have trouble getting in and out of the current tub," Traxler said. "The new pool will be more of a walk-in pool, like young children use, with the deepest point being two feet."