Oakdale Parks Department Talks 'Playtrails,' snow golf and picnic shelter relocation

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say the warm weather has me thinking about getting out and enjoying the outdoors once again. 

The Oakdale Parks and Recreation Department is talking about some interesting new ways Oakdale families might experience nature.

One potentially large project discussed at Tuesday’s Park and Recreation Commission meeting is the addition of “playtrails,” created by a company called GameTime,  at city parks. Playtrails consist of a series of small playgrounds or “pods” centered around a nature-based theme, like bugs or forest creatures.

Parks and Recreation Director Bruce Anderson said he’s seen a lot of playground equipment during his years in the recreation field, and this was the first playground concept he'd come across in a long time that seemed new, different and exciting to him. He proposed placing the pods along the trails at the Oakdale Nature Preserve, saying they’d provide an incentive for kids to walk through the center’s trails.

Commission member Tom Erickson said instead of placing all the equipment at the Oakdale Nature Preserve, he’d like to see it spread among different parks in the city.

Oakdale City Council member Stan Karwoski, who is a liaison to the commission, said he was concerned about keeping the in a natural state,  and he thought having the unique play structures spread throughout multiple sites might encourage families to get out to more of the city’s parks to see the different structures.

Anderson said he’s already talked to staff at Imation about possibly donating funds toward purchasing some of the equipment, and they "didn't say 'no.'"

With no funding at this time, it’s unclear when a playtrail pod might pop up in Oakdale.

Another parks project that is slated to be finished this year is the relocation of an old picnic shelter currently in storage to either the west side of the cul-de-sac at the Oakdale Nature Preserve or at , according to a staff report by Anderson.

The shelter was moved when the was built, said Parks Superintendent Randy Bastyr.

Lastly, although most of us are focusing on warm-weather activities, the parks department is already thinking ahead to next winter. One idea they’re considering is a snow golf program, according to a staff report by Anderson.

Here’s a link to a story about Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake, which offers snow golf.