Lisa Hiebert says the first question at her first parks committee meeting in 2019 was about inclusive play: “Could we someday build an adaptive playground in Apple Valley for kids of all abilities and needs?” they were asked.

That concept is moving toward reality this summer, as construction work transforming Apple Valley’s Redwood Park is underway, a nearly $16 million investment that includes a new inclusive playground area, pickleball courts, basketball court, pool and pool house with community meeting spaces and other amenities.

The park and pool will be fenced off for the entire year, with the goal of reopening in spring 2026.

Funding for the work comes from a voter-approved citywide parks referendum in 2023, a two-question ballot measure that asked residents to issue more than $73 million in bonds to fund updates to Apple Valley’s parks, recreation facilities and trails. The second question asked voters specifically to approve $6.5 million in bonds to replace the Redwood Community Pool.

The state of Minnesota also appropriated $1.4 million in state bonding funds specifically to use for the inclusive playground.

The Redwood Park renovations are maybe the most visible of the efforts, but renovations are planned at more than 40 neighborhood parks over the next few years.

Hiebert, who served on the Apple Valley Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee before becoming a city council member this year, said one word comes to mind when asked to describe all of the park renovations already underway across town: “Exciting.”

“This really is a transformational parks bond referendum,” she said.

The city has already finished minor renovations to the newly branded Splash Valley Water Park, formerly known as Apple Valley Family Aquatic Center. Work is also underway to retool the fields at the Hayes Youth Athletic Complex.

Community input

The inclusive playground area at Redwood Park will be the first such playground in Apple Valley.

While older playgrounds with sand or wood-chip surfaces are prohibitive for those using a wheelchair or a walker, the planned adaptive playground will have a rubberized bottom that removes that barrier. Playground equipment such as swings and ramps also are designed for people living with disabilities.

The desire for the playground emerged during some 40 community outreach meetings that city staff held in developing a master plan for the park.

During those meetings, Apple Valley Parks and Recreation Director Eric Carlson said it became clear what residents wanted, and didn’t want, to include in the eventual referendum plans.

He echoed Hiebert’s thoughts.

“These improvements are going to be exciting. Everyone can come and gather, no matter what their abilities are,” Carlson said. “They are going to be comprehensive, and they are necessary, based on the age of the infrastructure.”

The Redwood pool complex was built about 60 years ago. Some of the first buildings in what later would become Apple Valley were built on that same site – aerial images from 1953 show farm buildings surrounded by farmland and prairie.

Apple Valley Mayor Clint Hooppaw said many longtime residents at community meetings talked about their positive memories at the Redwood pool, which was a quieter, different environment than the Splash Valley Water Park across town.

“That to me was a sign that residents wanted to see the next generation have those experiences. It was not about what they want, but about what is good for the whole community,” Hooppaw said.

Apple Valley bases its swimming lesson programming at the Redwood Pool, and the new pool will include areas with different depths, allowing for lessons at different swimming levels.

Pedestrian crossing