Toboggan chute could end up in Como

A handful of area parks and street projects are vying for 2026-2027 Long-Range Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) dollars. A public hearing on the projects is 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 8 at Arlington Hills Community Center, 1200 Payne Ave.

The city’s CIB Committee has spent the spring reviewing 15 projects. An online survey has ended. Committee members will look at survey results and project presentation testimony as they deliberate.
A preliminary project list will be released before the public hearing. A final decision will be made later in June and sent to the mayor for inclusion in the 2026 city budget. The committee typically sends its rankings to the mayor by June 30.

This is a community projects year, with individuals, district councils, clubs, business associations and neighborhood groups making submissions. Projects chosen by the mayor and City Council will be funded in 2027-2028 and will split $1 million.

Horton, Westgate and Marydale parks are eyed for improvements. So are parts of Hamline and Selby avenues.
One unusual project, which could end up in Como neighborhood, is a proposed toboggan chute. The Saint Paul Toboggan Club wants a permanent toboggan chute in a city park. The preferred site is Highland Park Community Center. Other potential sites include McMurray, Cherokee, Crosby or Hidden Falls parks, places which allow for a structure to not impede on summer activities.

The chute would become the official home of the Midwest Toboggan Racing Championship during the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. It could also be used by park users seeking winter fun.

Highland Park resident Patrick Thuente is president of the Saint Paul Toboggan Club. Growing up, his family took their antique toboggan to Town and Country Golf Course. The toboggan club formed a few years ago and became incorporated as a nonprofit last year.

The tie to the Winter Carnival is important, he said, as toboggan chutes and rides are part of that history. Both of his parents were involved with the carnival. His late father was a Vulcan Krewe member.
“Tobogganing is a lot of fun and it’s something that can be shared with the community,” he said.

Many ineligible projects
The 2027-2028 process is unusual because of the number of ineligible requests. Of 39 proposals submitted by the March deadline, 24 were ineligible. But 22 were first-time submissions, which committee members said may have been a factor.

Eligible CIB projects must be capital in nature, be on city-owned property, have a useful life of at least 10 years, and have a public purpose. Money cannot be used for program or operating expenses. Proposals from community members and groups are submitted in even-numbered years. City departments bring in projects in odd-numbered years.

Nichelle Bottko Woods, senior city budget analyst, is one of the city staff members working with the capital budget process. She said city staff and committee members are looking at this spring’s submissions and seeing if more changes must be made in future years.

The forms used this spring were modified after a City Council study focused on encouraging more CIB requests. In 2024 the process was reopened because few submissions came in citywide.

Area projects include:
Horton Park is submitted to address gaps in lighting and outdated lighting. Lighting would be added to darker sidewalks and updating current lighting for better coverage and more efficient fixtures.

Westgate Commons Park is nominated for safety and shade projects. Permanent, steel multi-panel shade structures with integrated solar panels and pedestrian-scale LED lighting would be built to improve visibility, reduce heat exposure, and enhance safety through Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.

Marydale Park is also eyed for lighting improvements, with lights to be installed along the Loeb Lake walkway. The walkway could also get some needed improvements.

Other area projects focus on streets. One is a pedestrian and bicycle connection to Ayd Mill Trail at Hamline and Ashland avenues. The project would construct an accessible curb cut and paved trail connection linking the existing Hamline Avenue underpass to the Eleanor Graham Gardens path stub and the Ayd Mill Trail. The improvement would provide a safer and more direct pedestrian and bicycle crossing of Hamline Avenue
Hamline Avenue safety and crossing improvements are proposed at Portland Avenue near Ayd Mill Road. The project would reallocate excess roadway space on Hamline south of Ashland to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, including a marked bicycle facility and a safer crossing at Portland Avenue. Improvements could include painted lanes, median refuge areas, and enhanced lighting to reduce vehicle speeds and improve visibility.