Friedrich Park offers slice of nature in urban core

• Residents want to see the park preserved for its natural and historical significance.
• Residents who want to help clean up the park should contact the mayor's office.

Walking into George Friedrich Park, you feel like you've stepped into a new world.

Surrounded by soaring pine trees, the quiet hum of U.S. Highway 10 is the only sign that you are in the middle of an urban area. Step further and you will come across three large quarries that once were a place for swimming and play.

But the green tint to the water will discourage you from taking a dip now.

St. Cloud is moving forward with plans to reopen the 50-acre Friedrich Park, which is at the end of University Drive. A land swap with St. Cloud State University has been approved by the City Council and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees. The final paperwork now has to be done to make the deal official.

Once that's done, the city can move on to more pressing matters: cleaning up a park that has been officially closed for four decades. The city hopes to open the park in August.

Story continues below.

Cleaning up

Trash litters the side of the natural trails throughout the park. There are signs of camps set up by homeless people, with the remains of campfires. Spray paint is on trees and granite outcroppings. Trees have fallen over the trails, blocking some paths. Tires and other garbage are in the quarries.

Then there's the color of the quarry water itself. Green and murky, it's in need of a major cleanup.

Taking care of that and bringing the water quality to a level that make it safe for swimming again is part of the plans. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis intends to ask for $6 million in bonding money from the Legislature; part of that money would be used to clean the water.

But Kleis said a lot of the cleanup will come from "sweat equity" and he's hoping residents, social clubs and other organizations will help with the effort. It will likely take a week or two in July to get a majority of the work done. Anyone who wants to help should call Kleis' office at 255-7201.

People living next to the park say they are excited to see it open. Joanie Albers owns a house near the entrance. She said despite the park being closed, there has always been some traffic of people going back there.

"You walk half a mile and you're in a different world," she said.

But she worries about parking and how much traffic the park will attract. Currently, there is limited parking at the entrance, although Kleis says there are plans to add space.

Mike and Theresa Erickson live next door to Albers and share her concerns about parking. They also wonder how the city will patrol the park. Kleis says officers will patrol the park as they do other city parks.

But the couple agrees that opening it is good for their neighborhood.

"Opening this up will be a positive thing," Mike Erickson said. "It's gorgeous."

Story continues below.

Future use

Kleis will host a meeting at 7 p.m. May 7 at City Hall with people interested in the park's future use. Several groups have already spoken up about their preferences for the park. The meeting will be the first step to create a larger plan for the park.

Kleis said he wants to get a hold of George Friedrich's original park plans. Friedrich taught in the biology department at the then-State Teachers College. He convinced the college to buy the land to create the park that now bears his name.

Not all of his original plans came to fruition so Kleis said he'd like to see if any of those can be made reality now.

Ann Marie Johnson is a representative of the Southeast St. Cloud Neighborhood Preservation Coalition, which has long advocated for reopening the park. The park has a rich history that she wants to see preserved and she hopes residents can learn more about it by visiting the park.

George Friedrich was passionate about teaching about the outdoors and getting people into nature, Johnson said. Reopening the park will allow his vision to live on.

"(It's about) getting people out and moving around. People need that and want that," she said. "We sometimes forget about that and how important those things are."

Story continues below.

The Natural Parks and Trails Coalition has for many years also sought the reopening the park. Member Charlotte Stephens said preserving the natural feature in the middle of town is important.

"This park is in a part of town that doesn't have much else as far as a natural area that can be easily accessed," she said. "It adds that type of place for that southeast side."

She'd like to see the park used for low-impact recreation such as hiking, cross-country skiing and bird watching.

The park is also close to Talahi Community School, so there is an opportunity for those students to get to the park as a place to learn, Stephens said.

"Parks like this really add to the quality of life for a community," she said.

Follow Kari Petrie on Twitter @karipetrie or contact her at 255-8765.

See the park

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis will host a tour at 5:30 p.m. May 7 at the park, weather permitting. After the tour, a meeting will be at 7 p.m. at City Hall to hear input from residents about what they would like to see at the park.

The St. Cloud Times will host a Walk in the Park event at Friedrich Park. The event is at noon Sept. 8. Residents are invited to attend and tour the park. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis will be on hand for a tour, and a naturalist from the Natural Parks and Trails Coalition will attend.