The city of St. Paul hopes to install a Mississippi River Learning Center in Hidden Falls/Crosby Farm Regional Park, and it’s looking for a multi-disciplinary team of design and engineering experts to take existing concept plans and turn them into design and construction documents. Proposals are due to the city by May 15.

The River Learning Center is envisioned as a gateway to the river, with environmental and cultural learning components linking visitors to the 600-acre park. The city is working with the Great River Passage Conservancy, the Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service to build on the schematic design, programming and engagement work completed to date.

The concept of a River Learning Center was first laid out in the 2013 Great River Passage master plan, which called for reorienting the city to the river. A technical study was done in 2017 and a feasibility analysis in 2018. After a yearlong process of public engagement, a design team completed a conceptual or schematic design in 2022.

Funding for the next phase was awarded by the state Legislature last year.

For more information, visit GreatRiverPassage.org.

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