Site work for a playground / park / athletic field in New Prague, Minnesota. Completed plans call for site work for a playground / park / athletic field.

As of February 21, 2024, this project has not yet been awarded. A timeline for award has not yet been established. If you have any questions, please contact Kyra Chapman, Planner at 952-758-4401 or kchapman@ci.new-prague.mn.us The City of New Prague is requesting proposals from contractors to complete Prairie and Wetland Restoration work in Settlers Park. Settlers Parks is located at 1114 9th St SE, New Prague MN 56071. All contracted work will occur in the western section of the park (6 acres), stretching from the west property line along 10th Ave SE to the end of the path near the parking lot. Background Settlers Park is a 10-acre park located in southeastern New Prague. The eastern half of the park consists of several amenities such as a playground, sun shelter, and two baseball fields. The western half of the park is designated as the "Green Meadow" (or "Zelena Louka" in Czech language), comprising of a stormwater pond, two natural wetland areas, and a paved path connecting to the sidewalk along 10th Ave SE. When Settlers Park was first founded in 2001, the western ("Green Meadow") section of the park was intended to become native prairie land. Since then, woody vegetation including several invasive plants such as buckthorn, canary grass, and brome grass have grown in the park, negatively impacting the ecosystem. As a result, staff have cut down most invasive vegetation and undesirable trees. In 2023, the City of New Prague received grant funding through the DNR ECP (Expedited Conservation Project) for the Settlers Park Prairie and Wetland Restoration project. The purpose of the project is to convert the western section of the park into a prairie as it was originally intended. The City is looking for contractors to conduct the remainder of the grant funded project. The following contracted work is needed: site prep herbicide, site prep mow, native seeding, management mow, and management spot herbicide. Methods Late last year and early 2024, the city has removed a majority of invasive and undesirable plants and trees. Some native trees were salvaged. The first phase of contracted work will begin in the spring of 2024 and consist of herbicide treatments to prevent regrowth of invasive species. Mowing will also be utilized with the herbicide treatments to reduce vegetation and encourage regrowth before another application. Preparation will ensure non-native vegetation is controlled prior to installing native seed. This process will occur over the growing season and may go into the next growing season. Once adequate control is obtained, native seed will be installed, using a combination of equipment and hand seeding, depending on site access. Equipment will include a tractor and no till seed drill or broadcast seed spreader. Any hand seeding will be raked to ensure soil to seed contact. No straw mulch or other erosion control is expected to prevent any disruption to the soil. Tilling or discing will be avoided to prevent erosion and bringing weed seeds to the surface. Seed mixes will be a combination of mesic prairie in the upland areas and wet prairie around the existing wetlands. BWSR state mixes (Board of Water & Soil Resources) for mesic and riparian (35-241 and 34-262) will be used. Woody Removal - Winter 2023, Winter 2024 Site Prep Herbicide - Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024 (Spring 2025 if needed) Site Prep Mow - Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024 Native Seeding - Fall 2024, Winter 2025 (Spring 2025 if needed) Management Mow - Spring 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026 Management Spot Herbicide - Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026, Summer 2026 Native Planting (Volunteers) - Spring 2025, Summer 2025