Minneapolis Park Board set to vote on future of Hiawatha Golf Course

After nearly seven years of planning and much debate, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will vote Wednesday on a proposed master plan for the Hiawatha Golf Course.

One Park Board commissioner said the renovation could range anywhere from $30-40 million depending on which parts of the plan are carried out.

Park Board Vice President LaTrisha Vetaw told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the master plan has taken a thorough and thoughtful approach toward making the best decision possible for the golf course and the citizens of Minneapolis.

“I think we have done the best job we possibly could to come up with something that will work for as many people as possible,” Vetaw said. “We are doing the best that we can and to make sure there remains a legacy of golf, whether it is 18 or nine holes.”

One of the biggest issues is whether to cut the Hiawatha Golf Course down from 18 to nine holes. Recent flooding has raised environmental concerns over pumping the water out of the golf course and the effects that might have on the water table.

Alan Cobb, a regular at Hiawatha for over 20 years, said he would like to see it remain an 18-hole golf course with a few more amenities added so more people could utilize it as a park as well as a golf course similar to what was done at Golden Valley’s Brookview Golf Course.

“They built a beautiful community center there where they have meeting rooms, they have daycare and they have a bar and grill,” Cobb said. “I think you could do something like that here and still preserve this beautiful, 18-hole golf course.”

The Park Board is expected to take a final vote on the master plan on Wednesday, and the board is also expected to vote on and approve a resolution calling for the Hiawatha Clubhouse to be named in honor of civil rights pioneer Solomon Hughes Sr.