The completed Park and Rec. Master Plan was presented to the New Ulm City Council for approval Tuesday. The plan establishes a 15-year vision for New Ulm’s parks, open spaces and public spaces.

New Ulm Park and Recreation Director Joey Schugel said this new parks master plan was born out of conversations the city had after completing the city’s comprehensive plan in 2024.

“That plan recommended was for us to do a deep dive into our park and recreation system, with our last adopted plan from 1989,” Schugel said.

Schugel said the creation of the parks master plan took a year to complete. He highlighted that throughout the development process, they received high community engagement and feedback. In addition, he appreciated that New Ulm’s park system remained unique with a variety of options available to the public.

A page from New Ulm’s new Park and Recreation Master Plan showing the location and classification of each park in the city.

The actual master plan documents were created by engineering firm ISG. Project managers with ISG, Claire Roth and Jay Lotthammer, provided a brief overview on how the master plan was created and some of the key findings.

Roth explained to create the master plan all of New Ulm’s parks and services were inventoried. Four public events were held to allow public feedback they had on the park systems, including what they liked and recommendations for improvements.

As park the feedback process and online survey was issues. They received 486 survey responses, which Roth said was relatively high for a community New Ulm’s size.

Lotthammer also confirmed that New Ulm had one of the best park systems in the state.

“This is a system that is second to none and valued by all,” Lotthammer said. “Where you sit today is good, but there is an opportunity to evolve as things change.”

A map included in New Ulm’s new parks master plan shows the walking distance to each city park. The map helps shows which areas are underserved by parks.

Lotthammer said the community will change over the next decade and the master plan will help navigate changes.

Survey results showed the top priorities for the public was to update existing park facilities, grow the city trail system, expand access to Flandrau State Park, enhance recreation programming and promote physical activity and wellness.

The top five most visited parks in New Ulm are German Park, Hermann Heights Park, Harman Park, Lincoln Park and Nehls Park.

Expanded amenities included permanent restrooms, expanded aquatic and play features and improved connection with the trail system.

Roth said there is also a desire for communication with the public. She said New Ulm’s park system already has many popular features and amenities, but the public is not necessarily aware of all of them.

Lotthammer said the master plan includes prioritizing strategy for park expansion. He said the top priorities are for safety and accessibility followed by quality and function.

The master plan includes information profiles on all of New Ulm’s park sites. The profiles include general description of the park, lists of amenities, proposed recommendation and timeline for implementing the recommendations.

The master plan also includes financial funding strategies. This would help the city phase in improvements to the parks without necessarily putting the responsibility on tax payers.

Councilor David Christian thanked ISG for their work on the project. He said the 225-page master plan document was an excellent resource that reflected the input of city staff, administration and the public. He encouraged the public to read the entire document.

Council President Andrea Boettger said it was great to update the park master plan.

“1989 is a long time ago. We take a lot of pride in our park system,” she said. “It is something we want to maintain and expand.”

Mayor Kathleen Backer also applauded ISG for efforts to get community feedback. She said the 486 survey responses spoke volumes of the community.

“People want to be involved in the process and do show up,” she said.

Christian made the motion to approve the new Park and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan with a second from Councilor Tom Schmitz. It was unanimously approved.