In St. Paul, two parks-based nonprofits are poised for a merger.
The St. Paul Parks Conservancy, which launched in 2008 to promote the city’s park system, will effectively absorb the Great River Passage Conservancy, which was established in 2018 to advocate for better public access to the Mississippi River. On Jan. 1, the two boards will merge while retaining key staff, including Parks Conservancy executive director Michael-jon Pease and Great River Passage interim executive director Jodi Massey, though their titles will change.
Massey noted that about half of the city’s parklands sit along the river itself. Members of both organizations “felt like there was just a lot of overlap in the work that we were doing,” she said, and “confusion in the marketplace about who you come to if you have concerns about parks. (That led to) a really wonderful conversation with our board members and it felt like a really good fit.”
The new organization will retain the name St. Paul Parks Conservancy and be led by Pease, its president and chief parks champion. Shari Blindt will serve as director of Parks and Play, and Massey will remain director of Great River Passage.
Over the past five years, the Parks Conservancy has raised $5 million toward citywide parks initiatives, from the revitalization of Rice Park and the opening of downtown Pedro Park to a field project at the new North End Community Center. An Equal Play Initiative has aimed to add sport courts and replace outdated equipment in neighborhood playgrounds. There’s even a conservancy-sponsored coloring book about the city’s parks.
The Great River Passage Conservancy has focused on more long-term projects, advocating for a Mississippi River Learning Center near Watergate Marina, a 1.5-mile downtown river balcony, and an East Side River District spanning 1,000 acres.
The Great River Passage Conservancy grew out of a Mississippi River master plan adopted by the city in 2013.
“That’s a long time ago,” Massey said, though “the desire to be connected to the river hasn’t changed.”
The merged organization will operate on a budget of $1.4 million for 2026 and maintain the equivalent of three and a half staffers. Pease said the two organizations contracted strategic coaching consultants about the mechanics of a merger, and “they’d never had one that was this straightforward and this simple.”
Related Articles
MnDOT denies permit for Stillwater Lift Bridge tug-of-war before Vikings-Packers rivalry game
Medica to acquire 300,000 UCare health insurance accounts in Minnesota, Wisconsin
MN housing organizations say HUD cuts could double chronic homelessness
Stillwater: Community Thread’s Holiday Hope program again expects high demand
MN foundations group launches $23M housing stability initiative
Leave a Reply