City of St. Louis Park

Today, April 23, is Administrative Professionals Day, and we’d like to give a huge shoutout to our administrative team in St. Louis Park! 🎉 Whether greeting you at the front desks in all our city buildings, answering your questions, making sure your permit and license applications are processed, scheduling your inspection appointments or anything in between, these friendly faces are always ready to assist St. Louis Park residents. Join us in thanking them for their hard work and dedication to the city! 👏 #administrativeprofessionalsday

We need your help to shape the future of St. Louis Park! Every 10 years, the city undergoes a visioning process where we ask the community to help us determine our strategic priorities. Community engagement in prior visioning processes inspired the Town Center idea (a.k.a. Park Commons area including Wolfe Park redesign and Excelsior & Grand), Connect the Park pedestrian and bicycle networks, environmental initiatives and so much more! Now is the time to make your voice heard - and getting involved is easy! We're inviting St. Louis Park residents to facilitate small group conversations at a place of your choosing: in your home as part of a dinner party, in your backyard with a potluck, in the community room of your apartment building, in a room at your place of worship - whatever feels most comfortable for you! Learn more about Vision 4.0 and sign up to become a facilitator at https://bit.ly/4lpLfEz.

Dana Strahnson, youth services librarian at the St. Louis Park branch of the Hennepin County Library, accepted this year’s St. Louis Park Human Rights Award at the March 17 city council meeting. Before presenting the award, Catherine Lawler Turnball, chair of the St. Louis Park Human Rights Commission, spoke of Strahnson’s commitment to fostering a welcoming and vibrant space for all library patrons. “Dana has set an extraordinary example for the entire library system,” Lawler Turnball said. “The mission of the library is to inspire, facilitate, and celebrate lifelong learning—a mission Dana brings to life every day. From creating programs that reach marginalized communities to collaborating with schools to ensure every student has access to library resources, to spearheading a city-wide Summer Reading Festival, Dana has made inclusivity and connection a cornerstone of her work.” The Human Rights Award honors individuals, groups, organizations or businesses that have made significant contributions to fostering understanding and cooperation among people from diverse backgrounds in St. Louis Park. The award celebrates those who have actively worked to advance human rights and justice within the city. The 2024 Human Rights Awards nominations opened in early January and concluded on Feb. 12, 2025. Members of the human rights commission reviewed all submitted nominations before selecting Strahnson for the honor. The city’s 2025 Human Rights Awards nomination window is scheduled to open near the beginning of 2026. 

Did you know St. Louis Park firefighters complete monthly trainings to keep their skills fresh? Recently they successfully completed live burn scenario in a high rise at a training facility in Edina🔥

Officer Anthony Dampier was sworn in as a police officer for the City of St. Louis Park on Feb. 10. Please join us in giving Officer Dmapier a warm welcome to the team!

Looking for a seasonal position this spring or summer? Let’s roll 😎 ⁣ ⁣ Plenty of seasonal positions will be rolling onto our website over the next month. We’re looking for lifeguards, tree maintenance staff, customer service representatives, summer playground staff and more! ⁣ ⁣ Apply at https://lnkd.in/dHeSq8fw.

On Feb. 24, 2025, Fire Chief Peter Hanlin was sworn in to lead the St. Louis Park Fire Department. “The role of fire chief is vital, not only to lead the fire department but also to be a leader in our community by embodying the values of effective leadership – integrity, accountability, dedication and compassion,” said City Manager Kim Keller. “We are confident in Chief Hanlin’s commitment to these principles and know he will lead the fire department with excellence and with heart.” Born and raised in Maple Grove, Minn., Chief Hanlin has worked in the fire service since 2006, serving with the Maple Grove, Roseville and Brooklyn Park fire departments. In 2011, he joined the Red Wing Fire Department where he most recently served as assistant fire chief and emergency management director. “I really appreciate the warm welcome from the city,” Chief Hanlin said. “I look forward to getting to know department and city staff, as well as making connections in the community.” Chief Hanlin has a bachelor’s degree in fire science and a master’s degree in public administration and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Managing Officer program. Chief Hanlin will be ceremonially sworn in before the St. Louis Park City Council March 24, 6 p.m.; the public is invited to attend.

St. Louis Park Recreation and Facilities Supervisor Heidi Batistich has been recognized as one of the National Recreation and Park Association’s 30 Under 30 Award recipients! 🎉   This prestigious award honors 30 outstanding young professionals whose hard work, innovation and dedication to parks and recreation excellence have earned them national recognition.   Award recipients were selected based on their excellence in one or more of the following areas:   ⭐Impact: Making a meaningful difference in their agency’s community and service population.   ⭐Leadership: Contributing to the professional development of the field of parks and recreation.   ⭐Innovation: Bringing forward groundbreaking ideas, programs, or research that elevate the field.   Heidi’s dedication, passion and enthusiasm have made a lasting impact in St. Louis Park. This award reflects her remarkable contributions and the promising future she brings to our field. Join us in congratulating Heidi!🎉   Read more about Heidi and the other recipients at https://lnkd.in/g-8NWC-8

On Jan. 27. the St. Louis Park Police Department swore in two new officers, Mitchell Olsson and Sean Bigness. Both were a part of the Pathways to Policing Program in the city, which was created to help address staffing levels and to draw a more diverse pool of candidates, including people of color, women, veterans and those who have a career or education background outside of law enforcement who could bring fresh perspectives to the job. Welcome to the team!

Leaders of our parks and recreation department received some impressive awards from the Minnesota Recreation Parks Association last week. Every year, MRPA chooses professional awards recipients and celebrates their outstanding accomplishments. This year Nikki Friederich, CPRP, our recreation superintendant, won the Nelson-Niles Award. This award recognizes professionals in the parks and recreation field with more than 20 years of professional experience making an impact in the industry. It is named in honor of Dorothea Nelson and Jack Niles, pioneers in parks and recreation, who paved the way to inspire future professionals for generations to come. Jason T. West, our parks and recreation director, received the Dr. Gerald B. Fitzgerald Leadership Award. This award recognizes an individual who has worked tirelessly to advance the profession by making a difference in people’s lives, without being in the spotlight or gaining significant acknowledgment, but with steadfast grace and passion. They show passion for and commitment to the profession of parks, recreation, and leisure services throughout their career. Congratulations to our amazing team and to all of the MRPA professional award recipients!🎉