If you've walked the trails along Nine Mile Creek lately, you've hit the fences. The entirety of Moir/Central Park, including all trail access points, closed September 7 as major construction began on the Nine Mile Creek Corridor Renewal Project, the city said. The park will stay closed until the work is done. The city is aiming to finish major construction in fall 2027.
One of the city's main partners on that project just got a pat on the back. In August, the city named the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District its latest Earth Action Hero. The district serves Bloomington and 5 neighboring cities, and it works with residents, local governments and community groups to improve water quality, restore habitat, reduce flooding and protect natural areas. The city credited the district with investing $1 million from its Capital Improvement Fund in the creek project. The city said that money will stabilize eroding streambanks, restore native habitat, reconnect the creek to its floodplain and expand public access to natural spaces.
"What inspires our staff and board of managers is the opportunity to make a lasting difference in the health of our waters and the quality of life in our communities," district president Larry Olson said.
The district's money and expertise went into the creek work. Per the district, it agreed to put up to $1 million toward the project by amending its watershed management plan on April 16, 2025, and it signed a memorandum of understanding with the city on June 17, 2025. It also helped design streambank stabilization and floodplain restoration that go beyond what regulations require. The district has already spent more than $3 million stabilizing streambanks in the Lower Valley since the 1990s.
The district's share is one piece of a much bigger job. The city puts the full project at $20 million: $10.5 million for water and natural resources, $8 million for trails and mobility and $5.3 million for Moir Park. Most of the money comes from the voter-approved local option sales tax, and the city estimates nonresidents will pay about 65% of that tax. The plan covers 131 acres of woodland and wetland restoration, re-meandering the creek, oak savanna restoration, new bridges and trail upgrades. Moir/Central Park at 10320 Morgan Ave. S. is also getting a new gathering space with restrooms and an accessible playground. Construction started in spring 2026.
Bloomington's flooding history runs through this agency. The district formed in 1959 under the Minnesota Watershed Act, the fourth watershed district in the state. In 1979 it built Normandale Lake with the city as a flood-control project. Technically the lake is classified as a wetland, and the district says it has prevented significant flooding in Bloomington ever since.
