UPDATE: The City of St. Cloud announced Wednesday that it is pushing back the planned start of construction on $10 million in improvements to Hopkins Park until the end of the summer, and its free Hopkins Park Summer Camp will continue this summer. Participants in the free Hopkins Park Summer Camp must meet eligibility requirements, including proof of residency, completed CDBG self-certification form, and SNAP/EBT approval of eligibility, or most recent federal tax return. Once summer camp ends, the city plans to begin construction at Hopkins Park.
Disproving the adage “You can’t fight City Hall,” local nonprofit Hopkins Heroes and the St. Cloud City Council are proving you can work together with City Hall.
When Hopkins Heroes president Stephanie Gilbert learned in January that the upcoming construction to rebuild Hopkins Park in St. Cloud would cancel its summer camp, she went into action.
Gilbert has appeared at several council meetings, asking the council to help find funding or another solution so the children could attend the city’s camp at the civic center.
“For these families, this isn’t about convenience, it’s stability,” she said at the April 9 meeting. “It’s about knowing their children are safe, fed, supervised, and off the streets while they work to provide for them.”
At last week’s council workshop, she expected more negotiations. Instead, Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Holtkamp presented a solution. “We really sat down and said, ‘How can we make this work?’” she said.
That solution—to delay the start of construction on the $12-15 million rebuild of Hopkins Park until after summer camp—will provide a safe place for children who were counting on it this summer, if they qualify financially. The city will extend the camp only to children living within city limits and will align its qualification standards with those of Orlando: it will require proof of residency, SNAP EBT eligibility notice, and their most recent tax return.
While construction on the park itself will be delayed until the end of summer, work will proceed on schedule in the surrounding area, with Toho Water Authority beginning its portion of the sanitary sewer project as planned. Homes along River Road will be converted from septic to sewer as part of the Toho project.
“I understand there was an issue,” Deputy Mayor Ken Gilbert said. “But I am so proud of the city and the staff to meet the needs of the people that need it and also be able to continue with this growth.”
Mayor Chris Robertson agreed. “The fact that we’re closing it and there were so many kids that we didn’t have a solution for … thanks for stepping up and figuring this out,” he said.
Stephanie Gilbert said she is grateful that the city stepped forward with a solution. “The journey to get here hasn’t been easy, but we don’t see it as ‘fighting city hall.’ We see it as standing alongside our city leaders, advocating with persistence, and working through challenges together,” she said.
Gilbert said her group will continue to reach out to the city to find a solution for the children who live outside the city limits.
“Those children are no less part of our community, and right now, many of them are still searching for options. The goal has always been simple: every child deserves access, regardless of where they live in St. Cloud.”
