History

Leadership Greater Rochester is a comprehensive nine-month program designed to educate participants about the Rochester community and provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges and issues that face the Rochester area. It's goal is to identify emerging leaders, expand their knowledge of the community and encourage them to take active, individual responsibility for participation in and leadership of the future of Rochester. As a requirement of the program, each LGR class must identify a need in the community and work together as a team to address the issue at hand. (http://lgr.rochestermnchamber.com)

The 2008 class was made up of forty individuals who have come together from a variety of backgrounds and professional experiences, and we share in the vision that Rochester must continue in cultural growth and economic development in order to meet the needs of our community. As they looked at project ideas, several worthy opportunities presented themselves and it was difficult to select just one area of focus. They wanted to contribute to help achieve the vision for Rochester as well as instill a sense of community for all our citizens. It was their goal to create a safe, inviting, year round social gathering place for Rochester and the surrounding communities to enjoy.

The Friends of Graham Park was born out of that process. LGR spent countless hours researching options for the further development of Graham Park (the current site of the Olmsted County Fairgrounds) and the Friends are picking championing the cause. We are committed to working with the County and the vested stakeholders to create a Master Plan that will work for all groups currently vested in Graham Park, as well as include improvements to benefit the entire community. The Friends of Graham Park is dedicated to the promotion of an inviting year-round community gathering place, an enhanced County Fair, and the implementation of additional programming, property and building improvements.

The Master Plan process will begin soon and will include significant citizen input, vested stakeholders, and community leaders. The final product will be reviewed and approved by the County prior to any design implementations.

The Friends of Graham Park envision a phased plan over the nexts decade. Our goal is to complete the revitalized vision in time to inaugurate Graham Park on the 100 year anniversary of Dr. Graham’s gift, in 2019.

What will be required for on-going management of a newly developed Graham Park is a new management model. The County currently has two successful park management models, with Friends of Chester Woods and Friends of Oxbow Park. The Friends of Graham Park envision a public-private partnership similar to a nationwide trend in parks advocacy, maintenance, and oversight. This new partnership will help ensure that the Master Plan is implemented in the best interest of all our citizens and, as a result, we anticipate a more integrated community as well as a stronger local economy.

On June 10, 2008, the Olmsted County Commissioners unanimously approved the request to create a Friends of Graham Park non-profit and begin operational agreement discussion between the Friends, the City, and the County.