Norton Park
Project Overview:
Norton Park improvements are based on recommendations made by the City Council approved St. Louis River Corridor Neighborhood Parks Mini Master Plans, passed in June 2016. Norton Park is a three-acre neighborhood park in the Norton Park Neighborhood northwest of Grand Avenue.
Norton Park is one of eleven parks along the St. Louis River Corridor that was identified as part of the larger St. Louis River Corridor Initiative. In 2014, the St. Louis River Corridor Initiative was funded through a 0.5% tax on food and beverage and a 0.5% tax on lodging (Half-and-Half tax). Planning efforts for the Initiative included completing plans for Norton Park and other neighborhood parks within the Corridor. These previous efforts resulted in the St. Louis River Corridor Parks Mini-Master Plans, which were adopted in June of 2016.
We are excited to see improvements at Norton Park come to fruition after many years of patience.
Project Update:
The scope of improvements at Norton Park includes:
- replacement of the now-removed building with a new picnic pavilion
- replacement of the playground that is at the end of its useful life
- addressing drainage problems at the multi-use field to improve useability
- resetting the supporting park amenities
- installing an accessible portable restroom
- constructing new access routes.
Park improvements will be implemented in 2026. As of June 10, 2026, the City of Duluth is waiting for finalization of the grant agreement with the MN Department of Natural Resources and will then need to be approved by Duluth City Council before park improvements can begin.
Funding Source:
In 2025, the City of Duluth applied for and was awarded $350,000 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation grant program to support this project. Local funding for this project comes from the St. Louis River Corridor Initiative half-and-half tax, the Parks Fund, and the Storm Utility Fund.
Project Partners:
