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.
The scope of improvements at Norton Park includes:
- replacement of the now-removed building with a new 20x20 picnic pavilion
- adding a concrete pad and picnic table
- 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
- crack fill, sealcoat, and restriping the basketball pad
- constructing new access routes
Project Update:
The Outdoor Recreation grant agreement was approved by Duluth City Council on July 27, 2026. Staff are in the process of finalizing construction documents and anticipate putting the project to bid before the end of September. A detailed update is provided under the Important Documents section below.
Funding Source:
In 2025, the City of Duluth applied for and was awarded an Outdoor Recreation grant (LW27-01500) of $350,000 from the State of Minnesota - Department of Natural Resources to support this project. These funds are federal pass-through from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (P26AP00535) administered by the National Park Service. This grant is managed by Allison Brooks, Project Coordinator, and any questions regarding this grant or the Norton Park project can be sent to abrooks@duluthmn.gov.
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:
