The Marsh Is Being Fixed One Piece at a Time This Fall
Three projects are underway at The Marsh this fall, and each has its own source of money. Insurance is paying for the new roof. The café depends on a lease the city hopes to sign with a private operator. The trail being graded along Minnetonka Boulevard is a separate public works project, and The Marsh is where it ends. Then there is the $35 million renovation and expansion meant to fix the building's pools, decks, exteriors and interiors all at once. Its funding depended on a local sales tax, and the 2026 Legislature didn't authorize it.
So for now, The Marsh is the building members already know, with repairs coming one funding source at a time.
| Project | What it covers | Funding | Status as of Oct. 4, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement | Wood section of the roof, damaged by weather in summer 2025 | Mostly insurance | Contract awarded Aug. 31; no public start or finish date |
| Café operator | Counter, commercial kitchen and seating for about 100 | A lease with a private operator | Proposals were due Aug. 31; selection was targeted for Sept. 18 |
| Minnetonka Boulevard Trail | Eight-foot paved path from Tonkawood Road to The Marsh | City trail project, about $3.8 million | Grading and asphalt patching began by Oct. 1 |
| Renovation and expansion | Pools, roofs, exteriors, decks, interiors, accessibility, more space | Proposed half-cent sales tax | Not authorized in 2026; no ballot question |
The roof work goes back to weather damage in summer 2025, which hit the wood portion of the roof. On June 22, the City Council ordered bids for the replacement. The Sun Sailor put the total project cost at $1.225 million, with $1.175 million of that expected to come from insurance. On Aug. 31, the council gave the construction contract to Toro Construction for $432,712.30.
The work had been expected to start in late summer. The city's summary of the contract award gives no start or completion date, so members should treat the timing as open until the city posts a schedule.
This roof job is a narrow repair that insurance happens to cover. The larger renovation plan also lists roof work, among a much longer set of problems. A May 2025 council study session described the building as dated and running on older mechanical systems. The same session said demand is high for the therapy pool and the mind-and-body classes.
The café matters more than its size suggests because of how many people come through the door. The city's request for proposals counts more than 9,000 active members and about 700 visitors a day. The space on offer includes a 265-square-foot counter, a 2,500-square-foot kitchen and seating for about 100. The city wants weekday service at minimum, healthy menu options, and an operator who can handle catering and support The Marsh's special programs.
The schedule set an Aug. 31 deadline for proposals and Sept. 18 for picking an operator. It lists Nov. 2 for finalizing the lease and says café operations would begin on or after that date. The city had not posted an announcement naming an operator as of early October. The opening language is also inconsistent: the document's introduction aims for operations "on or before November 1." A new café counter in November is possible, but nothing confirms it.
Until then, the café runs a limited menu on weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Coffee comes from Up North Coffee and baked goods from local bakeries. The city's Aug. 1 newsletter named Great Harvest Bread Co. as the current bakery partner and said the search for a long-term café partner was still open.
The Minnetonka Boulevard Trail matters well beyond The Marsh's parking lot. The new segment is an eight-foot paved path for walking and biking on the north side of the boulevard, running from Tonkawood Road to The Marsh. It extends a Woodlawn Avenue to Tonkawood segment that was finished in 2023. The Sun Sailor described the segment as roughly a mile long and costing $3.8 million. It is the only remaining gap in the trail between County Road 101 and Shady Oak Road. Public Works Director Will Manchester said the north-side route continues the existing connections. Council Member Rebecca Schack called the missing piece a safety gap.
The project also includes drainage and roadside safety work, retaining walls, a bike lane and burying utility lines. According to the city's Oct. 1 update, private utility companies are still relocating their lines, and crews have started grading and asphalt patching. The city's June notice said construction would last "until fall" and gave no specific end date. City materials list The Marsh as the trail's endpoint. They don't say where exactly the path meets the building or the parking lot.
The trail, the roof and the café all appear in some form in a larger plan called Minnetonka Together. It is a proposed $116.1 million package that includes $35 million to renovate and expand The Marsh. The rest would go to two fire stations, trails and Opus. At The Marsh, the money would repair or replace the therapy pools, roofs, exteriors and decks. It would also update the interiors, make the locker rooms more accessible and add conference, wellness, retail, outdoor and café space.
The plan relied on a half-cent local sales tax. The tax would have ended after 30 years or once the approved projects and their financing were paid for, whichever came first. In March, the city said it was asking the Legislature for approval to put the tax to voters in November 2026. The authorizing bills were S.F. 3694 and H.F. 3457. The state's bill records show both were introduced and sent to the tax committees, and neither became law. MPR News reported that the omnibus tax bill passed without approving any local sales tax requests. More than 30 local governments were waiting on similar authority. Hennepin County's list of what is on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot includes no Minnetonka sales tax question.
The Minnetonka Together homepage still says the city is seeking legislative authority and that the site will be updated as things move forward.
The planning documents show how much the estimate has grown. The May 2025 study session listed three options. A 10-year deferred-maintenance and refresh option was $6.9 million. The preferred renovation concept was up to $18 million, and an event pavilion addition was up to $24 million. All were construction-only figures, with soft costs of another 20 to 30 percent expected. The Marsh figure in the current plan is $35 million.
None of this changes what is open now. The city has run the center since partially reopening it in May 2023. That came a few months after the YMCA closed it on Dec. 31, 2022, citing a drop in membership by half since 2019. The city paid $4,275,000 for the property. The Star Tribune reported it was assessed at nearly $6 million. One reason for the purchase was overflow from the city-run Williston Fitness Center, which had been turning away members.
What the building offers today:
Under the city's 2026 monthly rates, an individual Marsh-only membership is $52 for residents and $68 for nonresidents. Adding Williston brings it to $77 and $101. A drop-in visit for ages 15 and up is $12.
The city also hosts seasonal events at The Marsh. On Oct. 3, Oktoberfest charged $8 admission and featured Alec Sweazy playing, German food and yard games. The same day, a Paws & Pilates class brought in adoptable dogs from Minneapolis Animal Care & Control. The next updates to watch for are a café operator announcement around the planned Nov. 2 lease date and a construction schedule for the roof.
Questions about how changes at a community facility like The Marsh affect the properties around Minnetonka Boulevard are a good fit for a quiet conversation. Jim Schwarz follows these projects closely and is glad to talk through what they mean for your plans. Schedule a private consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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