Eden Prairie Parks and Recreation Department to launch app in December

Eden Prairie Parks and Recreation Director Amy Markle told the City Council on Tuesday that the city will launch a new parks and recreation mobile app in early December.

The Parks and Recreation app will allow residents to register for activities and explore amenities. Photo courtesy of the City of Eden Prairie

Markle said the city expects to announce its availability during the first week of December. The app, offered in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, will allow users to register for parks and recreation programs, check into the Community Center, view parks and trails, reserve facilities and report equipment in need of repair.

Registration and reservations are currently handled on the city’s website, but Markle said a mobile app will make it easier for residents to use those services on the go.

The city launched its EP See Click Fix app in 2013. The citywide tool is used across departments to report maintenance issues, such as broken equipment. The new parks and recreation app will simply direct users to EP See Click Fix when residents need to report a problem.

Markle said work on the new app began about a year ago, after the department’s web vendor introduced the idea. Staff have been testing and refining it since then.

The department conducted beta testing — giving a small group access to provide feedback — with employees, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission members, and residents. Most of the resulting changes were formatting adjustments, Markle said.

She credited Lori Brink, who recently retired as recreation manager, and Aspen Howard, a parks and recreation and communications intern, with helping move the project forward.

“We’re really excited here in the next couple of weeks to have this for the community, for the future,” Markle said.