On a Tuesday evening in November, the Oakdale City Council will meet in a building surrounded by prairie, mature trees and a 28-acre lake. That same morning, a yoga class will have used the same building. The council's workshop will run from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by the regular meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the Oakdale Discovery Center, 4444 Hadley Avenue N. The building sits inside the Oakdale Nature Preserve, which the city describes as a 200-acre passive recreation area with paved hiking and biking trails and a boardwalk.
That pairing explains most of what changes in Oakdale this fall. City Hall at 1584 Hadley Avenue N. is closed for the Police Expansion and City Hall Remodel Project. The city's project FAQ puts completion in early 2028. Until then, the Discovery Center is home to the city's public meetings and most of its late-fall events. Every date on the calendar between now and the holidays points to the same address.
Walton Park Carried Summer. Construction Has Part of It Now.
During the warm months, Oakdale's calendar centers on Walton Park. Free concerts on Wednesdays and movies on Fridays happen at the Walton Park Bandshell. Oakdale Summerfest ran there June 26 and 27. The Farmers Market sets up at Walton Park West, with its last 2026 dates on October 7 and 14.
Walton Park sits right next to City Hall, so it now shares space with the construction. A June 29 city news flash said park amenities would be maintained but parking in the main Walton Park lot, north of City Hall, would be limited. Cars can get in only through the northernmost driveway off Hadley Avenue N. The city's FAQ adds that the main lot serves as construction staging. The sidewalk along 15th Street N. and the trail along Hadley Avenue N. stay open.
A few small items got shuffled along the way. The utility payment dropbox, the USPS mailbox and the Little Library have moved to the parking lot north of City Hall, outside the construction zone. If you've walked over to drop off a bill or a paperback and found the spot empty, that's where they went.
Where the Errands Went
City Hall's front counter has moved too. Most of it went to the new Public Works building at 3200 Granada Avenue N. These services are now handled there:
- Utility billing
- Assessments
- Building permits and inspections
- Code enforcement
- Business licensing
- Engineering
- Notary services
Police services moved to Fire Station Two at 6633 15th Street N. That includes reports and records, speaking with an officer, and the medication dropbox.
The project will take a while, so these addresses will apply for some time. The FAQ puts the total expected cost at $28 to $32 million. About $18 million of that comes from the local sales tax voters approved in 2022 and 2024, which funds the police portion. The FAQ said construction was expected to begin in June 2026, with early 2028 as the target. That means the temporary arrangement will last through this winter, next summer's Walton Park season, and probably into the 2027 holidays.
One Building, Two Jobs
The Discovery Center is now part community center and part council chamber. The city's news flash says City Council and advisory body meetings now take place there on their regular dates and times. To make room for essential staff during construction, the Discovery Room, the hands-on activity room inside the building, is temporarily closed to the public. Families who know it as a rainy-day stop with young kids should plan around that.
Here's how one November week at the building looks on the city calendar:
| Day | Daytime | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Adult Cards, 1 to 3 p.m. | |
| Thursday, Nov. 5 | Wellness 50+ with Washington County mental health outreach, 10:30 a.m. to noon | Planning Commission, 7 to 8:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | Wellness 50+ Learn Mahjongg, 12:30 to 4 p.m. | |
| Monday, Nov. 9 | Sound Healing, 6 to 7:15 p.m. | |
| Tuesday, Nov. 10 | Morning Yoga, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. | Council workshop at 5 p.m., council meeting at 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Nov. 11 | Closed | Closed |
The rest of the month follows the same pattern. The Environmental Management Commission meets November 16 and the Parks and Recreation Commission meets November 17. Library Story Time is November 25, and Adult Cards runs again that afternoon. The building is closed November 11 and again November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving, the same days city offices are closed. If you're planning a visit around a holiday week, check those dates first.
The Market Moves Between Two Parks
Oakdale's market changes location with the seasons. The 2026 city events calendar shows the Farmers Market at Walton Park West from June through mid-October. From November through March, it becomes the Indoor Market at the Discovery Center. The indoor dates this season are November 14, November 28 and December 12, after the January, February and March dates earlier in the year. The city describes the indoor version as more than 20 local vendors selling a wide variety of homemade goods and foods.
Both November markets run 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event's listing on Vendorsmap, a third-party vendor directory, mentions baked goods, jams, cheeses, meats, canned goods, salsas, jewelry and microgreens. November 28 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so that market lands on a weekend many households set aside for holiday shopping.
Late Fall, Date by Date
The building is busiest on weekends from Halloween to early December. Here's the season in order, using the city's calendar. The city notes that dates and times may change.
- Saturday, October 31: Oakdale Fire and Police Trick-or-Treating, 2 to 5 p.m. This one is at Fire Station One, 5000 Hadley Avenue N., not at the Discovery Center. The city's calendar says to bring kids in costume for hot dogs and candy.
- Sunday, November 1: Celebrate Día de Los Muertos with Sugar Skulls, noon to 2 p.m. This recreation program at the Discovery Center has registration through the city's recreation catalog, linked from the calendar entry.
- Saturday, November 14: Indoor Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, November 21: Art Discovery Fair, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event listing places it at the Discovery Center. The city describes it as a chance to engage with local artists and crafters.
- Saturday, November 28: Indoor Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Thursday, December 3: City Tree Lighting with Santa, 6 to 7:30 p.m. It's at the Discovery Center, and Santa arrives on a decorated fire truck.
Every Saturday in November has something at the Discovery Center, from Learn Mahjongg on the 7th to the second Indoor Market on the 28th, all in a building surrounded by trail.
The Trails Around It
The Nature Preserve is part of what makes the Discovery Center an easy place to spend a Saturday. The city lists a 28-acre lake, prairie, mature trees, paved hiking and biking trails, a boardwalk, and a large parking lot at the Discovery Center. The preserve trail map marks purple, blue, green and orange loops plus a connecting trail, with segment distances in miles.
The parking difference adds up over a season. Walton Park's main lot is limited while it serves the construction. The Discovery Center lot is the large one, and right now it's the address for markets, art fairs and council meetings alike. A market morning can easily turn into a walk to the boardwalk and back before the 1 p.m. close, with the car parked in one place.
Dinner on 10th Street
The preserve isn't close to everything, and some fall Saturdays will end with dinner out. The Star Tribune's openings roundup from October 5 included Shinhwa Korean Steakhouse at 7133 N. 10th St. The Korean grill and hot pot restaurant from Roseville opened its second location in Oakdale in July. Its first is at 2181 Snelling Avenue N. in Roseville. On a cold November evening, a hot pot table is a good end to a day that started at the Indoor Market.
Questions like these come up for us all the time: which errands moved, which lot to use, what's happening at the Discovery Center this month. If you're settling into Oakdale, or just want to know how the City Hall project might affect your corner of Hadley Avenue, the team at Steward Pillar is happy to talk it through over coffee, without any pressure. Get in touch whenever it helps.
