St. Paul city officials, community members, and other stakeholders are mulling over ideas to help preserve, restore, and improve
Indian Mounds Regional Park. A 20-member task force will present plans at an open house this week.
The century-old Indian Mounds Regional Park, in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, is a segment of the
Battle Creek Regional Park, according to city information.
Indian Mounds Park has a history as a sacred Indian burial ground going back 2,000 years, starting with the
Hopewell culture. Later the area was sacred to the
Dakota Indians. Only six of at least 37 original mounds still exist today.
The park hasn't been updated much since the 1970s, according to parks spokesperson Brad Meyer.
Meyer says the planning process dovetails with a larger visioning effort that's underway, including the
Great River Park Plan, which is about making the St. Paul riverfront more natural, more urban, and more connected, project materials state.
The Great River plan will outline where the city's parks will be in 25 years, Meyer says. In the future,Indian Mounds Park could have volleyball and bocce ball courts, gateway features, and a garden, for instance.
Other ideas are for a dog park, tennis courts, exercise stations, and a revamped amphitheater, according to project materials. Some mounds may be relocated, while native plantings would help restore the prairie.
The core idea is that Indian Mounds is a destination park, with a lot of potential for becoming a unique place, Meyer says, adding that it's "a significant step into the future of what could be another premium park."
The plan will move to the City Council in February before heading to the Metropolitan Council.
Source: Brad Meyer, St. Paul parks public information officer
Writer: Anna Pratt