Task force to draft new plan for Indian Mounds Park

A task force charged with crafting a plan for the future of Indian Mounds Park in St Paul is asking for public input.

The park sits on the north bank of a bend in the Mississippi River. The task force is considering new play areas, shelters, splash pads and signage for the site.

The task force is made up of residents and officials from the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department and National Park Service.

Citizen task force member Brian Miller said the group wants to preserve the park's history, including six burial mounds that may be up to 2,000 years old.

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"One of the things that I think is being discussed is what to do with the Indian mounds that exist there now, in terms of if they should be a native grass, and if so, how they should be maintain and restored, things like if chemicals need to be used, if people are being sensitive to the history there," Miller said.

Miller said the new plan must take into account the park's current open space, as well.

"One of the things that's kind of unique about Indian Mounds park is there's not a lot of development in it," he said. "It's mostly green space and its main draw is the mounds and also the view sheds of the river and downtown."

The meeting is 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Cerenity Senior Care Center on Frank Street in St. Paul.