A multimillion-dollar redevelopment of Madison’s Vilas Park is set to move forward, the Wisconsin State Journal reports, but the city is also working closely with the Ho-Chunk Nation and cultural experts to protect the area’s ancient Native American burial mounds.
This project marks the first time Madison has looked to revamp an existing park home to burial mounds, which are not only historical artifacts but also protected under state and federal law.
The redeveloped park will include new tennis courts, pickleball courts and a basketball court, along with redesigned parking and roadways. There also will be upgraded playgrounds with accessible equipment, a new shelter, ecological restoration, improved stormwater management and repairs to the lagoon.
