Videos: Planners Break Ground for Lilydale Regional Park Monument

Residents and officials gathered Oct. 21 for the official groundbreaking of the new gateway monument.

The monument will be built off of Water Street at the northeast end of the park.

The city of St. Paul, which owns and operates the park, along with community groups including the St. Paul Parks Conservancy and the Friends of Lilydale Park have been crafting updates to the park that will be phased in as funding becomes available.

While planners want to preserve its rugged character, in addition to the marker the park will eventually be improved with a picnic shelter area, a trail, road realignment and bridge improvements. Environmental cleanup has already been addressed in recent years to prepare the park for its new additions. A stone-lined creek is also planned to collect water from the bluff.

The St. Paul Parks Conservancy raised almost $500,000 for design and construction of the monument and to boost the start of the other project funding.