PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Alongside the assessment of physical and historical conditions of the site, a comprehensive public engagement campaign sought to determine what was important to City of Madison residents and what the future of the park may look like. The kickoff was a public meeting at the Main Park Shelter in June 2019. Outreach during the process included online surveys, site observations, on-site intercept interviews, comment cards, and stakeholder and focus group meetings. Section 3 of this report summarizes the full engagement efforts during the first two phases of the master plan process. Additional engagement documentation can be found in the standalone Benchmark Engagement Report.
COMMON ELEMENTS OF THE PLANS (Overall Design Considerations) Three concepts were developed with different options within each aimed at stimulating discussions about the best approach to upgrading the facilities and uses within the park. The concepts are not intended to be standalone plans but rather a collection of ideas that can be interchanged to create a comprehensive master plan. There are common themes within all of the concepts, and they are described in the following “overall design considerations” section. From there, each concept will be described in detail, including the reasoning behind the design. Gateway In each concept, the term “gateway” describes landscape enhancements, monuments, or signage that create a sense of identity at entrances into Vilas Park. O.C. Simonds designed a formal entrance to Vilas Park that was known as Elm Court (Figure 6.1). The alignment of the court is now the angled entrance road from the intersection of Drake Street and Randall Avenue (originally Warren Street) into the north parking lot. There was a circular garden followed by a tree lined gravel road into the park carriage road, Burr Oak Drive. The
Figure 6.1. O.C. Simonds Elm Court Plan
Figure 6.2. 1908 Photograph of Elm Court
VILAS PARK MASTER PLAN 2020
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