Eli Hart Memorial Playground approved by Mound City Council
MOUND, Minn. — A group of Minnesotans got the green light to build a permanent tribute to 6-year-old Eli Hart.
Community members formed the Eli Hart Foundation earlier this year, and have been working to raise more than $200,000 to create the "Eli Hart Memorial Playground" at Surfside Park in Mound.
RELATED: Family, friends, community work to keep Eli Hart's name and memory alive one year later
The City Council approved the plan Tuesday night, and crews will break ground in the spring of 2024.
Hart's mother, Julissa Thaler, was found guilty in February of first- and second-degree murder in his death and is serving a life sentence. Investigators found Hart's body in the trunk of her car in May of 2022 during a traffic stop in Orono.
Tory Hart, Hart's father, had been petitioning Dakota County for custody of his son months before his death. He has filed a civil suit against Dakota County for wrongful death.
RELATED: Julissa Thaler found guilty on all counts in murder of her 6-year-old son, Eli Hart