East Lake Park is seen on Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga Public Works has reached the design phase for renovations to the historic park.East Lake Park could be reborn by this time next year.
A water quality project, shepherded by Chattanooga's Public Works Department, calls for cleaning up the park's algae-choked duck pond and restoring its natural balance. Before it's over, the 1.75-acre pond will be drained, dredged of sediment buildup and refilled. Concept plans also call for outdoor classroom spaces, a boardwalk and other amenities for the park, which stretches across 18.5 acres in all.
In a recent meeting, Mounir Minkara, manager of the city's water quality program, discussed the project with the Chattanooga City Council.
"We are using a holistic approach to look at the whole park, not just the lake itself," Minkara said. "We can clean the pond now, but we need to [prevent] this from happening in the future."
This means creating a wetland area upstream to naturally filter nutrients from runoff, reducing roadway sediment flows into the pond and managing the waterfowl population, he said. Controlling the park's ducks and geese, whose waste creates a nutrient imbalance in the pond, could possibly be achieved by the public not feeding them.
The pond's rehabilitation also requires reducing or eliminating exotic species of aquatic plants and replacing them with native species, Minkara said.
"The existing conditions are actually impaired," Minkara said. "There's no balance in the ecosystem."
Public Works Administrator Justin Holland said the $748,000 project has been in the works for four years, and he praised Minkara's team for working with community leaders and nearby schools in the initial phase of the park overhaul.
The conceptual plans drew heavily from community feedback, including school design competitions, Minkara said.
The project timeline calls for engineering firm CDM Smith to finalize the revamped park design by mid-October and prepare specifications and bid documents by Dec. 1. Bids will be opened Dec. 20, and construction will begin in January.
The $135,000 CDM Smith design agreement, approved by the city council last month, includes a $113,400 option for the company to conduct more public meetings and design a pump and treatment system for the East Lake Park pond.
The construction phase is estimated to cost $400,000, with the Lyndhurst Foundation awarding $100,000 toward the expense. The foundation also put $100,000 towards the assessment phase of the park's renovation.
Councilman Erskine Oglesby recognized the East Lake Neighborhood Association's involvement in the project, singling out association president Lisa Davis.
"This has been a process that has been a partnership and a shared vision," Oglesby said. "This association has worked real hard to talk about the things they wanted to see in this park."
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.