East Lake Park makover in design phase [photos]

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 is seen on Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga Public Works has reached the design phase for renovations to the historic park.

A planned restoration of Chattanooga's landmark East Lake Park could start as early as January.

The Public Works Department's Water Quality Division project calls for cleaning up the park's 1.75-acre pond and using community feedback to make improvements to the park as a whole. The Lyndhurst Foundation jump- started the makeover, estimated to cost $700,000, with a $200,000 donation last year.

Water quality officials have cited the pond's waterfowl population, an overabundance of algae and sediment build-up as key factors contributing to the park's long-standing ecological imbalances.

The Chattanooga City Council recently gave the green light to the project's second phase by approving a $135,000 design agreement with engineering firm CDM Smith. The agreement includes a $113,400 option to hire the company to design a pump and treatment system for the pond, conduct more public meetings and perform construction inspection services.

Mounir Minkara, manager of the water quality program, reviewed the makeover project with the council.

"It's not very functional, it's not very aesthetic or pleasant, so we tried to improve the area of the lake and try to improve the [park land] surrounding the lake," Minkara said. "We want to improve the water quality in the lake and the area that drains into the lake."

The plan calls for not only cleaning up the pond, which may require dredging built-up sediment, but putting measures in place to keep it clean, he said.

"We are trying to implement some green infrastructure improvements to clean, to treat the runoff going into the lake so after we do the hydrological cleanup the lake will be sustainable and can function on its own," Minkara said.

Stormwater from Missionary Ridge feeds into the pond, which hasn't had any kind of major improvements since the 1990s, Public Works Administrator Justin Holland said.

"That's been a long time ago and there's been a lot of sediment built up in there," Holland said. "There's a real need for this project."

The first phase called for an ecological assessment and gathering community feedback to come up with ideas for how to make a better park.

"Community input is a driving factor in the project," city spokeswoman Marissa Bell said when announcing concept plans for the park in January.

Those plans include the addition of a boardwalk that extends over the pond, a meadow walk, outdoor classroom spaces, and areas dedicated to wetland plants and native vegetation.

Phase Two, the design phase, will keep those visions in mind, Minkara said.

Chattanooga District 7 Councilman Erskine Oglesby, who represents the East Lake community, announced the city staff would give a full presentation on the project to the council soon.

Developer C.E. James donated land for the 18.5-acre East Lake Park on May 25, 1896, and it was dedicated on July 4 of that year, according to Chattanooga Public Library archives.

In the early 1900s, the park briefly hosted the Oxley Zoo, which officials shut down because of unsanitary conditions and the poor health of its animals.

The city stocked the pond with waterfowl in the 1940s to draw more visitors.

Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@times freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.

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