A broken storm water drainage pipe has created puddle after puddle in Coolidge Park for as long as many people can remember.
Frisbee players avoided the corner of the park by the stage after rain. Moms pushing strollers around the park’s sidewalk would turn around to avoid the swamp, and many kids left the park covered in mud.
Lee Norris, administrator for the Department of Public Works, said this problem should be fixed in the next few days.
He said Public Works crew members have been working to replace the broken pipe and damaged sidewalk near the stage, and this repair should allow the area to drain properly.
“We are in a down time now, so we are over there fixing the pipe,” Norris said.
It is unclear how long the pipe has been broken, according to Norris, but crew members recollect a time when a firetruck drove in the park and damaged the sidewalk, which they believed crushed the pipe some time ago.
Carla Pritchard, owner of Chattanooga Presents, frequently uses the park to host events.
“[The area near the stage] is an area I sometimes try to avoid because it can be muddy,” she said.
Pritchard has never canceled an event at the park because of flooding, but she and others have avoided that section of the park because its condition has been unpredictable.
She believes fixing the drainage pipe is going to make a noticeable difference to the park.
“I would say any improvements to park infrastructure that make them more usable and enjoyable is a positive,” she said.
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.