With the upcoming Chicago Marathon taking front stage throughout the city this weekend, including 
Lincoln Park, signs of its approach can be seen in the temporary sawhorses and barricades dotting various street corners. I’m happy to report that other neighborhood barricades—the fencing at North Pond that has garnered much feedback—will be scaling back soon. Thanks to community input and creative work by our design team, we will be downsizing the taller 4ft fencing around the pond to match the shorter, 2.5ft fencing. This approach will still protect the shoreline as new seeds, plants, and trees are allowed to establish and grow, without overly obstructing views of the pond. We will also make changes at the north end where the thicker steel fencing was installed to create a consistent, lower-profile solution.
For those concerned about wildlife, gaps in the fencing are being planned to allow pond access to creatures of varied shapes and sizes. As with many other aspects of the project, we are keeping sustainability in mind (both resources and finances) and all fencing being replaced will be either cut-down and repurposed or re-used in other park projects. This work will begin next week and progress through much of November, with removal of all the higher fencing being the first task on the list. Thank you to everyone who offered feedback. We greatly appreciate you and your input!
Our last major project component, besides reworking the fencing, will be the application of the flocculant liner in the coming weeks. This will follow final work on the aerator system. The natural liner will significantly reduce the pond’s water loss to groundwater as well as its reliance on municipal water for make up.
Thank you for your ongoing input and support! Learn more about the North Pond Restoration Project at our project page. Stay up-to-date on current work via our weekly blog series.
