Marilla Park pond in Streator could be dredged in July, making way for fishing dock

The Marilla Park pond is expected to be dredged next month, making way for the Lions Club to install a new handicapped-accessible dock.

The International Union of Operating Engineers 150 have volunteered to dredge the park’s pond to get a depth of about five feet. Dredging is the process of scooping out mud, weeds and garbage from a body of water’s bed in order to make it deeper.

City Engineer Jeremy Palm said the union is eyeing July because it's a dryer month. The city has opened up a clearing to move water out of the pond and lower the depth.

Once the dredging begins, it will take a couple of weeks to complete, Palm said.

The dredging should improve fishing and also help the water gain more depth to freeze in the winter for ice skating.

The Lions Club also is planning to add a handicapped-accessible fishing dock. The 10-feet by 10-feet dock pad can be built in a weekend and will float on top of the water. The club proposed the project in 2017 as its centennial project, but it has had to wait for the pond to be dredged to move forward.

Streator's Park Board is expected to meet in July to discuss some of the projects at Marilla Park, Palm said.