Events Celebrate Rebuilding of Pond, Fountain at Compton Reservoir Park
By Cara | September 29, 2009
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and 6th Ward Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett will head a two-day celebration to mark the rebuilding of a 100-year-old pond and spray fountain at Compton Hill Reservoir Park, S. Grand and Russell boulevards.
The principal event will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, when City officials and neighborhood leaders will turn on the fountain, located in the center of the nearly one-acre pond just south of the historic Compton Hill Water Tower.
A companion event at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, will be a “Duck Race.” Small rubber ducks, purchased by friends and visitors as a fund-raising gesture, will be placed in the newly rebuilt pond. Prizes will be awarded to the winner of the “race,” as well as runners-up.
Rebuilding of the pond and restoration of the fountain, costing $159,000, is a joint project of City agencies and private parties that began more than five years ago. Barbara Absher, a resident of the Compton Hill Reservoir Square Neighborhood, is president of the Water Tower and Park Preservation Society (WTPPS). The organization was formed to supplement City Water Division and Parks Department’s efforts to maintain Compton Hill Reservoir Park and the landmark Water Tower, its most prominent feature.
Absher said that, using private funds, the organization developed a Master Plan for Restoration in 2004. A priority was to address the crumbling, weed-filled pond, but City agencies made clear that they couldn’t afford a major restoration. The WTPPS had little money, as well, but began searching, Absher noted.
About two years ago, $100,000 in federal grant money which had been allocated to the Compton Hill Reservoir Square Neighborhood by the then-6th Ward Alderman Lewis Reed was redirected by Ald. Triplett, and was earmarked for the pond restoration. The WTPPS raised the balance — some $59,000 — over the years by offering public tours to the top of the 179-foot-tall Water Tower on Saturdays, by recruiting dues-paying members and by seeking grants and donations from other groups.
Absher said the Water Division helped by demolishing the existing pond, removing the old fill and providing planting rings for water lilies. The City’s Board of Public Service helped design the pond and fountain, solicited construction bids and provided management of the entire project.
Among the City officials expected to attend the celebration are former Water Division Commissioner Dave Visintainer, current Water Commissioner Curtis Skouby, and Parks Commissioner Dan Skillman, plus other City and State elected officials.
Absher, of the WTPPS, said future projects for Reservoir Park include restoration of the comfort station, designing and installing new lighting, repaving park walkways, expanding garden and planting areas and installing decorative entryways at the corners of the park.
Construction work nears completion on the rebuilding of a reflecting pond and center spray fountain at Compton Hill Reservoir Park. The $159,000 project was jointly funded by the City and the Water Tower and Park Preservation Society, a group of neighbors and volunteers interested in the park and its most prominent feature, the Compton Hill Water Tower. A celebration marking the completion of the pond and fountain is schedule for Sat., Oct. 3 and Sun., Oct. 4.
via City of St. Louis Newsgram
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