City is dredging two more ponds in Belleville park and stocking them with fish

The city of Belleville is dredging two ponds in Bicentennial Park with plans to stock them with fish.

The ponds were shallow, filled with sediment and organic material (decaying leaves and other vegetation) and therefore not too healthy, according to Jason Poole, director of public works.

Contractors found only a few carp while pumping water out of the ponds into a creek, Poole said.

“We’re trying to improve the quality of the ponds for fishing and for the intrinsic value (of the scenery),” he said. “This will help us keep the aquatic weeds down as well.”

The park occupies the former Angler’s Club off South 21st Street. The St. Clair County Angler’s Association, founded in 1943, had developed the 41-acre property into a fishing destination for members before it deteriorated and eventually got sold to the city for $1 million in 2009.

The park has five ponds. City officials spent $200,000 to have one dredged in 2018 as part of a $900,000 improvement project that also included a playground, parking lot and new entrance.

“We stocked (the pond) three times (with bluegill, catfish and large-mouth bass),” Poole said.

Baxmeyer Construction, of Waterloo, is now digging to increase the depth of two other ponds from 4 to 8 feet. The city is funding the project with $564,548 in tax-increment-financing funds from the TIF 16 district, according to Finance Director Jamie Maitret.

Bicentennial Park was still under construction when it opened in 2013. It was named for the 200th anniversary of the city’s founding in 1814.

Today, besides the playground, the park has a picnic shelter, gazebo, fishing pier, disc golf course, splash pad and wooded nature trails. Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for public use.

“As with all of our parks, it’s a constant work in progress,” Poole said, noting that the city will probably dredge the other two ponds at Bicentennial Park as funding becomes available.