What's Going on at the Pond in Front of Newton City Hall?

If you've tried to park or walk around Newton City Hall in the last few months, you've likely been met with construction vehicles and lots of orange fencing.

So what exactly is going on at the pond in front of City Hall? And when will it be finished?

Chief Operating Officer Bob Rooney told Newton Patch this week that crews have been working on dredging the pond and removing sediment that has built up over time. 

Rooney explained that the City Hall ponds were designed by the famous Olmsted Brothers in the 1930s and were intended to serve as reflecting pools for the building.

From a functional standpoint, the ponds also catch sediment from the water that flows from the culverts near the library, before it drains into nearby Bullough's Pond. 

As that sediment builds up, the city is supposed to maintain the ponds through dredging. The City Hall ponds were a bit overdo for this dredging, however, and some trees and bushes began to grow in the water, Rooney said.

The project should be finished by the first week in May, Rooney said, and crews are beginning to start the cleanup process.

Overall, the project should cost the city around $425,000, Rooney said, and half of that money will be spent on the disposal of soil removed from the pond.