Serenity Reigns at Renovated Barth Pond

For a reminder that nature has her good days, too, head to the newly renovated Barth Pond at Patriots Park. Forget, if only for an hour or so, the tornado that turned trees into obstacles and hazards last week. Gaze across the water, take a walk around the shore, cast a line in, or launch a canoe.

After working through the spring, the Downers Grove Park District re-opened the pond to the public this week. Excessive rainfall this spring pushed the opening date back a few weeks, district staff explained.

The project included removal of a deteriorated steel seawall and the installation of a new stacked limestone shoreline and natural vegetation. These improvements are aimed at stabilizing the pond's edge to minimize erosion and improve water quality. As some of the turf areas will need the summer to fill in, the park district asks that users stay off the newly restored areas.

On Wednesday, Blake Hamilton and his mom Susanne were back in their favorite fishing spot on the east side of the park. Blake has had luck there, once catching a sizeable catfish. The Hamiltons were joined around the pond by about a dozen anglers. While Blake watched carefully for a tug on his line, Susanne admired the new shoreline, and basked in a perfect summer day.