LYNN— Those living near Goldfish Pond might see the installation of three new, water-cleaning fountains in the pond next year, through the park’s securement of $50,000 in second-round American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
In the Spring and Summer, Goldfish Pond, originally named Ingalls Pond, is a common area for people to get some fresh air, walk their dogs, or have a picnic. As beautiful as the landscape might be, Goldfish Pond Association President Trish Greene said that the pond’s water has been polluted with harmful algaes and pollutants for years.
Greene said that five years ago, the pond was infected with a hazardous blue-green algae bloom, which served as a safety risk for nearby pets and wildlife. While the park’s current three fountains are purely decorative, the new aerating fountains will pump oxygen into the water, killing algae blooms.
“The aerating fountains will add more oxygen into the water so that our water at the pond will be healthier — that’s what we’re going for with these new fountains. They’re going to be more invigorating,” Greene said.
The Goldfish Pond Association decided to apply for the funding for the fountains at the suggestion of Water and Wetland, an Upton-based company that the association hired to clean the pond. She said that the pond’s current decorative fountains are 18 years old, and frequently require fixing.
“They’re 18 years old, and they’re beyond repair,” Greene said.
Originally built from swampland in 1870, the pond was named Goldfish Pond as an allusion to a story of neighborhood boys placing goldfish in the swamp in the 1840s. The pond’s surrounding park was named Lafayette park after General Marquis de Lafayette toured the area in the 1820s.
Ward 3 City Councilor Coco Alinsug said that he has a sentimental connection to the park, as he and his husband, Peter, lived in the area when they first moved to Lynn, and eventually joined the Goldfish Pond Association.
“When I moved here 20 years ago, me and Peter, my husband, moved to that area and rented an apartment and we became involved with the Association. Every year, they plant flowers, we have events, activities, arts festivals […] it’s a neighborhood community, It’s just beautiful,” Alinsug said.
Alinsug added that providing fountains that maintain and clean the pond will ultimately save the city the costs of having to clean it regularly.
“If they decide not to maintain the pond, and you know, it’s an additional investment for the city budget,” Alinsug said. “We make sure that the history is preserved and the neighborhood is happy.”
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected]
