An East Columbus eyesore will be getting a facelift, thanks to the family of the late Ward 2 Councilman Doug Mackay.
A clean-up day at the detention pond adjacent to the East Columbus Gym on Lawrence Street will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. Event co-organizer Susan Mackay said recent rainy weather has created some slight changes in their plans.
“Because of the rain, the Public Works Department has not been able to work on the detention pond,” said Susan Mackay, Doug Mackay’s widow. “We are going to work on the flower beds (Saturday). We won’t be able to complete everything we had hoped, but it will be a good start.”
Mackay said she and her daughter, Amanda, the event’s creator, said they wanted to turn the area into a small park with benches, Knockout roses and other plants and amenities.
“We are a little disappointed with the weather, but God has his reasons,” Susan Mackay said. “We are excited to begin work on the flower beds. The Public Works Department will do the work on the detention pond and place the benches. It’s going to be a beautiful day Saturday and we hope some people will come out and help us.”
The detention pond was a project of Doug Mackay ,who saw it as a way to stop flooding in the Lawrence Street neighborhood. It holds water temporarily, before properly releasing it into a drainage system.
“The pond is on land owned by the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority,” Susan Mackay said. “There is a walking track surrounding the pond land that needs to be repaved. This is not a permanent pond; it’s only a pond when it rains. Otherwise, it is supposed to be an area for football and other sports. (Mayor Robert Smith) and the City Council have been supportive of this project and Mayor Smith promised the city would complete this project at Doug’s funeral.”
For more information, call Susan Mackay at 662-328-8469.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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