SOUTH LOOP — The long-awaited Fred Anderson Park will officially open to the public next month, Chicago Park District officials said.
After six years of planning, the South Loop park at 1629 S. Wabash St. will open in the middle of December, according to Jessica Maxey-Faulkner, Chicago Park District spokeswoman. It will include a dog-friendly area complete with artificial turf for both small and big dogs and a dog drinking fountain.
"It looks beautiful," said Pamela Focia, board member at the South Loop Dog Park Action Cooperative, who has been involved in the project since its inception. "They did a good job keeping the park exactly how it was drawn."
Last Wednesday, Kimberly Du Buclet, the project's Chicago Park District Community Liaison, told Focia that construction should be finished in three to four weeks, Focia said.
Once construction is complete, Du Buclet told Focia that the project team will start working on the "punch list," which Focia described as cleaning up "things that happen during construction that aren't quite perfect" such as a hole in a fence.
And after the punch list is agreed upon, the contractor has 30 days to remedy the outstanding issues before it opens, Focia said.
The park was designed by architectural firm Altamanu and built by Robe Construction Inc.
It was named after famous saxophonist Fred Anderson, who died in 2010. In September, Park District Supt. Michael Kelly said he hoped to see "jazz in some shape or form" performed in the community park.
Other features include planters, concrete walkways, lighting, benches, picnic tables, shade canopies and ornamental fences.
Focia and other members of the nonprofit group, South Loop Dog PAC, plan on hosting a party at the park in the spring, featuring local businesses like Soggy Paws and the South Loop Animal Hospital, musical acts and food, she said.
"Children areas are already pretty well represented in the area, but there was a real need for a dog park," Focia said.
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