ALTON – The recovery of a body found at a retention pond in Alton on Christmas Day is bringing existing safety concerns to light.

Joel Tovar lives behind the pond where police recovered the body of 25-year-old Eustacio Christian Mireles.

The neighborhood and the pond are without adequate lighting, he says. 

A dirt road leads to the pond – it's often a noisy place, according to Tovar.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS contacted Alton city management about the concern.

Assistant City Manager Jeff Underwood said the city has on-going plans to provide lighting to the neighborhood.

Underwood says it's been a long process because the city has to acquire rights to run power lines.

The city plans to install its first lighting improvements in the Palm Lake Estates neighborhood by the first quarter of next year.