$20M in Flood Damages to Parks and Trails
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DULUTH - Duluth Parks and Recreation toured city parks to access flood damages.
Estimates to fix the parks and trails came in at $20 million dollars.
"The parks were really devastated," Duluth Public Works Manager of Maintenance Operations Kelly Fleissner said.
At least 2/3 of Duluth city parks and parts of every trail need to be repaired because of raging floodwaters.
"We're estimating that the damage to the park system is in the probably the $20 million dollar range," said Fleissner.
The cross country ski bridge at Chester Park is battered.
Beside it lay tree stumps and rocks, mother nature’s force even carved out the land.
"These are pretty complicated fixes that need to be done,” said Fleissner. “It’s not just go throw some dirt and shovel it and you're good to go."
On the Dan Proctor trail is a huge slump.
Trees along with boulders were uprooted and deposited on the trail.
"I have not seen anything like this," said Dan Proctor who the trail is named after.
Proctor and other volunteers have been cleaning up the 2 mile long stretch making it hikeable.
"This is really a good lesson and humorous about how little we are and what we do is not permanent," said Proctor.
In Lincoln Park the damage is primarily on the bridge and walls retaining the creek.
Parts of the bridge and road are sunken in and crumbled.
Rocks on the walls holding the Miller creek are coming down and going into the stream.
"We're requesting that people do not go into the creeks at all for their own safety," Manager of Duluth Parks and Recreation Kathy Bergen said.
Officials say the damages will be covered by FEMA.
"We're optimistic that funding will be there on both the state and federal level," said Fleissner.
It will take several years to get Duluth’s parks and trails where they used to be.
Officials say FEMA will cover up to 75% of the damages.
