Wythogan Park Still Closed – Mayor Urges Residents To Stay Away

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers would like to remind all residents that Wythogan Park is still closed while cleanup crews continue efforts to remove branches, limbs, debris, and other items strewn about and destroyed from the July storms.

Chambers says the park is closed until further notice, but he’s hopeful that it will open toward the end of September. He says the council is hoping to let a contract this week for the cleanup work, but the contractors have indicated that it would take roughly four to six weeks after the bid is awarded before the cleanup can be completed.

Trees were uprooted, fences torn asunder, power lines downed… but according to Park Superintendent George Byer, those aren’t their main concern as far as danger goes.

“The most dangerous thing here in the park is the limbs that we have that are above your head that, when you are naturally walking, you don’t have a tendency to look up and see what’s up there,” Byer said. “This is the main reason for the park being closed. It’s for the safety of all – and I mean all – the people that we have that come through the park, and for the kids that are just running around with grandma and grandpa on a visit. It’s for their own safety and their own good.”

Chambers says the park will remain closed while cleanup is underway. During the week, maintenance crews are in the park cutting and felling trees, and Chambers says this heavy equipment poses a safety hazard to park visitors.