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Wythogan Park Still Too Dangerous For Visitors
Many branches like this one are dangling dangerously above, presenting a serious hazard to visitors.
Uprooted trees, downed power lines, fences torn asunder – this is just some of the damage at Wythogan Park in the wake of the July 24 storms.
The park has been closed as a result of the devastation, and Park Superintendent George Byer urges residents to stay away. He says the risk of injury is too great to enter the park, because there are a lot of branches dangling by a thread that could fall at any moment.
“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.”
This branch is suspended in the air, balancing precariously between two trees.
Byer says they are working daily to clean up the mess at the park, and they’re still working on getting quotes and estimates for repairs on fences, power lines, playground equipment, and other damaged items. The extensive damage could take several more weeks to clean up before the park is back in acceptable condition.
Byer also mentioned that shelter six in the park had been vandalized this week. He said several picnic tables had been stacked on top of each other, and one had even been broken into pieces and thrown onto the roof of the shelter.
