May 08, 2024

Three city parks remain closed as dangerous debris still needs to be cleared

City to hire contractor to help with larger tree removal

By Pam Pratt

A pile of brush is stacked near the Maytag Repairman statue in Maytag Park. The park remains closed because of dangerous trees and hangers that are difficult for city staff to remove. The city will be working with a contact company to make the park safe again. (Pam Pratt)

Three parks in the City of Newton remain closed to the public because of damage from the Aug. 10 derecho.

Maytag, Woodland and Sunset Parks suffered significant tree damage and as a result are too dangerous for the public to use. The city’s large equipment has been dedicated to street cleanup so city staff haven’t been able to utilize them for the parks.

“The bigger tree cleanup was hindered by not having the bigger equipment available. Now we should be able to make some headway now that the streets are done,” parks operations superintendent Nick Cummins said.

Even with the heavy machinery available for use, there is still a question of safety for city staff as they clear the large tree debris and hangers. The city has decided to hire contractors to help with some of the more dangerous cleanup efforts.

Cummins said staff will be taking inventory on what needs to be cleaned to prepare for potential contractors. It will take a couple weeks before the process can begin.

“Tree contractors will be working over the next few months to complete the large tree work, as well as dangerous hangers. These parks could be closed for the rest of 2020,” community marketing manager Danielle Rogers said.

City staff will still be in the parks clearing away debris that is on the ground already. This is debris that has been stacked up already or is in an area city staff can safely navigate.

“That’s the kind of stuff that we will work to get cleared. It’s going to be the really big stuff down in the valley and stuff hanging in trees and stuff like that. We just don’t necessarily have the equipment that these companies do,” Cummins said.

The city will keep the public updated as progress is made in the parks. Due to safety concerns, volunteer work isn’t being accepted at this time.

The main concern for keeping the parks closed at this time is safety. Cummings wants to be sure the public understands that and respects the closure.

“Especially with disk golfers that are pretty much everywhere in the park. It’s scary how many of them have actually already been in there,” he said.

As the cleanup efforts continue, the city continues to offer resources to help residents clear debris that wasn’t picked up by the public works department. Rogers said the landfill is back to operating on regular business hours but residents will still be able to bring debris out themselves. Community partners are also working together to help those in need after the storm.

The city continues to have a page dedicated for storm updates and resources. Visit newtongov.org/auguststormupdates for more information. Also check the city’s and Newton Parks and Recreation Facebook pages for updates.

Contact Pam Pratt at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or pampratt@newtondailynews.com