More than a month after damaging storms forced the closure of Galien River County Park, officials are preparing for the reopening.
Berrien County Parks Director Jill Adams says the August 27 storms that blew through and caused millions of dollars of damage to homes and businesses, also had a huge impact on the park.
“The only word I can describe after the August storms was Galien River County Park was wrecked. It was amazing to see so many downed trees.”
Galien River County Park is unique in that it has a 300-foot Canopy Walkway that leads to a 60-foot high Marsh Overlook. There’s also a 600-foot Marsh Boardwalk. All that had to be cleaned up and repaired. Crews have been working since the storms to remove trees and repair structural damage. Adams says the repairs alone cost about $24,000. Tree removal added another $7,000.
“We just knew it wasn’t safe for the public, so we’ve had to keep that closed until all of that can be taken care of.”
Adams says final inspections are expected this week and she hopes to make an announcement in the next couple of days about a reopening.
