Efforts continue to reopen Kids’ Towne Park

By Randy Bell

It’s taken a lot of work to clean up Kids’ Towne, a popular Clinton park which was damaged by a March storm – and it’s not done yet.

“We had seven large trees come down,” Parks and Recreation Director Courtney Nunn wrote in an email. “One fell over Old Vicksburg Road, taking down several power lines and blocking the road for several days.”

She said a water line was pulled up when one of the trees fell, and three smaller trees were blown down in the playground area, “but luckily missed any of the playground equipment.” The playground portion of Kids’ Towne has remained closed in the interest of safety until all the trees can be removed.

Nunn said the City has gotten some help with the cleanup.

“We had the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints coordinate a day of service for the park a few weekends ago.” Nunn said those volunteers were “a huge help” in cutting the big trees into smaller pieces to make it easier for the City to remove them from the park.

Two large trees which fell in the wooded rear portion of Kids’ Towne far away from the playground will be roped off until they can be removed. Limbs and debris fell on the nearby pickleball courts and at the Bark Park, but both were quickly cleaned up and remained open after the storm.

The City had hoped to be finished with the tree removal last week [week of May 7] so the playground could be reopened, but rainy weather interfered.

“We have appreciated the patience of the community,” Nunn said.

 

Photos taken May 11 show the progress of cleanup efforts at Kids’ Towne Park on Old Vicksburg Road. Seven trees were downed during the storms that hit Clinton in late March.