Monday, July 15, 2024
After closing Faunt Le Roy Park more than two months ago due to flood damage, Gatesville Parks and Recreation announced on July 9 that the walking trail has reopened for recreational use.
However, the rest of Faunt Le Roy Park will remain closed until further notice. Parks and Recreation Director Seth Phillips said in an email that the department does not have a set date yet on when they will open the other half of the park.
Before the City of Gatesville can repair the park, it will need to receive a professional assessment of the storm damage.
“In the next few months, we will work with engineers on getting a storm damage cost assessment and receive advice on what steps we will need to take to potentially open the park back up safely to the public,” Phillips said.
Once the assessment is complete, he said the city will work with a grant administrator to apply for FEMA funding to help repair the park.
Interim City Manager Brad Hunt said the city has not yet chosen an engineering firm to perform the damage assessment.
“We will do so within a month, following the guidelines set forth by FEMA to ensure we remain eligible for their grant funding,” Hunt said via email.
The flooding from storms in the spring caused even more erosion to the banks of the Leon River at Faunt Le Roy Park, which was already partly damaged due to floods in 2018.
During a city council meeting on June 11, Hunt explained that the damage assessment from engineers will give the city an idea of how much it will cost to not only repair the damage, but also how they can make the park safer for recreational use and prevent future flooding.
The park first closed its gates on the morning of Sunday, May 5 after flood waters and debris caused extensive damage to the park, including the walking trail.
