Hagan Stone Park has been closed since a September storm left behind fallen trees, debris and dangerous limbs – and now Guilford County is putting $750,000 toward making the park safe again.
At an afternoon work session on Thursday, November 5, in the third-floor conference room of the county-owned Truist building in downtown Greensboro, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners approved the initial funding for stabilizing the site and beginning recovery work.
The board also authorized contracts for storm-related tree removal and hazardous tree mitigation, along with the necessary budget amendments.
However, the approval doesn’t come with a reopening date.
County staff still need to determine the extent of the remaining restoration work and what it will take to safely welcome visitors back.
Assistant County Manager Jim Albright and Parks and Recreation Director Dwight Godwin walked commissioners through the damage and the proposed recovery effort.
The county’s presentation identified the September 4 storm as a microburst. Staff assessed the park the following day and determined that the safety hazards required closing it.
Albright said most of the damage was concentrated in the northwest corner of the park, consistent with damage in the Pleasant Garden community just to the north.
He also pointed commissioners toward a collection of nearly 100 photographs taken inside the park after the storm – a record of the destruction that helped illustrate why reopening involves considerably more than picking up branches.
Some of the danger comes from trees that haven’t fallen yet.
Godwin explained that damaged trees left leaning at precarious angles could eventually come down. The recovery effort will address those hazards as well as trees and debris already on the ground.
To organize the work, staff divided the park into four zones and sought contractor quotes for the damaged areas.
The plan presented to commissioners called for awarding work in zones 1 and 4 to Green Oak Tree Experts LLC and work in zones 2 and 3 to The Davey Tree Expert Company.
A tree canopy assessment will take place during the cleanup to identify additional risks from falling branches and trees.
The initial recovery effort also includes assessing and addressing necessary infrastructure repairs.
Godwin said staff obtained proposals from multiple vendors, with contractors providing quotes on two occasions based on the scope of work in the individual zones. Parks staff reviewed those proposals before bringing recommendations to the commissioners.
The presentation also laid out the steps that preceded the November 5 funding request.
Gallagher, an insurance company, was on site September 7 to help coordinate the insurance process. An adjuster visited September 17, and staff developed the scope of work for tree and debris removal in late September.
On October 15, the county received direction from the adjuster to proceed with its internal processes for tree and debris removal and the assessment of infrastructure repairs.
The $750,000 will come from the county’s Risk Management Fund Balance.
Albright said the county anticipates that insurance proceeds will offset a portion of the expenses. The amount ultimately covered hasn’t been finalized.
And the appropriation is an initial commitment: Further assessments will help establish what additional restoration is needed and when Hagan Stone Park can reopen
