The city of Â鶹´«Ã½ had been chipping away at stream restoration projects at Bethel Park before Hurricane Helene hit in late September.
Before the hurricane, the restoration and relocation of Fiddlers Run Creek and the east prong of Hunting Creek had been completed at the 15-acre park. Contractors were working on grading for a new walking trail and were set to install new bridges at the park in November.
The hurricane pushed back those plans.
Â鶹´«Ã½ City Manager Sally Sandy said the city’s progress on those restorations seemed to help the neighborhoods around the park during the storm.
“They did not get the amount of water over there that they get in a heavy rain, so that’s a positive,†Sandy said.
Bethel Park remains closed for a stream relocation and restoration project.
But flooding still brought a lot of silt to the park, damaged the flood plain bench around the stream and other work that had been completed for the restoration.
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She said that silt must be removed to meet requirements for the project.
“There’s about 5,030 cubic yards of total earth work that we need to restore the park,†Sandy said.
The city council agreed to a $120,000 contract with Baker Grading for that work at its meeting Monday, Dec. 2. The city has been working with the company throughout the Bethel Park project. Sandy said the price was similar to other silt removal projects.
She said the city will submit the cost in its FEMA claim for Hurricane Helene expenses. She said the city hopes it will receive some funding to offset the costs of the project, but it’s unknown if any funding will be awarded.
The city has received more than $2 million in grant funding for the Bethel Park project. Jonelle Sigmon, public information officer for the city, said the overall timeline for the Bethel Park project has not been impacted, but there was some damage to the streams.
The park originally was set to reopen in October 2025.
Cleanup begins on Â鶹´«Ã½ greenway
The Catawba River Greenway remains closed, but the recovery process is getting started.
Mounds of silt still lie along the greenway, and some areas have been eroded to the point it is no longer safe, Sandy said. The boardwalk behind the River Village shopping center was lifted and moved in floodwaters.
The city council voted Dec. 2 to contract with Butler Brothers Backhoe for removal of up to 550 tons of silt from the Catawba River Greenway. The city will pay $95 per ton of silt removed.
“It’s going to take a bit more time and a bit more work. This is a first step,†Sandy said. “Obviously there’s going to have to be some design work done, there’s going to have to be a bit of engineering.â€
The city is hoping the silt will not have contaminants in it and some of it can be sent to the Burke County Landfill to be used for cover.
There still is a long road ahead for the city’s parks and greenway.
The riverbanks along the Catawba River Greenway near the Rocky Ford access were eroded by Hurricane Helene flooding.
Sandy said preliminary estimates from engineers say it could cost $1.5 million just to fix a 200- to 250-foot stretch of the greenway near the Rocky Ford access off U.S. Highway 34 where flooding eroded the land around the trail, tearing out some of the concrete.
There is no estimated reopening date for the city’s closed parks.
