The Boise River flooding has had a devastating impact on area parks and the greenbelt. Now that some of the water is receding, the extent of its damage is coming to the surface.
For several weeks, standing water has covered portions of Ann Morrison Park and the greenbelt -- forcing the city of Boise to close it off to the public -- as grass fields and pathways turned into small ponds.
"The turf has been completely destroyed, so we'll have to do some reseeding and revegetation in some of those areas," said Doug Holloway, Director of Boise Parks & Recreation. "There's still a lot of standing water in a number of other areas around the park, as well."
High waters damaged the flooring at Ann Morrison's Candy Cane Playground. Both the playground -- and the majority of the greenbelt -- remain closed.
Once crews ensure the river bank along the greenbelt is stable, they'll begin pumping water out of flooded areas and power washing; but it won't be done overnight. The city estimates it'll take a few months to complete.
"We'll have a determination of where the repairs are going to need to occur late next week," Holloway said. "Then we'll start putting together a scope of work and a cost estimate on what it will cost to do te bank restorations and any type of pathway repairs."
