On February 22, 2018, rising flood waters resulted in the evacuation of Conservancy buildings and other items in the park that were in danger of being submerged or swept away. Quick action by our team of volunteers resulted in no loss or damage of property. The two-car garage got a little over a foot of water and the three-car garage got 3 feet 5 inches of water. As soon as the water receded enough to get into the two-car garage, a crew of offenders from the City got to work washing down the walls and floor. Rodney Kelley and I unloaded all the contents of the 26’ U Haul van into the two-car garage on March 1. The three-car garage has a thin coating of river silt on the floor which will require power washing. The walls, believe or not, were barely soiled.
It has been my observation over the years that when the Ohio floods there are usually two scenarios. One in which the river leaves a great deal of litter and debris behind, such as it did last year. And the other in which it has a “cleansing” effect. Thankfully, this year the river was kind to us and actually landscaped the area below the railroad tracks better than it was before the flood! Some moderate driftwood removal will be required but nothing of any consequence.
We had a wonderful turn out of Ivy Tech students and staff along with Heather Foy, her husband and two sons. They picked up several bags of garbage and cut up a large tree that the floodwaters toppled. As usual, the ladies from Ruth Haven are very much engaged in getting the park back in tip-top shape. I also want to acknowledge two of our “old faithful;” Rodney Kelley who cleared a large tree that had totally blocked the trail and Tony Hammock who removed the stump with his Bobcat.