Irene Files: Park Repairs on Track for Celebrate Granby 225

will be ready for big Celebrate Granby 225 bash on Oct. 1, according to town officials.

Town Manager William Smith and Department of Public Works Director James Klase both said in separate telephone interviews Thursday that the damage the park sustained from Tropical Storm Irene will be repaired in time for the town’s 225th anniversary.

Salmon Brook Park is where most of the all-day festivities, which include live music, fireworks, games and booths, will be held.

“The fields weren’t as damaged as they could have been,” Smith said. “They didn’t take the biggest hit. The fencing did and there’s still more work to do. Unfortunately, we have a little more rain on the way, but hopefully it will be in good shape.”

Klase said that three or four DPW employees - using backhoes, a small excavator, and sweepers - have been working daily on the park to make repairs to the play-scape, fencing and fields, as well as clearing debris left in the storm’s wake.

The total cost to repair the damage to the park is in the $50,000 range, according to Smith and Klase, who met with FEMA officials Thursday to request federal reimbursement for the repairs.

Celebrate Granby 225 organizers are greatly appreciative of the town’s efforts to have Salmon Brook Park ready for the festivities set to take place a week from Saturday.

“They are absolutely fantastic,” Kay Woodford, administrator of the Celebrate Granby 225 committee, said of the DPW workers. “I think it’s coming together really well.”