Henri Was An Unwelcome Visitor To Manchester's Charter Oak Park

MANCHESTER, CT — Municipal crews in Manchester Tuesday were busy putting Charter Oak Park back together after it was flooded by an overflowing Hop Brook during the peak of Tropical Storm Henri.

Manchester Public Works Director Tim Bockus said during a tour of the facility Tuesday that the work was being done in-house and that the park would reopen as soon as safety allows. Essentially, the courts are unscathed, as are the children's playscapes. Those elements will be open to the public as soon as possible, Buckus said.

One holdup is making sure the lighting is working properly, Bockus said.

The park was flooded at a spot from the Hop Brook to the incline just below a set of picnic benches across from the driveway in the center and to the left entire fields were under water after the storm.

The field to the left still had some standing water Tuesday and was being re-graded. The grassy area in the center that serves as a spot for picnic blankets in the warmer months was flooded and fish were actually swimming in it.

It is traditionally only flooded in the winter for skating, Bockus said.

The area had 3.25 inches of rain Thursday, then 5.2 inches Sunday during Henri's peak and another 2 inches as the storm backtracked Monday. That's too much for the brook to handle, Bockus said.

Here is a look at the park Tuesday: