Information Beans: Giant City Still Closed from May Storm

Anybody looking to enjoy a few trails at Giant City State Park before winter will have to wait a little longer.

Trails are still closed off from the storm on May 8, according to Bob Martin, site superintendent for the park. He said such trails as Red Cedar Hiking Trail, Trillium Trail and Stone Fort Trail are still closed due to wreckage from the storm.

Other parts of Makanda have not been cleaned up, according to Janelle Weber, innkeeper for Makanda Inn. She said the most damage was done around Giant City. Initially the storm cut power in Makanda for ten days, which hurt business during graduation weekend, she said.

Martin said a tree uprooted during the storm and destroyed a bridge on Stone Fort Road, which is still closed off. Martin said the park does not have the resources to clean up the wreckage left from the storm.

“We probably got trees 30 to 40 inches around that are leaning against the bluff,” Martin said. “We just don’t have the equipment to take them down.”

Martin said the park has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency all summer on contracts. FEMA, a government agency that offers aid for natural disasters, started cleaning three months after the storm at the end of August, Martin said.

An audit of FEMA released by the Department of Homeland Security in June of 2009 reviewed 32 disaster contracts from 2007, noting the agency was “not in compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation or Acquisition Management Division’s contracting policies and procedures for emergency acquisitions for most of the contracts reviewed.”

Dolph Diemont, federal coordinating officer for the FEMA, did not return a phone call.

Jim Ewers, of Blue Sky Vineyard, said the vineyard was not affected by the storm and their power was only out for 20 minutes. He said he thought the community did a great job in getting everything back together.

“I was surprised with how quickly the mess was cleaned up,” Ewers said.

Despite the wreckage, Makanda businesses are not currently feeling the effects of the storm, Weber said. With Makanda Fest and various wine festivals, she said business is very good for Makanda at the moment.

“There are lots of festivals going on, so we actually just got done with the busiest time of the year,” Weber said.

Martin said business is not hurting at the park either, but visitors are limited in what they can do.

“The folks are still coming in, they’re just not able to go up in those areas to hike or rock climb,” Martin said.

Martin said the closed bridge entrance has not hurt the park either, as guests have still shown up consistently since the storm.

“I don’t think any place is really hurting. I mean there’s four different ways into this park,” Martin said. “It’s not completely closed. There’s still three other ways to find your way in here.”