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Posted: Thu 7:03 PM, Jun 07, 2012
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Reporter: Joe Nelson Email
Updated: Thu 7:04 PM, Jun 07, 2012

Rod and Gun Park reopens, Eau Claire '30 percent' back to normal

EAU CLAIRE, Wisc. (WEAU) - Two weeks after a major windstorm blew through the Chippewa Valley, knocking down trees and damaging homes, Rod and Gun Park, one of the hardest hit areas in Eau Claire reopened.

The Parks Recreation and Forestry department said Eau Claire is about 30 percent of the way back to normal, Thursday

Department director Phil Feiber said the city spent about $162,000 on recovery efforts, for roughly 2,000 hours of work.

"About half ($81,000) is absorbed in reshifting duties in the workplace ... Instead of (working on other city projects) those staff are doing cleanup."

Feiber said the damage wasn't bad enough for the city to get any state or federal grants, and although there's months of stump grinding, brush removal and replanting, conditions at Rod and Gun park are much improved since the storm.

The park is officially back open, and for many of its young patrons, it's just in time for tadpole season.

"I like to come down here with my friends, we try to catch tadpoles," 11-year-old Daniel Johnston said.

"There's nothing to do at home, so you come out here and experience the wild," 10-year-old Ethan Van Grunsven said.

"It looks way better now, looks almost like it did before, just missing a couple trees," Johnston said.

The playground was also damaged and needs to be completely replaced, which could take months, Feiber said.

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