UPDATE: The Healdsburg Community Services Department announced yesterday afternoon, Sunday, April 14, that Fitch Mountain Park and Open Space Preserve is now open.
The Fitch Mountain Park and Open Space Preserve is on the mend and with interim repairs working to clear debris and create a safe interim path, Healdsburg park officials say the park may reopen mid-April, weather permitting.
The Fitch Mountain Trail and park sustained the most damage out of all Healdsburg parks during the flood of 2019 in late February when a major slide occurred on the north side of the trail, creating a mucky mess of trees and mud.
Interim work included bringing in an environmental geologist and contractors to assess damage and to work on temporary solutions.
“We brought in a contractor who is opening up the trails so we can get emergency access to the top. They removed material out of the way from the slide,” said Mark Themig, community services director for the city of Healdsburg.
They also had to remove debris from fallen trees where the slide occurred about half a mile up the mountain.
Themig said of the removal, “It is important for emergency access.”
According to the March 29 city manager’s report, contractors created temporary access by “dispersing material along the fire road and creating a passable trail/road.”
Themig added that even though they are done with most of the work, they are not yet going to open the preserve as they are waiting for the area to stabilize.
“We want it to dry out as soon as it stops raining,” Themig said.
Next steps for the repair work involve conducting more assessments to see what sort of long-term work is needed to return the area to its original state.
So was damage to the park more extensive than originally thought?
“I don’t think so actually,” Themig said. “We knew how much damage there was but we didn’t know what the resolution would be. We don’t know what the long-term fixes will be for the major slide. Everything is so wet and water keeps coming down the mountain … so we’re waiting for the rain to stop.”
So far, project costs for the excavating alone have amounted to $7,923 according to Healdsburg Parks Superintendent Jaime Licea.
Services from Pacific Watershed & Associates — which provide geological and watershed management solutions and erosion control — amount to $5,000. Physical location of the fire road in relation to the easement came to $1,757.50, according to Licea.
In terms of covering repair costs, the city will make the initial repair payments and California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) will reimburse the city for around 75% of the repair tasks, according to Themig.
“I haven’t been here as long as other folks, but in the last five years there hasn’t been this much damage,” Themig said. “Anecdotally, a lot of folks who live on the mountain said they haven’t seen this much water.”
For updates on Fitch Mountain park work and reopening dates, those interested are encouraged to check back on the Healdsburg Community Services Facebook page.
