Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation (NRPR) plans to reopen Roy P. Drachman-Agua Caliente Regional Park, 12325 E. Roger Road, on Nov. 28. The park has been closed since Sept. 28 following a lightning strike that set hundreds of palm trees on fire.
“We are pleased that crews have been able to work so efficiently and quickly,” said Vic Pereira, NRPR Director. “To be able to open during the holiday season is beyond expectations.”
Since the fire, NRPR has assessed the damage and completed cleanup efforts. A contracted arborist evaluated nearly 225 palm trees, 40 mesquite trees and other shrubs. Roughly 40 palm trees had to be removed due to safety concerns or because they were too charred to recover. Rather than discard the remains, NRPR plans to repurpose the palms for an erosion project at Bar V Ranch.
The fire damaged other infrastructure at the park including, two interpretive signs, four picnic tables, two trash cans, a bike rack and several internal/external irrigation systems. NRPR plans to repair and replace damaged infrastructure in phases over the next calendar year. The spring, stream and former grass area along the entrance road will remain fenced to public access while crews continue work on restoring fire damage. The remainder of the park will be open to the public to enjoy.
“It could have been a lot worse, and we are grateful that it wasn’t,” Pereira said. “Agua Caliente is a jewel in our park system, and we are ready to see it filled with visitors once again.”
NRPR in collaboration with Risk Management will provide a complete monetary estimate upon project completion. The reason that the total cost isn’t known right now is because restoration work will be ongoing and likely won’t be completed until sometime in 2023. Those who would like to make a monetary donation to help the restoration project, can do so via the Friends of Agua Caliente.
To stay updated about the Agua Caliente and other NRPR-related topics, please check NRPR social media accounts.
Original source can be found here.
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