The public park in Alton that’s been closed since a mine collapse formed a massive sinkhole in late June will reopen this week.
The Gordon F. Moore Community Park will reopen to the public on Friday at 7 a.m., and the Spencer T. Olin Golf Course will reopen Saturday morning with the first tee time at 6:18 a.m., Mayor David Goins said at a press conference Wednesday.
“This is a significant step for our community, allowing us to begin returning to the activities and routines that make Alton such a vibrant place to live,” Goins said.
The soccer field where the mine caved in, leaving an initial hole estimated at 100 feet wide, will remain closed as an investigation continues.
An adjacent youth baseball and softball field, Field 1, will also remain closed for a couple of weeks.
The thickness of the mine ceiling has been determined to be adequate to support the ground surface and activity above it for a majority of the park, Goins said.
But there needs to be additional work to ensure the safety of the mine for the workers underground, said Justin Kleinschmidt, an engineer working with the city.
“We don't have any concerns on ball field No. 1 at this point, but we just didn't want to release it yet,” Kleinschmidt said.
A portion of the Bluff City Stone mine, owned by Maryland Heights-based New Frontier Materials, collapsed on the morning of June 26. Shortly after, the city shuttered the public park and the nearby golf course.
Since then, the city, company and federal officials from the Mine Safety and Health Administration have been inspecting the underground mine to determine risk to the greater area and what caused the collapse.
The investigative drilling has determined that the vast majority of the park will be safe to reopen.
The effort to determine the official cause of the collapse remains ongoing, according to the Metro East mayor and MSHA, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor.
"MSHA’s investigation is ongoing, and there is no estimated completion date,” the Labor Department said in a statement. “MSHA does not discuss the specifics of ongoing investigations.”
The preliminary theory from the federal agency is that an “ancient cave” in the mine filled with sediment and mud over time and eventually collapsed, Goins said at a press conference last month.
The city does not have an estimate on when repairs to the sinkhole will begin or when they will be completed. It also doesn’t have a cost estimate or a decision on who will pay for the repairs. That will come after the investigation is finished, Goins said.
“We haven't crossed that bridge yet,” he said.
Kleinschmidt, an engineer at Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab, said the repairs could start from the top and work their way down to the bottom to build up a solid surface. Ultimately, how that happens is a decision for New Frontier Materials, he said.
While the investigation continues, Field 1 and the soccer field will remain fenced off from the public with surveillance cameras and security.
The shuttered public park and golf course have left Alton-area residents frustrated and looking elsewhere for recreational facilities. A number of youth sports leagues played in nearby towns this summer.
The 27-hole golf course kept a skeleton crew over the last couple of weeks to maintain the course. The operator estimated the course spent $100,000 per month to maintain the facility during that time period, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
“It's been hurting them financially, and, in turn, also hurts the city,” said Michael Haynes, the city’s outgoing parks and recreation director. “So, it's huge to be able to reopen Spencer T. Olin Golf Course.”
While Haynes and city staff are excited to reopen the park in time for fall youth soccer leagues, he and Goins acknowledged that some of the public may be skeptical about returning to the park.
While New Frontier Materials declined to release a map of the underground facilities, the city posted a map of its lease agreement with the company. The leased parcels extend throughout the park, course and a section of land across the highway to the north.
“There are some apprehensions to coming back, but we're going to ease it back in,” Haynes said.
