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Holly River State Park still cleaning up

Superstorm Sandy is a distant and ugly memory to many, but for the state park system she continues to be every present in the minds of those trying to recover at Holly River State Park.

“It really looks like bombs went off, there are just literally thousands and thousands of trees down,” said State Parks Director Ken Caplinger. “Holly River was an old growth, mature forest and it’s been 100 years since it had been timbered.  We’re not talking about small trees.”

Removing the trees from the campground is one task that is likely more than the park staff can handle.   The biggest obstacle for the park is getting power restored.  There has been no electric service at the park since Sandy at the end of October.

“We own the power lines coming into the park off the main line and about a mile of that line was totally destroyed,” said Caplinger.  “We’re coming down to the last 25-percent of about a Million dollar replacement project.”

Caplinger said the Division of Purchasing was essential in expediting the process  to declare and emergency.  The status helped cut through much of the red tape often associate with a project of this scale.

The old lines and poles which snapped under the weight of falling limbs and trees were the original lines installed in the 1930’s when electricity first reached the park.   A more modern style of electricity will replace the infrastructure with the new lines buried under the ground to prevent a repeat of the disaster.

Contractors are working on the power restoration and another contract will soon be let to clean the trees from the campground.   Despite the value of the trees on the ground, Caplinger says there’s no part of state code which would allow for a salvage timber sale.  Instead, the park which provides locally cut firewood to campers and the cabin guests won’t have to look far.

“It’s not worth the cost, but the one benefit is you have an ample supply of cabin firewood for several years,”  said Caplinger.

The park is taking reservations for the summer, but it also advising guests they may not be ready in time to meet those obligations.  Caplinger says he’s optimistic power will be restored by March 1 and they’ll have the campgrounds cleared by Memorial Day of debris and logs.





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