By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

    Regular visitors to South Portland’s Bug Light Park
no doubt have noticed the park has yet to recover from damage sustained
during the Patriots’ Day Nor’easter more than two months ago. With the
April storm now a distant and unpleasant memory for most, visitors may
also be wondering when the park will be restored to its normally scenic
state.         On Tuesday, municipal
officials expected the city’s contracted engineering firm, Jacobs
Edwards and Kelcey to have a damage assessment report ready to submit
to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the next
month.

    According to Acting City Manager Jim Gailey, the
park “took a beating” in the April storm. He said a pathway was washed
away and there were several inches of gravel covering the entire
parking lot. Immediately after the storm, the city took the “band-aid
approach” and went in and cleaned up the debris.

    Gailey said the storm pushed back several citywide
projects that had been scheduled for April, May and early June.

    “For three weeks after the storm, all public works
did was pick up brush and pick up trash,” he said. With a small public
works staff, he said the city might look at hiring a private contractor
to reconstruct the park.

    At this point, South Portland Director of Parks,
Recreation and Public Works Dana Anderson said the park is “absolutely”
safe for the visiting public.

    Anderson said severe erosion eliminated all of the
paths adjacent to the parking lot, but following the storm, crews went
in to ensure the public could park safely and “at least walk somewhat
safely to Bug Light itself.”

    He said the engineers conducted a brief site walk
with FEMA officials. At this point, the department does not know what
the cost to repair and reconstruct the park will be, but Anderson said
it would likely be more than $100,000.

    “It is going to be quite significant in our opinion,” he said.

    One area that the engineers will be looking at as
they prepare their report is whether or not the park’s current riprap,
or the large stones that protect the shore along the perimeter of the
8.78-acre park, provides enough protection against future storms.
    The report might determine a need to push the riprap
back or replace it in some areas, Anderson said.

    Gailey said the city has developed a “good working
relationship” with FEMA and it is a good possibility that FEMA will
reimburse the city for damages up to 75 percent and the city will be
responsible for the remaining 25 percent.