A roadblock greets potential visitors to Hickories Park. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic are prohibited while repairs are ongoing. (Photos by Rick Stilson)

Hickories Park in Owego is slated for a tentative reopening on June 1, according to town officials. Until then, the park remains closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The Hickories was devastated during the flood, according to Park Maintenance Supervisor Scott Vasisko, with all utilities damaged and still unworkable including electric, sewer and water. “There’s a lot of work to be done yet,” Vasisko said.

In the aftermath of the flood, restoring livable conditions for the community understandably took precedence over work on the Hickories, Vasisko said, but work can now be shifted to the park. Saying there were big issues at Hickories park still, Vasisko reported that a lot of the clean-up work and repairs had been done, but the utilities remain, along with the biggest and most obvious repair: the bridge giving access to the park. The bridge was washed away with a portion of the road during the flood, and is the first priority in order of repairs according to Vasisko.

Flood waters eroded into the roadbed and washed away a section of the Hickories access road; a necessary repair before electric, sewer and water service can be restored.

Even still, reservations are still being accepted for the park according to Linda Bailey who is the secretary of the Planning and Zoning Boards for the Town of Owego. Although reservations are being taken, Bailey said that they are not collecting money, as the opening date is still tentative. It has not been decided yet if Hickories Park could or would be reopened for fishing, boat access, and walking around the tree-lined lanes without the utilities being restored to operating condition first.