ALTON, Ill. — An Alton park will reopen to the public after an investigation found that the remaining mines under the park are in good condition more than a month after a sinkhole swallowed a soccer field.
Mayor David Goins said most of Gordon F. Moore Park was cleared to reopen to the public after exploratory drilling found the mine ceilings under the park, park road and Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course were safe to resume normal activity at the park. He said the city is planning to reopen the park Friday at 7 a.m.
Goins said the U.S. Mine Health Safety Administration adjusted the closure order, allowing people to return to the park.
Justin Kleinschmidt of Alton engineering firm Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab said workers have been drilling exploratory holes in the ceiling of the mine to ensure the thickness and stability of the mine. He said that is a common practice to determine safety. Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab has worked with the City of Alton to review engineering projects for years.
The park has been closed since June 26, when mine subsidence from an underground mine owned by New Frontier Materials caused the 100-feet wide, 30-feet deep sinkhole to open under the park's soccer fields. Surveillance footage caught the moment it swallowed bleachers and a light pole.
Goins said some parts of the park will remain closed, including ball field No. 1 and the soccer fields that were swallowed by the sinkhole. The portions of the park that are not open to the public will be blocked off with six-foot fences. He said the city will have security monitoring the area to try to keep people away from the sinkhole and other restricted areas.
Goins said they waited to reopen the park because they wanted to make sure it was safe to the public.
"Could we have opened up the park right after this happened? Sure we could," Goins said. "But we felt that we should use an abundance of caution just to make sure, because that was a serious thing that happened and we know that people are going to be kind of leery and so we continue to encourage them to come back to the park to enjoy the facilities and all the amenities that will be open again."
Goins said the earth under the park is leased to New Frontier Materials, which Goins said has been the arrangement for "as long has I can remember." He said the company does not drill in residential areas and does not approach Route 140 with its drilling.
Goins said they are working to ensure other activities in the park can go off as scheduled moving forward.
New Frontier Materials is still conducting underground investigations working its way toward the sinkhole. Once they identify where ceiling durability is insufficient, the company will develop and carry out a repair plan.
