PARK OPEN AGAIN
Wharton Brook State Park reopens, eight months after storm.
Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford has been reopened to the public eight months after severe storm damage forced its closure, state officials said Monday.
Hundreds of trees were toppled or extensively damaged by the intense storm that ripped through Connecticut on May 15. State crews and contractors have been working ever since clearing away hundreds of fallen or damaged trees and regrading portions of the park.
Nearby Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, which suffered even more extensive damage than Wharton Brook, is now scheduled to be reopened to the public this spring. State officials said they are working closely with the Sleeping Giant Park Association to clear up the popular park’s hiking trails.
About $800,000 has been spent so far by the state to clean up damage at Wharton Brook and Sleeping Giant State Parks, according to state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesman Chris Collibee. Tree removal at thetwo parks cost about $250,000 per park, Col- libee said.
Collibee said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to reimburse the state for 75 percent of the cleanup costs.
Three other state parks that were closed as a result of the fierce May storm — Squantz Pond in New Fairfield, Kettletown in Southbury and Chatfield Hollow in Killingworth — were all reopened months ago.