ALTON, Ill. – Parts of Alton’s Gordon Moore Park, which closed for almost two months after a huge sinkhole formed, will reopen Friday morning.
The soccer fields at Gordon Moore Park, which is located off College Avenue in Alton, will remain closed, as will one of the baseball fields, but the rest of the park will reopen at 7 a.m. on Friday morning. The neighboring Spencer T. Olin Golf Course will reopen Saturday.
The massive sinkhole initially formed in the park on June 26th. Video footage captured the moment the sinkhole swallowed part of the soccer fields, along with a massive light fixture.
It’s estimated that the sinkhole grew to some 200 feet wide and 50 feet deep. The entire park and adjoining golf course have been closed ever since the incident happened, leading to a massive impact on many summer activities.
Authorities say the sinkhole occurred after an underground mine, owned by New Frontier Materials, collapsed. Investigators say a buildup of mud and sediment in an old cave above New Frontier’s mine gave way, leading to the mine’s collapse and sinkhole.
On Wednesday, Alton Mayor David Goins announced that the park had been deemed safe by the mine’s safety and health administration. Goins says New Frontier is still working on a long term solution for the area but getting safety approval to reopen the park is a victory.
“I will be there to unlock the gates and open the gates,” Mayor Goins said. “I know it’s a school day, but hopefully I’ll have some family members there, some grandkids there and we’re going to play in the park before school just to show that our park is a safe park.”
Mayor Goins says that at this point, it’s unclear when the park here will fully reopen. There is also no timetable for when the sinkhole will be repaired or how everything here will be paid for.
Fortunately, nobody was on the fields when the sinkhole happened, as no injuries have been reported.
