DEMOREST — Demorest public works crews are continuing their work to improve drainage at the city's park downtown.
"We've got a lot of renovation going on at the park," said Mayor Rick Austin. "It's one of the lowest places in the city of Demorest. Obviously we have springs there."
Demorest Springs Park, so named because of the springs located underneath it, has been a marshy mess in certain areas because of ground moisture.
"Over the years, the terracotta pipes, as I understand it, that helped pipe water out of the existing springs have collapsed, which leads to a lot of soggy ground that never really drains very well," Austin said. "Bryan Popham and our city public works crew have completed a portion of re-piping and French draining the park so that it will drain much faster and remain dry.
Austin said crews are moving forward from the middle of the park toward the gazebo and eventually toward the springs.
The goal, Austin said, is to provide a dry area for people to enjoy.
"It's a very heavily utilized area and we want to make sure that it stays dry and drains efficiently," Austin said.
Austin said city crews are nearing completion of Phase 2 of the reconstruction project, and he anticipates the project will be done in plenty of time for the city's biggest annual event: the Demorest Glorious Fourth of July Celebration.
"Last year was the first time that we had the Fourth of July concert series in the park," Austin said. "We're again hosting the concert in the park. There are going to be an awful lot of people there and we want it to be dry, and if we do get some rain we want it to drain quickly and efficiently. This is going to help us do that."
