Flooding Not Limited to Neosho

From KMIZ:

Flood damages to Columbia parks could cost the city upwards of tens of thousands of dollars.

The city's Parks and Recreation Department had multiple crews working on repairs to trails and bridges Monday, and that will continue for the next several weeks. They are working on fallen trees, debris, and heavy mud.

Parks Services Manager Mike Griggs tells ABC 17 News the repairs have a high price tag, and one that may swallow most of the Department's budget. It may also require officials to dip into a back-up account if a similar storm hits the city again.

The Department estimates the cost of repairs to hit around $20,000—a number that would make a major dent in the department's budget.

"Our whole budget for trail maintenance is $25,000, so a hit like this really does hit the fact that we need to look at some alternate means, especially in some of these washed out areas," said Griggs.

A second major rain storm before the end of the fiscal year could mean dipping into some alternative funding. Griggs tells ABC 17 News it's concerning that they could use a large portion of the budget on one storm, when a few months still remain before the end of the fiscal year. That may require the Department to dip into revenues from the parks sales tax.     

"We do have that back-up funding source, if we ever get right down to the point," said Griggs.

Flooding also caused damages to Columbia and Boone County Roads. Crews with both departments worked on the repairs Monday. They do expect to have enough money in their budgets for the clean-up.