Recurring flood damage brings repair bills at Cypress Grove Nature Park

JACKSON, Tenn. — Parts of the boardwalk at Cypress Grove Nature Park are in need of serious upkeep.

“Well, we’ve closed off a portion of it,” Mayor Jerry Gist said. “We still have about a half-mile of elevated boardwalk for people to enjoy.”

The elevated portion of the boardwalk has been patched here and there. The portion that is at ground level is what’s needing attention.

As soon as you enter the park, the first turn on the board walk is actually starting to tilt and, if you keep going down the path, it only gets worse.

A section of the walk is missing five to six boards, making it difficult to cross. But Mayor Gist says this isn’t the first time they’ve had problems.

“We’ve had problems over the years with this particular part of it. Because it’s at ground level, there’s no water that can flow under it, so each of our floods just about wreck it,” Mayor Gist said.

Gist says they have money in the budget for next fiscal year to repair the walk, but they need to determine if it’s worth it to keep repairing the same section.

“We’ve got to make a decision if we want to continue to keep that part of Cypress Grove open or simply remove it because of the continuous damage caused by flooding,” Mayor Gist said.

The Recreation and Parks Department says the repairs will cost $28,000.