(Greenfield) – Work has officially begun to repair mudslide damage at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield. A groundbreaking ceremony this (Thursday) morning helped kick off the project that aims to ensure the future longevity of the Franklin County Fairgrounds.
Franklin County Agricultural Society President Michael Nelson was joined by members of the Fairground’s executive board as well as the owner of the project contractor, Western Earthworks.
Nelson says work on the site will last about 4 weeks and will involve stabilizing the embankment, repairing damaged gullies and installing a stormwater collection system that will drain to the bottom of the gullies. Damaged wetlands will be replaced and forest vegetation will be replanted.
Earlier this week, Western Earthworks began preliminary cleanup of fallen debris and re-sloped some uneven ground to allow other equipment to be brought in.
Nelson says they are still about 67-thousand dollars short of their 270-thousand-dollar goal for this project and continues his appeal to the public for donations. So far, about 90-thousand dollars has been raised from private donations from the community. Two local banks were part of that public donation total with Greenfield Co-operative Bank donating 5-thousand dollars and Greenfield Savings Bank donating 25-thousand dollars.
Additionally, about 100-thousand dollars has been committed from the National Resource Conservation Service, which is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.