Waynesborough Park devastated by flooding
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on November 5, 2016 10:17 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Jim Scott, chairman of the Waynesborough park board of directors, right,measures the water line found in the old general store of Waynesborough Historical Village Wednesday morning as Neil Bartlett, executive director observes.
Full Size
News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Jim Scott, chairman of the Waynesborough park board of directors, left, and Neil Bartlett, executive director sit in the welcome center of the Waynesborough Historical Village Wednesday morning.
Full Size
News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Full Size
News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Nearly a week of standing water following Hurricane Matthew led to widespread flood damage at Waynesborough Park, its historical village and trailways that remain closed until repairs can be made.
Hurricane damage and record flooding from the Neuse River, which runs about a quarter mile from the park, left the property with scattered debris, several feet of standing water, toppled trees and picnic tables that floated more than 600 feet from the pavilion.
Two large trees, including a 60-foot-tall oak tree that barely missed the village doctor's office, are still on the property and will need to be removed.
The park, along with many other homes and businesses along U.S. 117 South, was closed off for days following the hurricane due to widespread flooding.
"It really is devastating, not only to Waynesborough, but the whole area," said Neil Bartlett, executive director of Waynesborough Park. "Obviously, when you see people losing everything they've got, it puts everything in perspective.
"It's pretty much devastated the whole area, and its a shame with what's happened to Waynesborough has happened."
The 11 buildings within the Waynesborough Historical Village were damaged by several feet of water that remained inside the properties for at least four days, Bartlett said. The buildings can be saved, but many of the historical items, including furniture and furnishings, are likely lost, Bartlett said. Efforts are being made to salvage an old organ, which dates back to the early 1900s, and a doctor's medical bag. Other items, including the general store's cash register and a sewing machine, were submerged under water.
"Many of the furnishings in the older buildings were damaged or destroyed," Bartlett said. "We're doing the best we can to try and save those, the ones that are salvageable. The ones that are not, we're going to have to, obviously, discard.
"You can't put a financial value on that."
Waynesborough Park is located on the site of the former town of Waynesborough where original settlers lived, from 1787 to 1847, before the county seat moved to Goldsboro. The village buildings, dating from the antebellum period to the early 1900s, were moved from other Wayne County properties into the park in an effort to preserve some of the county's history.
Efforts are underway to repair damage to the main office and visitor's center, at 801 U.S. 117 South, which will take six to eight weeks, said Jim Scott, chairman of the Waynesborough Historical Village board of directors.
The office is open and operating from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The park's 4.5 miles of hiking and nature trails are closed but will reopen within a week to 10 days, after downed trees and other debris are removed. The historical village is closed and repairs could take anywhere from six months to a year, Scott said. Estimates of the damage have not been determined, except for the main office, which could cost the nonprofit $35,000 to $40,000, Scott said.
"We are resilient," Scott said. "We've been through it before, and we hope to be open back up to the general public soon."
Bartlett didn't think the Oct. 8 hurricane would lead to extensive flooding, but water levels on the property reached one foot higher than flooding from Hurricane Floyd, in 1999.
The main office, which is 3 feet above ground level, sustained one inch of flooding, while the village buildings, also elevated 2 to 3 feet off the ground, had standing water reaching 2 feet or higher, Scott said.
"After the storm, Monday morning, when we were in picking everything up as high was we could get in this building, I still was dubious that we were going to get water in the building," Bartlett said.
"When we came back in on Friday morning, and the carpet was soaking wet, it was like someone hit you in the back with a sledge hammer. You realize then how bad everything was and the scale of what your losses and your damage are going to be."
As soon as the flood waters receded, efforts started to mitigate any mold or mildew in the buildings. The main focus is to repair the main office, which has already included the removal of soaked carpeting, wet insulation and damaged sheetrock. The office has also been cleaned with disinfectant four times.
"The buildings themselves, we can salvage those," Smith said. "The buildings have been opened up on a daily basis, with the doors and windows open so that it can get fresh air and dry out. Then, (we'll) go in with a disinfectant to disinfect any mold or mildew that might be there.
"The primary focus right now is to get the office building back up and running because we have people in here, and we certainly don't want any health problems due to mold or mildew."
The park and village, operated by the Old Waynesborough Commission, is accepting donations and volunteers to help with debris removal and cleaning.
"Like any other nonprofit, we are struggling with that issue for the cost of renovations," Scott said.
The organization is partially funded each year by Wayne County and the city of Goldsboro. Other support is provided through sponsorships and donations. Bartlett said the nonprofit will not receive any Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to help with the cleanup and repairs.
"Certainly, we are welcoming any assistance, any donations that any group or individual would like to make to us or give us to help with the recovery," Bartlett said.
Waynesborough Park can be reached at 731-1653.