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Storm damages Kenosha County golf properties; EPA awards $700,000 for Pipe River restoration
Summary
A storm toppled about 150 trees across a county golf property and county parks staff said an insurance payout of $35,000 will help cleanup. Parks staff also reported a $700,000 EPA grant for continued Pipe River restoration and said shoreline-restoration cost estimates remain under review after a $34 billion figure appeared in an earlier report.
Kenosha County parks staff reported June 23 that a recent localized storm caused extensive tree damage at a county golf course and that most facilities reopened within days; staff said an insurance payment of $35,000 will be used toward cleanup.
Jim, the parks/golf operations presenter, said as of June 23 the course had logged 40,800 rounds, slightly behind last year’s pace, and that crews had reopened facilities by May 23 following the storm. The parks report counted about 148 trees down in the affected area. "The final number that I counted was a 148 trees," he said. Staff said contractors and county crews are tracking labor and equipment hours for cleanup and that larger debris removal will be contracted out.
Separately, parks staff announced they had received a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to finish the Pipe River and Bass Stream restoration project. The grant was described as coming through work tied to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; staff said work on a section of Pipe River (phase 3) is underway and that the first of three parts of this phase is about half done with water currently being diverted at the site.
Parks staff also said earlier engineering cost estimates for shoreline repair—prepared in 2021 by an outside consultant—returned an updated figure in county materials described during the meeting as $34,000,000,000. Staff called that number implausible and said they have engaged a second firm, Red Barn Engineering, to produce alternative cost estimates and design options for shoreline restoration.
Committee members and staff emphasized that the Pipe River work is showing visible ecological improvements at sites downstream. One supervisor said recent upstream work had made an observable difference at Hawthorne Hollow, where water clarity and visible streambed features had improved.
Staff also updated the committee on park programming and events, including an Afterparty in the Park partnership with Visit Kenosha and Hughes Harley-Davidson scheduled for July 10, running 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The parks director encouraged public participation in summer events.
Staff noted the insurance payout should cover estimated lost revenue and cleanup costs related to the golf-course storm, and that county crews from other divisions assisted in reopening facilities quickly.
