KENOSHA — Just behind the historic Kemper Center in Kenosha, crews are lifting up debris and working on clearing the multi-use trail damaged by the storm that hit on Jan. 11.
"Where I'm standing right now, was part of our multi-use trail and unfortunately, some areas did get severely damaged, and other areas are missing," said Matthew Collins, director of Parks Kenosha County.
The damage was so severe, it forced the county to close the popular trail.
Powerful waves from Lake Michigan pushed large rocks onto the trail, ripped apart asphalt on the trail and uprooted trees along the trail.
Collins says the county is now working on a long term plan to repair more than 1,500 feet of shoreline.
Collins says the shoreline did have stones protecting it, but now, even larger boulders are needed. The county plans to bring rocks weighing at least four tons to better secure the shoreline.
"What we need to do is armor with large granite stone in order to keep those stones suppressed as much as possible," said Collins.
The repairs are expected to take a long time, which is why Collins is warning people to stay away from the trail, because of unstable ground.
"Even if it looks like its safe on the top, all the waves have pushed all the material from below the multi-use trail and washed it away," said Collins. "Mother Nature always wins, and it shows the devastation when you have a combination of that extreme winds and high lake levels,"
The county has declared a State of Emergency to receive state and federal aid.
Collins said the debris outside of the Anderson Art Center should be cleared before their grand-reopening next month.
