One month after work resumed to fill the hole where contaminated dirt was removed at the future Morgan Junction Park expansion site, we have a progress report. The report and photo are from Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker, who’s been monitoring the project closely:

Earlier today, I talked to Holt Services backhoe operator Erik about the status of Phase I at Morgan Junction Park expansion site. While he was waiting for topsoil to arrive, he said that Holt was almost done with filing the pit, with just a few more topsoil loads to be added. Parks plans to hydroseed the site next week. Holt will install straw coil erosion control at the base of the southern and western slopes and will re-anchor the construction fencing for the long term. Erik mentioned that the 12 inches of added topsoil will settle after the rains come so that the eventual sod will be ‘even’ with the adjacent asphalt. The photo shows the southern 2 to 1 slope ending at the unimproved alley along with the topsoil layer.

Once the grass is established and the site is opened to the public – expected in “late fall,” the city says – the next phase is actual development of park features. What those features will be is not yet finalized – you’ll recall the question of what happened to funding that Parks once said would cover inclusion of an “all-wheels” feature at the park/expansion site and now says requires community fundraising. The all-wheels advocates of MJAWA, who already have rustled up a lot of volunteer time and grant money for the project, expect to talk again with the city in the week ahead. And you can count on an overall project update in some form at the next MoCA meeting October 15.