New Haven’s Lighthouse Point Park has reopened to the public, just a month after a storm caused major damage.
The mid-August storm brought 100+ MPH winds to the park. It took down dozens of trees and pushed the historic carousel building off its foundation.
“It almost looked like a bomb went off in the building,” Mayor Justin Elicker (D) said. “It created glass and debris that spread out around the playground, along the beach, and in the grass areas surrounding the building. 95 trees were uprooted, downed so severely or so severely damaged that they had to be removed.”
Cleanup costs are still being calculated, but they haven’t met the threshold for federal reimbursement. So far, the city and state have paid for it, along with donations.
The carousel building is stabilized, but still closed for ongoing repairs. Many parts of the actual carousel, including the horses, have been removed during the process.
“Amazingly, the carousel itself is largely spared from the damage,” Elicker said.
The park was already due for upgrades before the storm. City officials said they would begin working with the public in the coming weeks to rethink the space and what should come next.
