Earlier this month, Cole County Public Works Director Eric Landwehr told county commissioners a pipe had collapsed at Thoenen Park on South Brooks Drive, and they had put up some temporary fencing around the affected area.
He said they would have to close the park when repairs began and until they were completed.
At Tuesday's commission meeting, Landwehr said the pipe was repaired, but they found more issues they hadn't anticipated.
"We found out the pipe (which was plastic) had been burned, and we think it may have happened when we had some fires out there," Landwehr said. "Because it burned, it lost its strength and collapsed."
Landwehr said the pipe had been added on to a stormwater pipe draining from South Brooks Drive. He said the whole pipe may need to be replaced in the future. Jefferson City has a sewer holding tank located in this area that is in need of replacement, and Landwehr said they may try to coordinate with them, at that time, to do the full replacement of the pipe.
Along with the material to fix the pipe, Landwehr said, they also had to replace concrete sidewalk that was damaged in doing this work.
"We'd like to get some lighting in the park in the near future, if we can, and possibly security cameras," Landwehr said.
Landwehr and Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler said there have been several instances of vandalism at the park. Landwehr added the fires have been set on the rubber mulch they have put down in the park.
"Lighting that would illuminate the park area, not the whole subdivision, would be what we would want," Landwehr said.