By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Residents couldn’t help but watch as the waters rose in and around Bucyrus. People could be found throughout Bucyrus on a humid Tuesday afternoon watching as the water continued to rise at Harmon Field, Aumiller Park, and across the city.
The Sandusky River seemed to refuse to stay within its banks Tuesday afternoon. It covered the soccer fields at Harmon Park entirely and crossed Lane Street to reach across to the concession stand and the city’s Water Treatment Plant.
Bucyrus Mayor Roger Moore and Service/Safety Director Jeff Wagner stood at the bridge on Lane Street watching the river. Moore said they had a few reports of flooded basements as of early Tuesday afternoon but they would continue to monitor the river throughout the day. With additional thunderstorms expected through the evening and into Wednesday, Moore added that they would be keeping an eye on the Water Treatment Plant. If it comes to it, he said, they would sandbag the area.
The bottom half of Aumiller Park flooded as well, the water reaching up to the outfields at the Field of Dreams complex and completely flooding the lower shelters.
Corine Banks stood on the hill overlooking the path to the suspension bridge with her three children. ‘They wanted to see it,” Banks explained as her two boys pushed a piece of debris further into the flooded waters. ‘They wanted to see how high it came.”
Banks said she had never been to the park when it had flooded but admitted that it was an eye opening experience.
Further west into the county, Sunset Springs Recreation Park in Oceola was dealing with its own flooding. Roger and Tracey Miller run Sunset Springs and said the river had flooded overnight but went back down before flooding the area again late Tuesday morning. The Millers said they had already contacted certain camping residents and asked them to move their campers before the river rose much higher.
The Millers and a few friends were attempting to move the picnic tables and fire rings before the water rose much higher. They laughingly said they had gotten a tractor stuck as they attempted to move a fire ring nearer to the road.
The Crawford County Emergency Management Agency reported Tuesday afternoon that it did not have an exact time when the Sandusky River would crest but had estimates that it would happen when the river reached 10 ½ feet so long as no more rain came to the area.
A Bucyrus police dispatcher said Lane street and North Sandusky Avenue in the area of the former Freddie’s restaurant remained closed as of early Wednesday morning.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said some roads in the county were still closed Wednesday morning and urged motorists not to drive through water across roadways. The dispatcher on duty also said both the county and state highway departments had run out of high water warning signs.
A photo gallery of flooding in Bucyrus, Galion and various places across Crawford County can be found on our Photos page.