ALTON, Ill. (First Alert 4)—A mine collapsed in Alton on Wednesday, damaging a soccer field.
The New Frontier Materials told First Alert 4 that an underground mine had a surface subsidence that opened a sinkhole at Gordon Moore City Park. The impacted area was secured and will be off-limits while inspectors and experts examine the mine and conduct repairs.
The Alton Parks and Recreation Department Director Michael Haynes said that they estimate the hole is at least 100 feet wide and 30-50 feet deep. The collapse swallowed up one of the stadium lights.
“The mines have been here and in this area for decades and decades,” Haynes said. “It’s never been brought up before so I’m told it’s an anomaly. We’ll wait until the investigation is complete.”
“It was surreal,” Haynes said. “Kind of like a movie where the ground just falls out from underneath you.”
These turf fields were added to the park in 2019 and Haynes said the project was over $1 million.
Although it’s early in the process, Haynes doesn’t expect the city to have to foot the bill for any fixes.
“Hopefully, we can find a remedy and get plans together to move forward before we get into our busy season out here again,” Haynes said.
The incident was reported to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
“We will work with the city to remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible to ensure minimal impact on the community,” read part of a statement from the company.
Alton resident Richard Baird described seeing the giant sinkhole in the middle of the turf field as startling.
“A very sad occasion for the community because of the newness of this facility and number one and number two all the youth that participate here,” Baird said. “It puts all that on hold.”
Baird said this is a huge loss for Alton.
“Thousands upon thousands of people are impacted by this,” Baird said. “Parents and their children who participate as athletes.”
It was a working mine at the time of the collapse and no injuries were reported.
This is something First Alert 4 has seen across the Metro East for years, where mine collapses closed the Ruler Foods in Belleville, temporarily shut down a Wolf Branch school in Swansea and a skating rink in Fairview.
“Probably a large portion of this park has got mines underneath it so it’s not surprising to me,” Baird said.
The park is closed for the time being.
For the full list of mines across the Metro East, click on this link.
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