North Augusta park sees new makeover after Hurricane Helene
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A digital creator is educating people on how to repurpose Hurricane Helene debris to help rebuild a park in North Augusta.
We spoke with the American Forester² on how he is helping to repurpose the Living History Park.
The Living History Park will never quite be the same after the hurricane, but park organizers and the American Forester² are repurposing debris to rebuild the park while keeping the park’s history intact.
Sterling Mantlow is cutting through what Helene left behind, turning more than 60 trees into building materials.
“We are repurposing 110-year-old growth pine over here and taking that and turning it into sawmill timber so that we can use it to rebuild a lot of the structures that have had trees fall down on it and break the roofs,” said Mantlow.
He says it’s all about turning a negative into a positive, ditching the landfill and making use of what nature is leaving behind.
“This right here would fetch around $125. And guess what? It was going to get thrown away by FEMA,” he said.
Leaders with the Living History Park say the storm destroyed multiple buildings and trees that stood hundreds of years ago, which made them close their doors.
They say the park will never be the same, but knowing some of the park’s roots will stay intact gives them hope.
“To know that we’ll be able to use some of this wood, which, sadly, we’ve lost the trees, but the wood can stay here in the park in another form and continue in on generations,” said Mike Adams, member of the board of directors at the Living History Park.
Mantlow says it’s more than just a job.
He wants people to pay attention and know they can turn their warzone of debris into something sustainable.
“I want people to be able to know that they can take a hammer and a nail and build a house, and you could also burn it for warmth, and you could sell it and make money off of it,” said Mantlow.
It’s a task that can branch off in many possibilities as communities continue working to leave Helene behind them.
Park organizers say it will still take months before the park is back in shape to reopen to the public.
But they are excited knowing that the park will keep its natural legacy with new buildings done with what’s already here.
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