RICHMOND, Va. -- The City of Richmond is scrambling to find the money to fix Monroe Park's irrigation system.
The sprinkler system was inadvertently damaged when city crews were working on $50,000 project to repair the park's sidewalk.
"It's always disappointing when something like this happens," City Councilman Charles Samuels said.
"Lord willing a lesson is learned and you don't make the same mistake again," Samuels added.
It appears as though crews did not know there were water pipes beneath the sidewalk when they began digging.
For supporters of Monroe Park the concern is the grass and vegetation will die out before the park is used as a major venue during the UCI The World Road Cycling Championships in September.
"We can't let the park grass die we can't make this look like a desert when the UCI races come," Todd Woodson, a park advocate said.
Woodson wishes the city followed the masterplan design for the park which calls for bricks instead of cement -- perhaps this accident would have been prevented.
"We need to respect this park more," Woodson said.
According to Richmond’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Operations, Chris Beschler the early estimate for a cost to repair the damage is around $6,000.
Beschler said it appears as though when the irrigation system was installed by VCU, over a decade ago, the system was not recorded on official city maps.
