City Lake to re-open Aug. 20

City Lake will re-open on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
According to the agenda for Tuesday night's City Council meeting, Mayor Rusty Moody, Jr. will officially announced the opening.
A gathering of representatives of the various entities involved in the lake restoration project will mark the ribbon-cutting on the $1 million project.
It’s been about six months since the Wildlife & Fisheries Foundation handed the keys to the improved facility over to the city and going on three years since the project funded by leftover funds from the infamous derailment settlement were assigned to the reclamation.
In those six months, signage has been erected, security and surveillance equipment installed and, presumably, fish have gotten larger.
In May 2000, a Union Pacific Railroad train derailed near City Lake, releasing hazardous chemicals and materials into the surrounding area in the resultant explosion of two of the rail cars.
Union Pacific later settled for $65 million in a class action lawsuit.
After all claimants had been paid following the incident, residual funds from the settlement with Union Pacific were left in the account. Federal Judge Richard T. Haik, the presiding judge overseeing the train derailment litigation, awarded the monies to the LWFF to fund improvement projects on the lake.
“After a catastrophe like this, there is a silver lining in this grey cloud. This is the silver lining. It is an opportunity for the judicial system to give back to the community,” Haik said.
“I think the people of Eunice deserve something like this after going through such a catastrophe,” Haik added.