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ALTON - Representatives from the City of Alton and New Frontiers Materials spoke about the Gordon Moore Park sinkhole.
During a press conference on July 16, 2024, Mayor David Goins, New Frontier Materials CEO Mike Clarke, and others shared information about the mine collapse that led to the sinkhole at Gordon Moore Park on June 26, 2024.
While they have no definitive timeline of when the park will reopen, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Haynes assured those present that “it’s when,” not if, the park will reopen.
“It’s going to reopen, but we don’t know when,” Haynes said, adding that he has been working with different organizations and teams to make sure they have alternative locations for their activities through November.
According to Goins, New Frontier Materials detected the first signs of mine subsidence at 4:30 a.m. on June 26, 2024. They initiated safety policies and cleared the park. At 9:18 a.m., the mine collapsed and created “a massive sinkhole,” Goins said.
The mine subsidence was caused by a “buildup of mud and other sediment in an ancient cave in the mine,” Goins explained. New Frontier Materials conducts quarterly inspections of the mines and their last inspection in Alton took place on May 4, 2024, where they found four “non-serious” safety violations.
“A final report will be issued at a later time, as this is still a fluid investigation,” Goins added. “New Frontier Materials has been conducting drill testing procedures to determine what other areas adjacent to the sinkhole could be subject or prone to collapse.”
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has also been involved in the investigation. Clarke noted that the investigation is ongoing and they do not yet have a timeline for when it will be complete and the park will reopen.
“We’re working with the City of Alton and also some outside geological consultants in our search for answers regarding the subsidence event that occurred here on June 26,” Clarke said. “In short, our investigation is ongoing and there are no clear answers in this cause yet. I know a lot of you are anxious to hear when the investigation will be completed, and the truth is we simply do not know at this time. I ask for your patience as we continue our work and proceed as quickly and safely as possible so that the city can reopen the park.”
The park is currently staffed 24/7 to make sure no one enters. Clarke said the mine has not resumed operations, but “there won’t be layoffs” in the meantime.
Justin Kleinschmidt, an engineer with Sheppard, Morgan and Schwaab, noted that the sinkhole’s diameter has grown as a result of rain and natural sloughing of the dirt.
“I estimate it’s probably grown twice the size of what it originally was,” Kleinschmidt said. “It’s not getting any bigger underground, is what we’ve been told. But the sloughing of the sides, we expected that to happen. It’s going to continue to do that until it gets to a natural point where everything is stable on those edges.”
Clarke added that the sinkhole could be filled in immediately, but they are waiting to complete their investigation and learn more about why the mine collapsed to ensure its safety going forward. He said there are no concerns about any other collapses in the area because everywhere they’ve drilled so far has had 10–12 times the amount of limestone they need.
“That’s what the mystery is,” he explained. “We’ve got to get closer to that sinkhole to see what caused it and why.”
Goins concluded the press conference by noting that he is eager to reopen the park as soon as possible, but safety is the top priority.
“The desire for me would have been to open the park yesterday, the day before, the week before, and everything else, but our goal, once again, is the safety of our residents and our citizens and our visitors to come to the park again,” he said. “So we will be diligent in making sure that the experts get all the detailed information and do all their investigative work underneath the mine before we will open the park with guests...We know that safety is the utmost importance and that’s one thing that the city, New Frontier Materials and MSHA, we’re all on the same page.”
Mayor David Goins and Parks and Recreation Director Michael Haynes will be on "Our Daily Show! with CJ Nasello" on Thursday, July 18, 2024, to react to the press conference and share more information.
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