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San Jose's Discovery Meadow Needing Serious Repairs After National Championship, Storms

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) -- A popular South Bay park is still trashed and fenced off for repairs two weeks after being damaged during activities that were part of the College Football National Championship festivities and subsequent storms.

Currently, Discovery Meadow is looking more like "Discovery Mudhole."

What was once six acres of green grass in the heart of downtown San Jose now has deep tire grooves, massive puddles and lots of mud.

Even the grounds crew was in awe of the extent of the damage.

"I have seen it, yes. It is quite muddy," said Carolina Camerena with San Jose Parks and Recreation. "We've had a lot of rain. Unusual for us, but we've had a lot of rain, and so that definitely contributed to the damage in the park."

Two weeks ago, the College Football National Championship was in town. As part of the festivities, they put on several free concerts in Discovery Meadow.

But then storms dumped heavy rains on San Jose and the entire Bay Area, forcing the cancellation of the last big concert.

When crews came in to break down the giant stage with trucks and other heavy equipment, the city knew the field was going to suffer.

"Once it started raining, we definitely had an inclination that there would be some damage to the park," said Camarena.

The storms that followed last week dropped even more rain, delaying the repairs.

Now crews need the field to dry out before any rain can begin.

The 49ers released a statement saying, "The park will be repaired as soon as conditions allow and will be returned in the same or better condition. The 49ers are paying for the work, none of which will be paid by taxpayers."

The 49ers were quick to point out that they installed new turf at Plaza de Cesar Chavez for free. The team will apparently be using their own turf team once again for the repairs at Discovery Meadow.

"We're very confident in their ability to repair the park. And, in some cases, they might even leave it in a better condition," said Camarena.

The city says the field repairs should be done in a few months, in plenty of time for the busy spring season. No scheduled events will be affected.

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