San Jose's Discovery Meadow closed for repairs following college football playoffs

A popular park in downtown San Jose is now closed for repairs, after it was heavily damaged from festivities surrounding the College Football Playoff. Discovery Meadow is fenced off for safety concerns. In some parts the mud is a foot deep. 

Park-goers are surprised by the conditions. The park is now torn up and muddy after the College Football Playoff Concert Series two weeks ago.

“It’s terrible,” said Casey Primeau of San Jose. “It’s really nasty.”

“It doesn't seem to me to be very inviting,” said Shannon Bavies of San Francisco.

The tire tracks are still visible from the trucks used to load and unload stages. Thousands of visitors gathered for two days of free concerts and the third show was cancelled due to heavy rain.

“So basically the entire park was damaged,” said Carolina Camarena of San Jose Parks and Recreation Department. “What needs to happen now is that it needs to be reseeded.”

Crews are also inspecting damage to the irrigation system. 

“This certainly isn't the first event that has caused damage to one of our major parks,” said Camarena. “What you see now is what we expected because it rained so much during that time.”

Camarena estimates the cost will be more than $15,000. She’s confident the Bay Area Host Committee and 49ers will pay for repairs and fix it to its original state if not better.

The Host Committee pointing to new grading and sod improvements done in Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The City of San Jose also reaped the economic benefits and national spotlight.

“It definitely brought us the business,” said Druv Khanna of Fairmont San Jose. “It brought the city business and look at the park across from us getting the new turf.”

Repairs at Discovery Meadow said to begin once the park dries out. The soonest it can re-open is two months from now and that's if the sod takes root.

“Wow that's a long time,” said Anthony Nastor of San Jose. “They should have known better when they had the heavy equipment in here.”

Some downtown residents and visitors said they were inconvenienced with parking when the playoff was in town. Many of them are hoping repairs happen soon.

“The people deserve a park and they deserve an open space that is green to come and enjoy,” said Shannon Bakies of San Francisco. “To not be able to have that is unfortunate.”