DEBRIS still lines the streets of the Lithgow region in the aftermath of last Tuesday night’s snow storm.
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Tidy Towns’ award winning Zig Zag school was one of the worst to wear tree damage after five 75-year-old oak trees could not cope with the weight of the snow.
The school was opened again yesterday after tree loppers worked around the clock to remove branches and in some cases the whole tree from the school grounds.
Damage to the recently built all purpose room ramp is yet to be assessed.
The toilet block bore the brunt of a branch that took out the gutters and blocked the entrance.
Tennis is out for the near future after one of the trees tore down the fence when it landed on the court.
For the students and staff at Zig Zag the biggest disappointment, apart from the loss of such mature trees, is the destruction of the Stephanie Alexander kitchen garden.
Freshly planted for the summer months, there will be no harvest out of the garden until the end of term, just in time for the summer holidays.
Students will not be able to use their home grown produce in their purpose built kitchen, a class they will all miss.
The loss of branches to so many trees has caused chaos — council has the task of assessing which are most likely to pose a danger to the public.
Trains remained suspended between Lithgow and Mt Victoria until Sunday afternoon.
Residents were seen to be clearing their footpaths and yards from fallen branches while contractors worked vigorously to lop damaged trees considered to be a threat to public safety.
Eskbank House Museum is closed until further notice.
Antique machinery on display in the grounds is completely covered by large branches from mature gums.
The avenue of poplars in Bennett Street (the road that leads to Eskbank’s entrance) have been stripped to resemble a madman’s chainsaw outburst.
With so many branches down council predict they will still be picking up well into November.
Fortunately the building and collection at Eskbank House have not been damaged however the grounds have had a number of trees come down in the storm and access to the museum is limited.
The area is not currently considered safe due to the possibility of falling limbs.
Given the amount of damage that has occurred around the area it is unknown how long the clean up is expected to take but Council staff are endeavouring to get Eskbank House open as soon as possible.
Council is extremely grateful of the patience and support the community have shown during this busy time and is looking forward to many visitors once Eskbank House reopens.
Demolition and replacement of awnings and playground covers continues as the damage bill escalates into hundreds of thousands of dollars.