PORT ANGELES – Shane Park in Port Angeles may be closer to fully reopening.

Next week, workers are expected to install new tiles on the playground. The playground has been closed for nearly nine months due to safety issues with the previous playground surface. The playground’s tiles were shrinking and creating gaps creating the potential for injuries.

City officials say a glue supply shortage prevented the project from being finished last fall. The work requires temperatures over 40 degrees and no rain, which further pushed the project back to this month.

Meantime, the city is still evaluating problems with sitting water at Shane Park.

Last summer, the city put a sleeve on the sewer line at the park to prevent ground water from seeping into the sewer system. But that also worsened the sitting water at the park during the spring months. Officials say the park’s stormwater system is functioning as designed, but the water has nowhere to go once the water table saturates the turf’s surface.

The city had planned to divert the water to Marine Drive, but that proved too costly. For now, they will look for other options. But the sitting water may take extra time to naturally dissipate. Officials say the situation should improve in the warmer drier months.