JACKSONVILLE, Fl -- A year ago, during the cover of darkness, the fury of Hurricane Irma pounded Jacksonville's iconic Memorial Park.
By daylight, the storm surge left behind a path of destruction at the Riverside park.
"A lot of the benches were moved," said Percy Rosenbloom. "Underneath was eroded, and they were not safe anymore."
Rosenbloom heads the nonprofit, the Memorial Park Association. Their goal is to preserve what was built as a tribute to those who died in World War I.
"It looked like a giant hand had swept the chess pieces across this entire area of the park," he said.
The balustrade, or concrete rail, crumbled and before it can be replaced, the association learned that the bulkhead must first be repaired.
"The wave action just sucked some of the dirt, it came in underneath in some area," he said.
It is a city park, and the city will make the repairs. In fact, the balustrade has been replaced by a temporary metal fencing; permanent repairs are months away
"The repairs to the balustrade and the bulkhead are expected to be completed late Spring 2019," said Rosenbloom, "which I was surprised it was that soon.
The City of Jacksonville has identified $70 million in projects from Hurricane Irma. It has budgeted $6 million to restore the damage to Parks and Recreation properties.
Memorial Park needs $262 thousand, and while it is not where they would like it to be, Rosenbloom feels the park is in a good place.
"I would say we're moving right along," he said. "We really have a gem right here on the St. Johns River."
Recently, the iconic globe was waxed to remove salt water residue from the storm.
Even though they'll have to wait until next year before the balustrade and the park is fully restored, the association is planning a number of events.
This November will mark 100 hundred years since the end of World War I and a big celebration is in the works.