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In the latest of a series of delays that have pushed back the reopening of Richmond’s oldest public park, Monroe Park will remain closed to the public until the middle of September.

Donald Summers, a capital project manager in the city’s Department of Public Works, said last month that the city would remove the fence surrounding the 8-acre park for a “soft opening,” originally scheduled for Aug. 29. Now, the city and the nonprofit leading the renovation have ruled out removing the fence until the middle of this month.

“After much discussion all parties agreed the prudent decision is to delay the soft opening until mid-September,” said Summers, who is overseeing the project for the Department of Public Works. “The previous 40 days of rain events created more pressure for completion than anticipated by all.”

Summers said wet conditions prevented crews from finishing “critical site work,” including the park’s new pedestrian paths. Rain fell on 16 days in August and totaled 3.35 inches, according to figures kept at Richmond International Airport.

The decision to hold off on the soft opening came after a meeting of the city, VCU and the Monroe Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that has leased the park from the city and has raised about half of the $6.8 million for park improvements.