Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

The retaining wall of an apartment complex in Liguanea, St Andrew, which has rendered a section of the Sandy Gully unstable, has raised concern about how the construction received approval from the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC).

Yesterday, Richard Azan, state minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, who went on a tour in the area along with a technical team, said it was clear the wall was in breach of the building code.

Azan said the KSAC should play a part in the repair work at the site as, "from observing the wall it is quite heavy and that has helped to contribute to the problem that we are having here".

Communication manager at the National Works Agency Stephen Shaw, who was also on the tour, later made it clear that the apartment buildings behind the wall did not themselves seem to be in breach of the code which stipulates that construction should take place at least 15 feet away from gullies.

"Certainly the building itself looks like it adheres to that minimum, but the retaining wall seems to be in breach. But that is something that the Town and Country Planning Authority will have to look at," Shaw said.

RESIDENTS HAVE TO ASSIST

Azan disclosed that residents occupying the complex might have to assist in whatever way possible to minimise the damage being done to the gully.

"There are some pipes from the apartment buildings that lead to the gully and I think that is contributing to the problem that we are having here," Azan said. "We need to have some discussion with the owners of the property ... they have to help in some way to control the waste water from their property."

In the meantime, Azan said repairs to the Sandy Gully could cost the Government more than $300 million, up from initial estimates.

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Approval for retaining wall at Sandy Gully leaves officials scratching heads

Two months after a midsummer flash flood wreaked havoc on a vibrant neighborhood talent showcase, performers returned to tell Lyric Hall impressario John Cavaliere how much they love him. And to help him buy a new furnace and build a retaining wall.

More than 100people gathered Saturday night at the restored vaudeville theater and antiques shop on Whalley Avenue to recite, sing, and play music all in the service of launching the Lyric Hall Flood Relief Campaign, an online fundraising instrument

The aim is to raise $21,500 to replace the furnace the four-foot-high waters destroyed in the basement on Aug. 15; to restore waterlogged decaying sills; and to build a retaining wall at the rear of the property, with drainage channels appropriate to handle the heavy run-off from the West River behind the the theater, among other projects.

Within an hour of the kick-off the party and the fund, nearly $1,000 had been contributed online.

Cavaliere has restored the former vaudeville theater and opened it up to local performers from video artists to poets to composers restoring original scores to silent films. Many were on hand Saturday night to return the favor, and more.

The business that supports those effortsframing, antique restoration, furniture repair, and artisanal gildingsuffered a big blow in the flood: lost essential tools, supplies, jobs-in-progress, and other equipment.

Click here for a story with a tour by Cavaliere of the basement the day after the flood and an itemization of the damage.

The point of the Saturday night outpouring of support was not to relive the flood or to itemize the damages. It was to give a hand to Cavaliere, whose catholic tastes in the arts, humanity, and great pizza cooking in a 1930s gas oven have given a hand and even a new start to many, and transformed Lyric Hall into an essential community resource.

It was a flood, but my cup runneth over, Cavaliere quipped before he introduced the performers and they took the small, elegant stage he had restored in the theater .

James Joyce scholar Richard Stack gave a lively reading of the first published chapter of Finnegans Wake

Go here to see the original:
“Now I Have A Whole Great Big Family”

04 October 2012 | last updated at 12:40AM

Retaining walls are being built along the road to Batu Ferringhi beach to prevent soil erosion on slopes prone to landslide. Pic by Micheal Ong

Road users who had feared being hit by falling trees and boulders from the slope can heave a sigh of relief when the construction works are completed in about a fortnight.

A check by the Northern Streets to the site showed that the Works Department (JKR) had engaged two contractors to clear the slope with a backhoe before building the perimeter walls, causing disruption to the traffic flow.

Several workers were seen constructing retaining walls at two locations along the road.

A recent landslide during the morning rush hour brought down a tree, earth and boulders, missing vehicles on the road by a whisker.

The incident raised serious concerns about the safety of road users.

Many asked for remedial action as the slope along the road is prone to soil erosion, especially during heavy rain.

Mohamed Ariffin Yusoff, 32, said: "I am worried about landslides when there is a downpour. It is good to see the road authority taking measures to prevent landslides by building the wall," he said.

Another motorist, L. Shanmuggam, 41, said he was relieved to see the construction of retaining walls.

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Motorists happy with retaining walls

Engineers are still in the planning stages of working on improvements to a retaining wall on Lake Avenue.

Grand Haven Project Manager Julie Beaton said the wall project is being designed by the Wade Trim engineering firm, and it is tentatively scheduled for construction in spring 2013.

Its budgeted for that and wed like to do it then, she said. We wanted to do it when Harbor Drive was done.

City officials say the wall is failing or has failed. Sand is washing out from behind it, threatening further erosion, and possibly leading to problems with the street and private property.

City Manager Pat McGinnis said the city has identified some safety and infrastructure improvements that could inflate the cost of the project beyond the estimated $300,000.

The project will be reviewed at the Oct. 15 City Council meeting, he said.

According to McGinnis, potential changes to the project include making visibility enhancements for motorists.

If theres room in the right of way, we could dig that hill back and improve sightlines, he said.

Visibility is currently limited for motorists traversing Lake Avenue around the wall.

McGinnis also noted that it may be a good time to make repairs to road and water lines in that area, and they'll consider decorative additions to the wall all of which would hike the project's cost.

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Residents question wall plan

1 October 2012 Last updated at 14:55 ET

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George Collier (right) is accused of manslaughter due to gross negligence

A jury trying a builder after a wall he designed collapsed and killed a three-year-old girl has been warned not to "seek revenge" for her death.

Meg Burgess was crushed as she walked home with her mother in Meliden, Denbighshire, in July 2008.

Builder George Collier, 49, from Kinmel Bay, denies manslaughter.

Defence barrister Ronald Walker, QC, said it was a "natural human tendency" to want revenge, but said the case had to be judged according to the evidence.

It was not inevitable, it was the result of human error on behalf of one or more persons

Mold Crown Court has heard that the wall failed after pressure from infill which included soil, clay and builders' rubble.

The prosecution claimed Mr Collier, who had 30 years' experience, should have realised the wall was a retaining wall and needed to be secured to the foundations for added strength.

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'No revenge' plea over wall death

WALLINGFORD An ethics complaint was filed against two town councilors with various affiliations to Holy Trinity School, saying they should not have discussed town obligations for repairing a retaining wall on the schools property at two separate council meetings.

Yet nearly all of Wallingfords nine councilors have connections with the 143-year-old Holy Trinity Church, its 99-year-old school, or both.

Many councilors say that in a town of Wallingfords size, everyone is connected somehow to everything.

To me its got to be (a) direct benefit to a councilor for there to be the appearance of an ethics violation in a vote, said Jason Zandri, a Democrat.

Though the Ethics Code in the Town Charter states that no officer ... shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, which is in conflict with the proper discharge of his or her official duties, Zandri said the councilors cant recuse themselves from everything to which they have some relationship or they would rarely be able to vote. Zandri used himself as an example, as a utility ratepayer in town and yet voting on items that affect the towns Electric Division and Water Department.

Zandri said he feels that the relationships of Republicans John LeTourneau and Tom Laffin with the school are too fringe to merit ethical concern. LeTourneau and Laffin are the two councilors resident Robert Gross has charged with ethics violations in discussing the wall at June 26, 2012, and Sept. 11, 2012, meetings.

LeTourneau has grandchildren at the school and a daughter on the school board, and Laffins son goes to Catholic education classes once a week at the school through the church, though the complaint alleged his son attended the school.

Both councilors have disputed the charge and will attend a Board of Ethics meeting on Tuesday at Town Hall.

Despite his grandchildrens enrollment at Holy Trinity School, and daughters seat on the board, LeTourneau is not a member of Holy Trinity Church. Laffin is a member of the church, and attended the school.

Several of the councilors not named in the complaint are parishioners at Holy Trinity Church.

Excerpt from:
Is the Holy Trinity connection a Wallingford ethics concern?

WALLINGFORD The resident leading the opposition to the towns plans to repair the Simpson Court parking lot has filed an ethics complaint against two town councilors, saying they should not have discussed issues related to a retaining wall on Holy Trinity School property because of their affiliations with the school.

The retaining wall would be fixed as part of the towns plan to repair and upgrade the Simpson Court parking lot, if it receives a grant the council approved applying for Tuesday night.

On Sept. 17, Robert Gross filed an ethics complaint. 17 with the towns Board of Ethics and town attorney against Republican Town Councilors Tom Laffin and John LeTourneau. Both dispute Gross claims. A Board of Ethics meeting on the issue will be held on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Room 315 at Town Hall.

Gross could not be reached Thursday. LeTourneau said hed prefer to discuss the matter in detail after the ethics panel meeting, but Laffin spoke freely, saying he felt the complaint was an ill-conceived and poorly researched political play by Gross, a Democrat.

The complaint says Laffin and LeTourneau should not have participated in conversations at two Town Council meetings, one on June 26 and another on Sept. 11, because of their connections to Holy Trinity School.

LeTourneaus grandchildren attend the school. Though the complaint says that Laffins children also do, his 6-year-old son, Jack, only attends first-grade Catholic education classes at Holy Trinity School, Laffin said. The classes are provided through Holy Trinity Church, not the school, and take up about an hour a week.

Laffin said he was frustrated that Gross appeared to have made a serious allegation against him without researching it.

Youre calling into question my ability to serve? You did it based on a misunderstanding? You didnt confirm (that my son goes to the school)? Laffin said, adding that that Gross could have called the school or asked around to confirm his sons involvement. How am I going to take anything he says in the future seriously?

The complaint cites the towns Code of Ethics regarding conflict of interest and disclosure, which says: No officer or employee shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, which is in conflict with the proper discharge of his or her official duties or employment. Interest shall be as defined by the Code of Ethics or other ordinances, as may be applicable to an individual case.

The code also requires that officers or employees who believe they have an interest to tell, in writing, their affiliation to the chairman or agency, commission or board of which he or she is a member.

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Wallingford councilors accused of ties to Holy Trinity School

Waverly village trustees agreed Tuesday to move forward with a project to repair a retaining wall along Cayuta Creek that was damaged in last year's flooding.

Mayor Kyle McDuffee said village officials will get in touch with representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that the retaining wall's replacement will be properly reimbursed.

Trustees opened and approved a low bid of $488,438 by LC Whitford Company of Wellsville, N.Y. at a previous meeting, but with the stipulation that any costs above FEMA's estimate be covered by the agency. The bids for the project were higher than expected, McDuffee said.

Hunt Engineers, which designed the planned replacement, recommended in a letter to village officials that they accept the bid in order to meet FEMA's May 2013 deadline to complete the project. The firm continues to await word on whether FEMA will accept the installation of grouted tiebacks - anchors used to reinforce and stabilize the wall - as a "replacement in kind." Tiebacks were installed following the flood of 1972, McDuffee said, but were not part of the wall's original blueprints.

The letter cautioned that if trustees accept the bid and move forward with construction, the village may be responsible for added costs not covered by FEMA. However, a delay in the acceptance may invalidate the price quoted in the bid, likely increasing the project's costs even further.

The state has approved the tiebacks as an appropriate replacement, and county emergency management officials believe the tiebacks will be covered, said trustee Ron Keene.

However, McDuffee said he was concerned with the gap between the bid and FEMA's estimated project cost and wished to speak with officials regarding the discrepancy. "I think they will be interested in making it right," he said.

Trustees also voted to withhold payment on a $3,215 change order to the village hall's asbestos abatement project. The change order was not authorized by village officials or anyone acting on behalf of the village, McDuffee said.

Trustees also approved a $4,050 bid from Quinlan Tree Service to remove and trim trees in the village.

Amanda Renko can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or email: arenko@thedailyreview.com.

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Waverly trustees discuss retaining wall project

By Alex Fees

Foley, MO (KSDK) - From a distance, the limestone retaining wall looks strong, sturdy.

Will Reichert thought so when he had it put behind his house about four years ago.

"I was pleased. It looked great," he said.

But a closer look tells you the wall meant to keep runoff from flooding his yard and house is falling apart.

It started first with cracks and chipping, but soon big chunks of the wall started to fall off. It's a concern for Will who has small dogs.

"The work that we had done isn't holding up to the expectation that it's going to be here forever," said Reichert.

5 on Your Side called the man who installed the wall and Ed Mullens with New Castle Custom Builders met Mike Rush at the home in Foley.

The problem, says Mullens, is the quarry gave him limestone boulders that were too porous.

"Over time some of the rock will absorb water and freeze and break apart," said Mullens.

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5 on Your Side: Retaining wall not retaining shape

Drivers who use County Road 77, also known as Sinclair Avenue in Steubenville, could be facing some big delays in the near future. The retaining wall along the side of the road is starting to fall, and that has officials concerned.

The road, the busiest in Jefferson County, looks fine now, but engineers said it could begin to crumble.

"The retaining wall in this section is old and failing. And inadvertently, the private bridge has failed, as well," County Bridge Engineer Jeff Oinonen said.

Fortunately, Oinonen said no one lives there. What has him worried is the fact that this is happening at several spots along the road.

"We will excavate 65 feet of this wall section, replace it with a gabion retaining wall, which is caged rocks, and pour concrete cap in for the bridge to be put back on top of it," Oinonen explained.

He said it will cost the county about $50,000. During the repairs, the road will likely be closed despite the fact about 8,000 cars drive on it each day.

However, without the fix, Oinonen said even bigger problems could arise, like a road slip.

"With the retaining wall failing, it retains the hillside and the road and even utilities under it. There is a buried gas line, as well," said Oinonen.

With the debris still left in the creek, he said there could be a flood threat as well if the county sees any heavy rain before the repairs are made.

Oinonen said work should begin in about a month.

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Retaining wall collapsing, engineers concerned