STAMFORD -- As redevelopment of Mill River Park moves into its third year, the Mill River Collaborative this week announced the second installment of a $1.8 million contribution.

Charged with fundraising efforts, the private-public partnership on Thursday presented Mayor Michael Pavia with a ceremonial check at the Government Center. The city is set to receive roughly $800,000, representing the final balance of the group's first significant donation.

Last fall, the collaborative contributed about $1 million to begin the first phase of the park's construction that follows the U.S. Army Corps restoration of the Mill River.

"This is the largest single donation that a private group has ever given to the City of Stamford for a public park," said Arthur Selkowitz, chairman of the collaborative.

The total cost of redeveloping the park is estimated at $60 million. While the bulk of the project is to be financed by the city through the sale of tax increment bonds, the collaborative is aiming to raise $20 million through its capital campaign. Thus far, the group has received $6.6 million in pledges.

"The momentum is definitely growing as people see the park under construction," Selkowitz said. He added that the group hopes to reach the $10 million mark by the summer.

Pavia has touted the park as an engine for the city's economic growth.

"The work of the collaborative is already stimulating downtown real estate development and is bringing many sectors of the city together in support of this legacy undertaking," he said in a press release issued by the collaborative.

The first phase of construction, already well underway, is expected to cost around $11.5 million. Since October 2011, workers have been excavating and laying down infrastructure on a 12-acre portion of the park between Broad and Main streets.

Along the eastern banks of the Mill River, a concrete retaining wall has been installed and will eventually be wrapped in granite, according to Milton Puryear, the collaborative's executive director.

Link:
Mill River Collaborative completes $1.8 million donation

Morgan Bond Reporter

5:18 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2012

A man suffering from several medical conditions is in an unknown condition Tuesday after his lawnmower went over a retaining wall, and into a lake.

The incident happened just after noon on the corner of Willis and Rennells on Spring Lake in Fruitport Township. The man was unresponsive and had no pulse when first responds got to the scene.

Authorities have not released the man's name yet, but said he was an older gentlemen. When fire crews arrived they found him laying on a small stretch of beach at the bottom of a retaining wall.

The wall is about 7 feet tall and located on edge of his property. According to rescuers, the man drove the lawn mower over the wall and flipped it upside down. He was not pinned under the lawnmower, but was very close to it. Officials said the man suffered from some cardiac issues and was using a pacemaker. Police are still trying to find out if that played a factor in this accident.

He was in grave condition when he was transported. Efforts continued on the way to the hospital, we had fire personnel with the ambulance. At this point we are not certain of the status, Ken Doctor, Public Safety Officer, Fruitport Township said.

Besides his heart condition, the victim also suffered from diabetes. He was transported to Mercy Hospital in Muskegon. There is no word yet on his current condition.

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Man In Unknown Condition After Driving Lawn Mower Over Retaining Wall

Posted on April 16, 2012, Monday

PLEASE HELP: Saing (left) with some longhouse folk point to the damaged retaining wall in front of their longhouse.

SIBU: Soil erosion threatens a 31-door longhouse in Tanjung Berkakap, Bawang Assan after a retaining wall of belian and concrete piles was damaged by erosion.

The eroded part is no less than 20 metres from the end of Rumah Saing Beliang.

Its longhouse chief, Tuai Rumah Saing, 77, told reporters yesterday the Lebaan River had eaten into a part of the road and motor parking area.

The erosion has worsened in the last four years. If it continues, the road and motor parking area will eventually vanish, he said.

The erosion was caused by fast flowing water, apart from waves created by riverine transport such as express boats and ships.

We are appealing to the government and the peoples representative in the constituency to rebuild the retaining wall to prevent further erosion. If possible, use big blocks of concrete to build the retaining wall, he stated.

Saing said he had brought up the problem to the parties concerned including Bandar Sibu MP, the late Datuk Robert Lau. Representatives from the government department concerned came to survey the problem but no action was taken.

If this project cannot not be carried out at once, we request it to be implemented in stages, he said. The longhouse folk had been waiting for a long time for the solution.

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Longhouse endangered by soil erosion

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Citom requests condo’s traffic plan

When Tropical Storm Tingting struck eight years ago, the hill beside the Barcinas residence in Merizo collapsed, sending rocks and mud tumbling toward the house.

The mud built up against the wall and was almost up to the windows, Dolores Barcinas remembers. Even after the wind and rain had passed, things didn't get better.

"I heard this big noise," she said. "It was a big rock that rolled down from the back of the hill."

Later her son discovered a tree branch had somehow broken through his bedroom window.

But yesterday, after several years of dealing with the unstable mounds of dirt left by the storm, the Barcinases celebrated the return of their backyard.

Gov. Eddie Calvo and some legislators gathered at the house, which is on the main road that weaves through Merizo, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a federally funded retaining wall. The wall protects the Barcinas house and the heavily trafficked road from future soil erosion.

The project, which took a month to complete, was the last of seven Tingting projects funded through the Emergency Watershed Program, said Jeff Wheaton, an engineer at the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The projects -- totaling $2 million -- started soon after the storm, but took time to complete because each site had specific engineering requirements, and there was a lack of resources, he said.

The Merizo wall resembles a giant staircase, and is constructed out of wire baskets filled with heavy stones. The project cost about $200,000.

Calvo joked the wall would be a good place to hang orchids, though the family has said they want to grow beans there.

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Retaining wall helps Merizo family

In just a few days, the town expects to open bids for the reconstruction of the retaining wall in front of the Surf Club. A portion of the wall was destroyed when Tropical Storm Irene roared through town in late August. The town had expected the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reimburse 75 percent of the estimated $250,000 replacement costs, but learned recently that will not be the case.

First Selectman Fillmore McPherson told the Board of Selectmen Monday that FEMA will reimburse the costs for replacement of only the damaged section of the retaining wall-about 130 feet of the total 260-foot replacement the town has planned.

"Since that entire section of the retaining wall protects the Surf Club building, Town Engineer Mike Ott and I agree that the town would be well served to replace the whole piece," McPherson said.

Ott explained that the present seawall is approximately 600 feet in total and that the town was interested in replacing only 260 feet. Of the 260 feet, only about half was destroyed by Irene. Under FEMA regulations, the town will be reimbursed for 75 percent of the replacement cost for only the damaged section, not the full 260 feet, as the town once assumed.

The new section of seawall will be designed "very differently" from the one it will replace, Ott said. The new 260-foot replacement will be "thicker, deeper, well reinforced," and with more stable footings.

"The present wall has footings that are too shallow and the construction is not the type that is proper." To provide adequate flood protection for the building, the new retaining wall should include the full 260 feet, he said.

"It only makes sense to do the complete job while we have a construction crew on site replacing the damaged section of the wall," McPherson said, although the costs may be more than originally anticipated.

Both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance have approved a request for a special appropriation to cover the costs of the reconstruction. That figure may change now, McPherson said. The town will wait to see what the construction bids reveal.

"Because both boards approved the earlier request, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss this change," McPherson said. The two boards have agreed that replacement of the full 260-foot section of retaining wall "makes sense," even with the new ruling from FEMA.

A special town meeting has been set for Monday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Town Campus for residents to vote on this special appropriation and a second, which is a request for $450,000 for reconstruction of a damaged section of Middle Beach Road, another victim of Irene.

Read more here:
Costs May Increase to Replace Surf Club Wall

A West Vancouver homeowner has less than a month to remove a fence and retaining wall that extend from their property onto the municipal boulevard and make the street unsafe.

City staff say the encroachments at 3390 Radcliffe Ave. are located too close to the road surface, meaning cars parked along the side of the property jut out into the traffic space, and they also have the effect of privatizing municipal property.

Council agreed, and on Jan. 24 gave the homeowners 30 days to clear up the problem or have city crews do the work for them and send them the bill with the property tax notice.

However, the homeowners say they should have been informed of the problem when they were approved for a development variance permit to build their home in 2004.

As part of that process, a hedge and wooden fence that also extended off the property were removed, yet Brandon J. Smith, the family lawyer, said they weren't told of any problem with the retaining wall and shouldn't be forced to remove it now.

"I think it's defended by law that if there was an obligation on them to excavate or remove that encroachment, then that should have been made clear," he said. "It was not."

The decision for enforcement was made after a neighbour complained about the property.

Copyright (c) North Shore News

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A fence too far, says district

All four lanes of Sherbrook Street between Elgin and William avenues will be closed to traffic for at least the next five days, after a retaining wall partially collapsed on Wednesday.

The Health Sciences Centre says the shoring at the site of the new women's hospital gave way at around 6 a.m. CT.

No one was injured, but the collapse damaged the southbound lanes of Sherbrook Street as well as the west sidewalk, according to the City of Winnipeg. As well, the west sidewalk has caved in as a result.

Hospital officials initially closed the two affected lanes to traffic, meaning drivers had only one northbound lane and one southbound lane. But shortly before 5:30 p.m., they announced that all four lanes will be closed for five days.

Officials with PCL, the contracting company working on the site, told reporters that a collapse like this is an extremely rare occurrence that may have been caused by heavy rainfall earlier this week.

Crews noticed on Tuesday that the retaining wall shifted by about 20 centimetres. Contracting officials said a full inspection had been planned for Wednesday.

Motorists are being urged to allow more travel time and to use Balmoral and Arlington streets as alternative routes.

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Collapsed retaining wall closes Winnipeg street

WALLED LAKE, Mich., March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --J & S Landscaping, Oakland County Michigan's premier landscape and lawn care company, has been named an Authorized Contractor for Belgard brick patio pavers, brick walkway pavers, brick driveway pavers, and brick retaining wall products. Belgard brick landscape product famous for their superior quality and lifetime warranty, with a history of strength and durability on thousands of commercial and residential landscape projects.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120320/DE72600)

"Belgard is the best in the business, period. And J & S Landscaping has always provided top of the line landscaping, workmanship, products, and landscape materials, now it's official. Our designation as Authorized Contractor signals to current and new customers that J & S Landscaping is the best choice when it comes to designing and installing the perfect backyard," said owner Jeff Stulberg.

Becoming an Authorized Contractor to install Belgard brick paver patios, driveways, sidewalks, and retaining walls, means that J & S Landscaping has undergone testing and certification by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute.

"Having the distinguished titles 'Authorized Contractor' and 'Certified Installer' reassures customers of our capabilities and landscape design expertise. We currently utilize the most advanced 3D Landscape Design software that allows us to show homeowners what their new landscaping will look like, or 5 years from now, all before we even start," said an excited Stulberg.

For over 23 years, J & S Landscaping has built rock-solid customer relationships in the greater Commerce Township, West Bloomfield, Novi, Northville, Waterford, White Lake, Wixom, Milford, South Lyon, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, and Farmington areas with landscaping, snow plowing, mulch delivery, and lawn care services.

For more information about J & S Landscaping and to see their work, visit http://www.248Landscape.com/photos/ or call 1-248-Landscape (248-526-3722).

Originally posted here:
J & S Landscaping Named Authorized Contractor for Belgard Brick Pavers

March 19, 2012 Updated Mar 19, 2012 at 10:40 PM EDT

Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) The Binghamton-Joint City Joint Sewage Treatment Plant prepares for demolition of a retaining wall that collapsed nearly a year ago.

The wall collapsed last may leaking partially treated sewage into the Susquehanna River.

The plant is getting ready to tear apart what's left of the wall.

It has received $300,000 in insurance money and is waiting for more money through additional insurance payments and possible settlements.

"I don't know exactly how much money. I think the last time I talked with our claims adjuster, we should be receiving about $1.8 million, and after that, the fight will be with the lawsuits," said George Kolba from the Joint Sewage Treatment Board.

At Monday night's Binghamton City Council work session, plans were also made to officially shut down the compost process at the plant.

Since the 2006 floods, this process has been halted,

Leaders say there are more important projects that need to be completed before starting the compost service back up.

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Moving Forward on Wall Demolition