By Jhunnex Napallacan Inquirer Visayas

CEBU CITYTwo persons were killed while five children were injured on Tuesday when a portion of the retaining wall of a subdivision project collapsed on four houses in Sitio Kadahuan, Barangay Talamban, this city.

Rescuers from the Cebu City fire department and Philippine Air Force found the body of Alan Oporto, 40, past 9 p.m. Tuesday and Nestor Tapdasan, past 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The injured children were brought to the North General Hospital here for treatment.

The victims houses were among at least 60 built along a creek in the area outside Casa Del Rio, a subdivision project of the Commonwealth Estate Inc. (CEI).

Jonji Gonzales, CEI spokesperson, said hairline cracks were found on the retaining wall by an inspection team commissioned by the company after the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that shook Cebu and other areas in the Visayas on Feb. 6. The cracks were being repaired when the wall collapse occurred.

Gonzales said in a text message that CEI would shoulder all medical expenses of the victims.

The company would also provide financial assistance to the family of the two fatalities, he added.

We are extending our deepest sympathy to the family of the two fatalities. We are praying for the quick recovery of those in the hospital, Gonzales said in his text message.

Talamban Barangay Captain Jesus Remedio Jr. said the 80 families living below the subdivisions retaining wall and along the riverbank would be asked to relocate as their homes would have to be demolished.

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Wall collapse kills 2, hurts 5 in Cebu City

The Massachusetts Land Court decision issued last month affirms what was established two years ago that Borden Light Marina Inc. built a 630-foot concrete retaining wall without permits while the marina president, Michael Lund, was a member of the City Council.

The finding of facts and decision by Associate Justice Judith Cutler in favor of The Landing at South Park Condominium Association said Borden Light did not obtain permits before doing the work.

Director of Inspectional Services Joseph Biszko supplied the building permit Borden Light obtained on April 29, 2010 months after the wall was built.

They had already put it up. They put it up without a permit, Biszko said.

He said the department issues a verbal warning for a first-time offense and doubles the permit fee for a second one.

Biszko issued the building permit to Robert Guay of Fall River, the structural engineer, based on an estimated $76,000 cost for the wall.

The permit fee was $702, and James Furtado Excavating of Swansea built the wall, according to city records.

There are also questions both in Cutlers court decision and in Guays engineering report about the walls safety.

Guay wrote on April 22, 2010, that a section of wall is higher than the existing design of the wall will allow, and there is no geo-fabric at each level. ... The wall in this section will have to be down and rebuilt per design drawings also submitted, according to inspection records.

There are no indications replacement work has taken place in the past two years.

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Judge says Borden Light Marina built wall without permits

Saturday, May 5, 2012

MAYOR Mauricio Domogan expressed concern over the unreleased funds for the Irisan Controlled Dump Facilitys retaining wall.

Funds that were promised by the National Government are needed badly to rehabilitate the damaged portion of the wall where the trash spilled over. The amount of P80 million will come from the Department of Public Works and Highways fund, Domogan said.

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The mayor said documentary requirements asked by the National Government have been complied, including the program of work for the rehabilitation of the retaining wall.

We really need to repair the wall immediately, hopefully funds will be released before the onset of the rainy season, Domogan said.

City Environment and Parks Management head Cordelia Lacsamana is now coordinating with the City Engineers Office for the possibility of re-profiling its present slope. (Paul Rillorta)

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on May 05, 2012.

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Mayor prays for release of funds for dumpsite

A portion of a stone retaining wall between a house at 66 Adams Ave. and 83 Hill St., caved in Thursday, leaving big hunks of debris in the driveway at the Hill Street residence.

The wall is on the Adams Avenue property. A neighbor said there was no question the wall would eventually collapse, the only question was when.

Im glad no one got hurt, commented Karen Booth, who has lived at 83 Hill St. for about 19 years.

Booth said young children were playing near the wall Wednesday night.

As you can see, more is going to come down anytime now, she added.

A portion of the wall gave away early Thursday afternoon. A worker who said he was employed by the landlord of the Adams Avenue property arrived shortly after the wall collapsed to do the clean up. That work was completed, and yellow caution tape was strung around the area.

Jeff Johnson, Hornell codes enforcement officer, said he spoke with landlord Dean Hoag Thursday to make sure the debris would be cleared away. Johnson also spoke with Booth. Johnson also said the landlord must find a permanent solution for the wall.

I am going to stay on it and see to it that it gets fixed, Johnson said.

The rest is here:
Portion of retaining wall collapses in Hornell, no one hurt

LITTLE FERRY - Plans have been made by the borough to replace a retaining wall at Indian Lake Park. The project went out to bid April 26.

"As things get older, they become less safe and need to be replaced," said Borough Administrator Michael Capabianco. "The [existing wall's] timbers are 20 to 30 years old and starting to decay."

Borough Engineer Ken Job noted the retaining wall is necessary.

"The old one is falling over," he said. "There's a difference in grade between the walkway and park and adjacent ground. The wall works between the change in grade. The wall is vertical."

"The ground is on one level. Then there's a vertical wall and the ground at another level," he explained.

Concrete blocks will be used in the new wall, Job said, adding it is referred to as a modular block reinforced-earth retaining wall.

"With reinforced earth, when soil is put behind it, they compact the soil so it also acts as support," he said.

The new wall will be the same dimensions as the existing one: roughly 730 feet in length by 3 feet in height, according to Job.

The wall is located along Indian Lake Road.

Bids for the new retaining wall are due May 8. Capabianco said the project will be paid for with an approximately $110,000 county Open Space grant from two years ago as well as with borough capital funds.

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Little Ferry out to bid for park retaining wall

Saturday, April 28, 2012

MAYOR Mauricio Domogan appealed anew to Malacaang for the immediate release of the P80 million rehabilitation fund of the collapsed Irisan dumpsite retaining wall.

The mayor said he took advantage of the presence of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo during the dialogue conducted by the DILG on the SM City Baguio issue.

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Domogan said the city hopes to receive the fund as soon as possible to implement the rehabilitation work before the onset of the rainy season to avoid further untoward incident in the area.

The mayor said President Benigno Aquino III issued a memorandum to declare Baguio City along with Boracay as national asset and historical heritage sites and the city can use this to justify the release of the fund.

We hope that with the Presidents good intention for our city, Malacaang will see the urgency and the necessity of releasing the fund to help us rehabilitate the dumpsite, Domogan said.

The mayor earlier admitted being apprehensive the fund will not make it in time before the typhoon season.

I really hope the release of this fund will not drag on knowing the situation at the dumpsite which still poses risk especially if the retaining wall will not be repaired before the rainy season, he said.

The retaining wall collapsed at the height of a typhoon in August last year causing a trash slide that killed five persons and buried houses along Asin Road.

Link:
Mayor appeals anew for release of dumpsite fund

Blame last year's unusually wet weather.

In August and September, Philadelphia recorded 29.6 inches of rain - that's 70 percent of the annual rainfall in only two months.

After Tropical Storm Lee in September, city engineers made a disturbing discovery along Monoshone Creek: A century-old stone retaining wall had dropped more than five inches.

Not only that, but it was starting to rotate away from land, and rushing water had carved out gaps underneath the wall.

"The wall was beginning to collapse," Perri said.

The Streets Department knew it had to act fast - but just how fast didn't become clear until engineers started to prepare the wall for repairs in November.

They discovered that Lincoln Drive was not sitting on rock.

It was sitting on soil.

That meant that if the retaining wall had collapsed, it would have taken the road with it, Perri said.

"We needed to move fast," he said.

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Averting a washout on Lincoln Drive

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