Legal questions swirl in Palmer around the ?mystery wall?

PALMER TWP., Pa. -

There were more questions than answers Tuesday night when Palmer Township officials were questioned about an apparently shoddily constructed retaining wall in the Villages at Mill Race Townhouses that does not appear on any municipal documents, yet the project received township approval.

The supervisors got an up-close look at the material the original contractor used to build the wall in 2003, including a 50-pound capstone that Linda Beaumont, a member of the homeowners association, brought to the meeting, along with other construction items she said were substandard.

David Colver, president of the board of supervisors, said the township is aware of the problem and admitted the wall, which Beaumont said will cost at least $60,000 to rebuild, does not appear on any plans the township approved at the time.

Sorry but it happened, Colver told the group.

He said the township is willing to pay for a small piece of the work in an area where the township has a parking lot.

Some residents blamed the township for failing to do its job in enforcing codes and regulations on the developer at the time.

Charles Bruno, the townships solicitor, said business entities were probably created solely for the Mill Race project and once it was completed, they probably ceased to exist.

There is no one to sue or make them tear it down or rebuild, Bruno said.

The supervisors tabled any action on what Beaumont called the mystery wall, which apparently started falling apart about two years ago.

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Legal questions swirl in Palmer around the ?mystery wall?