Failing wall pits Jackson residents against city

Plans to address a failing retaining wall in a Jackson subdivision is sparking controversy between residents and city officials.

The concrete wall in the Annwood Estates subdivision runs along Brittany Drive and is cracked and buckling in several places. While city officials and residents agree the wall needs fixing, the involved parties haven't come to an agreement on how to do it.

The city has recommended removing the retaining wall and grading the property into a slope to eliminate the need for a wall.

Residents, however, are reluctant to allow it, and instead want the wall to be replaced.

The city's plan would cost about $40,000; replacing the wall would cost more than $100,000, Jackson city staff engineer Erica Bogenpohl said.

During a presentation before the Jackson Board of Aldermen, Bogenpohl said the city's contractors advised against restoration because it would be expensive and ugly.

In addition, the city also would need easements to access the land to create the slope. To replace the wall, the city only would need an easement that covered 5 feet from the wall, but would need a 25-foot easement for the slope.

One of the three affected properties is an empty lot owned by Rhodes Convenience Stores, who already has granted the city the necessary easements, but the other two have not.

Betty Thomas, one of the affected property owners, said she's obtained legal counsel to help ensure her land isn't graded as the city prefers.

She worries about having to maintain a hill of that size, as well as how it would affect her property's value.

Three hundred fifty feet of the retaining wall -- the majority of its total length -- runs along Thomas' property.

The sloping also would mean destroying several dozen trees and bushes. She also said the land is too rocky to slope as the city intends.

Koehler Engineering and Land Surveying spent last week assessing the property and will present its findings to the city this week.

Thomas said during the surveying, one of the engineers told her they had indeed found rock, but didn't elaborate.

If that's the case, it could undermine previous estimates the city used to weigh the costs of each plan.

"One of our concerns is whether or not we're going to find rock at this property," Bogenpohl said, adding the city likely would consider different approaches, such as a hybrid plan of a slope and a small wall, but it's too soon to tell.

"[A hybrid plan] could be more cost-effective than breaking up all that rock, but we'll have better results once we get the surveying reports back," she said.

The city held a public hearing last month where several residents voiced their concern about the wall.

If the city slopes the hill, it would sod the land in an effort to prevent erosion. Several residents who spoke were unconvinced grass would hold the land according to the city's plan, but officials expressed confidence.

They said most of the neighborhood's residents favor the wall's replacement. About two-thirds of the neighborhood signed a petition to that effect.

Residents are also concerned if there were a sizable hill there, children would play and sled on it. Because the hill would empty into the street, residents are concerned for safety.

"Pretty soon, something's going to happen. If it keeps freezing and thawing like this, pretty soon it's going to be out in the street," neighbor Faith Snyder said. "Something needs to be done, but not at the expense of the property owners. I don't think we need to encroach on people's property."

Thomas told the city she would grant a permanent easement if her yard remains level.

Several years ago, residents and city officials tried to address the failing wall, but abandoned the project over a similar impasse.

"We understand that this is a sensitive issue, especially for the property owners directly affected by the project," Bogenpohl said. "We'll continue working with them to reach a solution that's hopefully acceptable to all parties."

"I don't want to fight over it every seven years," Thomas said. "I want it settled once and for all."

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627