03-20-2023 Planning Commission Packet

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION February 21, 2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. back to get those tie backs. The engineer plans came to that step. The neighbor on the west walked me over to his yard and showed me he had his redone and he had a huge washout. I stand by what we built and I believe it will hold back that hill. Kirchner asked if as the equipment operator, did he think this could have been done as handwork instead of equipment operation? Mr. Warnke said he thinks it would have been a year-long project. A lot of that stuff was hard back in there. With the pick axe they spent 10 hours on one little section trying to get the tie backs back so we didn't take that bluff out on the on the east side up on top. Everything I've seen it's done with heavy equipment. Libby asked if he was involved in any other excavations or moving soil there other than directly affecting the washout and in the wall? Mr. Warnke said the only removal was to put the walls in and take out the existing walls, because all the existing walls were burned and had to come out. Then I had to dig the soil back to get the old original tie backs. The old original tie backs had big concrete, like a pail of concrete, and that was chained. We did nothing around the house. Everything was on the lakeshore. Commissioners asked about the extent of the damage caused by the fire. Curtis showed photos taken right after the fire. Carol Price, 2813 Casco which is the west side property adjacent to this one. I will agree with everyone that this has been a mess. The fire is not responsible. It was unfortunate that happened to the owner. They're just trying to recoup the bluff. I agree that the contractor, once he got in there, did see the work involved and he did try to save the trees. But again, there was a mess of a mound of dirt that was excavated from the bluff. And all that excavated dirt had to come by our house because we gave them permission. And so it was very difficult for us. They took away multiple dump trucks of dirt and brought in the stones to backfill those walls. So I did put in written comments in the packet as I saw it as of Friday. What is different is I had no idea that the wall construction now has changed from seven walls to six walls. And now the sixth wall is going to be taller. This is the first I've heard of it. All of my comments were based on the original design of seven tiered walls. And in late October, a stop order was issued because they were building this not according to the in-kind plan. It was almost done. They were in the process of prepping for the seventh wall. So they went to the City Council to express an emergency request to put in that seventh wall and it was granted in early November. At the time of the stop order, the contractor very rightly put in erosion burlap, they secured the bluff as it was built, everything was rounded. They took away all the equipment because they didn't know if this was going to be approved. The emergency order was based on the engineering request that this wall was in imminent danger of collapse if they did not finish that seventh tier. And after the permission was given to build the seventh wall, no one came back. That is my concern now is that bluff, it has the seven tiers. And that seventh wall isn't there. The Bluff now makes a half bowl; it's not straight anymore. So that half bowl really requires that seventh wall. The contractor put in the side walls to compensate for the neighbors. Those sidewalls are needed for this place where the seventh tier is supposed to be. I agree it should be there. If they make Page 5 of 19