07-24-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Gates is only providing drawings to be used by a contractor to build the stairs, wooden boathouse, and deck. He is not responsible for correctly building any of the proposed construction. I believe Mr. Gates is a contractor with building experience. However, Mr. Gates is not a licensed engineer, nor is he an engineer formally trained in the art of structural or civil engineering. Furthermore, the original bluff retaining wall design by Criterium Schimnowski did not take into account a wooden boathouse and deck to be built on top of the retaining walls. As we know now, the "As-Built" retaining walls were modified on-the-fly by the contractor who built 6 retaining walls based on the conditions he encountered last October 2022. The contractor was subsequently issued a stop work order in late October 2022 prior to completion of the 7th retaining wall because it was abundantly clear that the retaining wall construction was not "in-kind" to the original bluff retaining walls, nor was it built to the Professional Engineer's licensed design submitted by Criterium-Schimnowski Engineers. I understand the construction of the stairs up the bluff and over the retaining walls is necessary and acceptable. The stairs are "airy" to let water flow between steps, and the structural loading on the stair construction process is fairly evenly distributed up the bluff. But I have a significant concern with the proposal to build an impervious wooden boat house and deck on top of the tiered wall landings and adjacent to the retaining wall itself. The drawings indicate the wooden boathouse is to be constructed on a concrete slab with a deck on top of the boathouse. An additional large landing is proposed to enter the deck on top of the wooden boathouse. My concern is the added weight and hardcover that will be added between the 3rd and 4th retaining wall tiers that were newly built within the bluff. The earth of the bluff was removed to construct the retaining walls. Many photos have been provided in previous Council meetings to show the earth moving excavation process to remove the old retaining walls and construct the new retaining walls - including the road that was created from the top of the bluff down to the lake to accommodate the excavating equipment! The boathouse and deck should be considered new construction because the As-Built retaining walls were not built "in kind' to the previous retaining walls. Moreover, no licensed engineering information is provided on how the construction and hardcover of the boathouse and deck may affect the proper drainage and structural integrity of the retaining walls. The drawings, especially the lake view depicted on Sheet 2, do not show any safety railings that may be required based on the height and access points of the retaining walls. Is this an action item for someone within the Orono building department to investigate? Exhibit B3 - Soil Information This exhibit contains several graphs of a Direct Shear Test, and a single graph of a Moisture Density test based on samples gathered in April 2023. The test results were reported on 5/8/2023. However, no engineering summary was provided and it appears that no site licensed engineer has provided an evaluation of this test data and how it may affect the integrity of the As-Built bluff retaining walls. Exhibit B4 - Engineered Design/Letter The letter states that "No material sampling, analytic tests, precise measurement or engineering calculations were performed. This includes but is not limited to: compaction testing, soil sampling, global stability calculations." Additionally, the Original Plans of the bluff retaining wall designed by Criterium-Schimnowski, dated August 24, 2022, state the following in the Design Limitations section: "Internal compound stability (ICS) has been calculated for the project by Criterium. However, ICS is not a substitute for a global stability analysis which should be