Saltwater Leak on East Whittley
If you recall, the island experienced a major storm last Friday night into Saturday morning. It produced just over 2 inches of rain, and gale force winds. Fortunately all of the prep work we did helped our town fare relatively well from the storm. Feeling relieved we were able to move onto other things, but then got informed of a major saltwater leak near our property located at 206 E. Whittley. A large saltwater service line blew out, and the pressure form the saltwater undermined the pavers along the street causing them to buckle. Crew members were called in, and were able to stop & repair the leak the same day. Their quick efforts caused the saltwater in the area to be turned off for only a few hours, which the residents appreciated. A large portion of the parking area there will remain blocked off until we can repair the pavers.
Sinkhole on Pebbly Beach Road
As we all know, Pebbly Beach Road (PBR) had to be closed for several days due a large sinkhole that opened up along the road. There are currently numerous “sea caves” along PBR that tend to worsen whenever we experience a strong storm swell from the south. A revetment project is in the works to eventually repair all of the sea caves, but in the meantime Publics Works repairs them once they start to undermine the road. The sinkhole is completely opened up with the use of our mini-excavator. Large quarry rock is then carefully put into place inside the hole. Once the rocks are positioned concrete is poured into the hole, and then a concrete slurry is placed on top to create a finished surface. This is tedious, labor intensive, process that can take several days to properly complete. This is a permanent repair, and the area is now safe to travel on.
Rockslide at the Casino
Public Works was notified at approximately 5pm Wednesday of a rockslide near the Casino building. A substantial amount of rock had fallen from the hillside, and was still very active. We had the option of closing the road, but all of Hamilton Cove would have had to been evacuated since there would be no way to get into town. We decided that we could make the area safe by adjusting the existing k-rail, and adding some as well. Public Works crews once again were called in after hours to make this happen so we could keep the road open. Two sections of the existing k-rail were pulled away from the hillside several feet to create more room for fallen material. The area behind the k-rail was then partially cleared. An additional k-rail with fencing was then installed to allow us to completely contain the fallen rock. It was a dangerous situation as rock continued to fall as crew members worked on positioning the k-rail. Plywood was then installed onto the k-rail fencing to help contain the smaller material. The area was then cleared of all residual rock & debris, and vehicles were once again allowed to travel safely through the area.
Pumpout Dock Project
Both Public Works & Harbor Maintenance continued to work on the pumpout dock this week as weather permitted. Public Works was able to mostly backfill the trench along the seawall. Some of the fill was rather wet, so crews will need to complete the backfilling & resurfacing process next week after it dries out. Harbor Maintenance crews worked on the final water & sewage connections, and also worked with Avalon Mooring Services to put the pumpout float into place. Fortunately the weather is looking favorable, and we hope to have it up & running by the end of next week.