Bethlehem Council hears safety concerns about a falling wall and cars hitting school kids

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -

A retaining wall is in desperate need of repair behind a property at 1028 Mechanic Street in south Bethlehem, according to a man who addressed Bethlehem City Council Tuesday night.

If this wall comes down, somebodys going to get killed, warned Robert Delker.

Delker, who resides in Northampton, said the home at that address was owned by his mother but is being transferred to him.

Delker told council an engineer hired by the city to inspect the wall in 2004 concluded it is leaning and in danger of collapsing.

Eight years later, the wall is getting worse, warned Delker. He said in the last few weeks, three big pieces of concrete broke off from a portion of the wall that is next door to his mothers home.

He warned the wall could collapse on children playing in yards beneath it.

Delker said he first brought the matter to City Council in April, but has gotten no response from Bethlehems administration. I got absolutely no where.

He said the city administrators told him it would be opening cans of worms by going on private property to fix walls. But Delker stressed a portion of the wall was repaired by the city in the 1980s.

Delker read a letter from State Sen. Lisa Boscola stating the wall is a public safety concern for those residents living in that neighborhood. Should this wall collapse in the future, it could be a grave outcome nobody wants to witness. In her letter, sent to the city, Boscola expressed hope a solution can be worked out between the city and the property owners.

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Bethlehem Council hears safety concerns about a falling wall and cars hitting school kids