City to rebuild Comstock Park retaining wall

The city of Adrian is planning to rebuild the retaining wall along one bank of the South Branch of the River Raisin in Comstock Park, possibly as soon as this summer.

The wall, which holds up the steep embankment on the southeast side of the river, is starting to deteriorate, city parks and recreation director Mark Gasche said.

Its showing signs of failure, Gasche said.

The wall was built in 1974 and the city has been monitoring it for about five years, knowing it would need to be replaced, Gasche said.

There is $500,000 in the upcoming fiscal year capital budget to replace the wall, Gasche said.

The existing wall is about 460 feet long and is constructed of horizontal timbers held in place by steel H beams driven deep into the river bank. The wall ranges in height from about 12 feet to 15 feet, Gasche said.

The city would be satisfied to have the new wall built the same way as the existing wall, or possibly have a concrete or block wall, Gasche said.

For aesthetic reasons, the city would prefer not to have a wall of steel sheets driven into the ground, or to have terraced rocks held in place by heavy wire such as now exists on the opposite bank of the river, Gasche said. The terraced rocks probably would require too much space, he said.

At its Feb. 20 meeting, the Adrian City Commission approved a $29,815 bid by Rowe Professional Services Co. of Flint to do design engineering for the new wall.

Rowe already has contacted the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality about permits for the work, Gasche said. MDEQ has jurisdiction because the project involves the river.

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City to rebuild Comstock Park retaining wall