Watching Harmony Lot wall

Gary Corey of the Dept. of Public Works opens a fire hydrant on Green Street in Brattleboro while working on the water main. (Kayla Rice/Reformer)

Gary Corey of the Dept. of Public Works waits for water to begin to flow out of a fire hydrant on Green Street in Brattleboro while working on the water main. (Kayla Rice/Reformer)

By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN

Reformer Staff

BRATTLEBORO -- Department of Public Works Director Steve Barrett is hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

Barrett had workers on Lower Green Street Wednesday installing extra shut-off valves on the eight-inch water line that runs under the road in case the retaining wall above the Harmony Parking Lot fails. Earlier this year engineers determined that the retaining wall was moving and there is an outside chance that the wall could come down at any time.

If the wall fails, Barrett said, and the water line breaks, thousands of gallons of water would stream into the Harmony Lot, causing significant damage to the property and vehicles in the lot. Barrett wanted the valves to be in place so the Public Works Department could shut off the water if the wall comes down.

"The wall is failing and I believe we have a serious situation here," Barrett said. "Right now we are taking precautions so the water line could be controlled if the wall does collapse."

Lower Green Street has been closed since early September when a routine observation of the wall found that it was shifting. Deep cracks appeared in the pavement on Lower Green Street, which runs directly on top of the wall, and Barrett closed the road until further notice.

Barrett still does not have a clear plan for addressing the issue, but tests are ongoing and he hopes to go before the Selectboard soon with a range of options, most of which are likely to cost the town hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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Watching Harmony Lot wall