Page 2A-Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010, Curry Coastal Pilot
Video reveals failed pipe old, poorly constructed By Arwyn Rice Pilot staff writer As a new storm approached Brookings Friday night, crews finished installing a pump and pipe system to divert Macklyn Creek water away from the sinkhole and debris-clogged culvert in front of Brookings City Hall. Engineers were concerned that a big rain event could overload the damaged system and cause flooding on Elk
Street, Fifth Street and across Chetco Avenue. The diversion to other storm drain systems should do the job and prevent flooding, City Manager Gary Milliman said Friday evening. Poorly constructed
A video inspection done Tuesday revealed the culvert is falling apart due to age and other factors. The video, shown at Wednesday’s emergency council meeting, clearly showed
Introducing LAURA & SARAH at the HairPort GET $5 OFF BASIC SERVICES (haircuts, waxing) and $10 OFF CHEMICAL SERVICES (perms, color) New location at the North End of Town 1025 Chetco Ave. #4, Brookings ~ Offer expires 12/31/10 ~
Call 541-412-9061 and ask for Sarah or Laura
cracks in the pipe. About 90 feet from where the creek enters the culvert, the round pipe is flattened to an oval. At the site of the failure, crews had to use a 19-inch pipe to fit the flattened opening, Milliman said. Large cracks are clearly visible on the video, and there are several mystery openings where stormwater drains may have once emptied into the pipe. There are several abrupt drops in the culvert, and it changes from a 30-inch pipe to a 36-inch pipe at a point approximately midway between the entrance and the break. City Engineer Mike Erickson told the council that the depth of the culvert, an average of 25 feet below the ground surface, contributed to the failure. The unreinforced concrete pipe was not designed for the weight of that much fill, Erickson said.
The culvert’s joints were not tight and have several curves, he said. Erickson said he believes the culvert was simply placed in the natural drainage, then covered to raise the level of the land. The original crews made little attempt to make the seams between pipe sections tight, he said. No one knows exactly when the culvert was constructed, but it is believed that the work was done before the current city hall was built in the early 1970s. Funding and replacement
Brookings City Council voted Wednesday to approve more than $500,000 in funding for emergency and longterm repairs to the failed culvert beneath the city hall parking lot. Most of the funds will be taken from other city works projects. Replacement of the culvert,
which collapsed on Nov. 7 and resulted in a large sinkhole, will cost the city $470,000. In addition, the city is being charged $2,400 each day for a giant vacuum used to remove debris from the larger pipe downstream, Milliman said. The city engineer’s design to replace 540 feet of old culvert is expected to take two or three weeks. Once the design is ready, bidding is expected to last an additional two to weeks. Actual construction is likely to begin in mid-December. If the weather cooperates, the replacement of the culvert may be complete by mid-January, Milliman said. Temporary repairs to the existing culvert will be buried and filled, and the new 48-inch replacement will be constructed above it, Milliman said. The new design will meet 2007 standards for a 25-year storm event. The broken culvert carries Macklyn Creek underground from city hall to Mill Pond, and must be replaced from northeast corner of the city hall parking lot to Chase Bank, where it meets a larger, 48-inch culvert. The city is still investigat-
ing the condition of a larger and newer section of culvert, which runs from Chase Bank to Mill Pond. Crews are cleaning rubble washed downstream from the sinkhole. The larger culvert is almost completely blocked by rubble from the sinkhole, Erickson said. The water diversion pipe installed Friday will also make it easier for crews to finish removing the rubble, Milliman said. City Hall parking
The parking lot in front of city hall is closed. Arrangements for parking and access to the water payment box and mail box in front of city hall have not yet been set, Milliman said. There is parking available on the eastern side of city hall, at Ross Road and Elk Drive, and from the alley behind city hall on Fifth Street. The city’s large parking lot will be closed once construction of the new culvert begins. Possibilities for alternative parking include Fifth Street on-street parking and a cityowned parking area near Bankus Fountain, adjacent to Ray’s Food Place.
Shooting: Man claims he wasn’t nude, as reported Continued from Page 1A
Our sale on Android -powered phones has lots of good points.
But Torrance said he hadn’t shot across the river and wasn’t nude, as had originally been reported to sheriff’s deputies. Meyer’s reading of charges included a statement that Torrance had been wearing shorts. Torrance said he was shooting at a target near the rear of his house. He said it was a pile of sand with steel and plywood. “For 20 years I’ve been shooting at that target,” he said. “I’ve been shooting at the target 21 feet away. I’ve never put a bullet in that river in my life. When salmon were there, I was tempted to. But I never did,” Torrance said. He said the house where
TM
From November 22 to 29 only,
get a great deal on any Android -powered phone at U.S. Cellular while supplies last—and you can join The Belief Project. TM
®
SM
Movie: ‘I’ve read the book at least four times’
Sign up for a Belief Plan, and you’re automatically enrolled in the industry’s first rewards program with points. Earn points for rewards that include everything from phone upgrades in as little as nine months to Overage Forgiveness.
Continued from Page 1A
HTC DESIRE
TM
4999
$
After $80 mail-in rebate that comes as a Visa debit card. Requires a Belief Plan with Data Plus and/or new 2-yr. agmt. Applicable Data Plan required. $30 act. fee may apply. ®
LG APEX
TM
free
After $80 mail-in rebate that comes as a Visa debit card. Requires a Belief Plan with Data Plus and/or new 2-yr. agmt. Applicable Data Plan required. $30 act. fee may apply.
the complainant lived is 170 feet down the road. Judge Jesse Margolis, after some discussion, accepted Torrance’s plea and convicted him of recklessly endangering another. He sentenced Torrance to 36 months’ probation and charged him $885 in fines and fees and told Torrance he could not possess a firearm as long as he is on probation. The judge said anyone could have been alarmed if Torrance had been shooting in their direction. “I’m telling you what you were doing was stupid,” Margolis said. “You seem like a nice enough guy, but you’re making some pretty poor choices.”
SAMSUNG MESMERIZE
TM
a Galaxy S phone TM
9999
$
After $80 mail-in rebate that comes as a Visa debit card. Requires a Belief Plan with Data Plus and/or new 2-yr. agmt. Applicable Data Plan required. $30 act. fee may apply.
SAMSUNG ACCLAIM
TM
free
After $80 mail-in rebate that comes as a Visa debit card. Requires a Belief Plan with Data Plus and/or new 2-yr. agmt. Applicable Data Plan required. $30 act. fee may apply.
“I’m here because of the acting and the social aspect,” BHHS student Liz Lindley said. “All of my friends are here.” Lindley has never even read the books, she said, preferring the Twilight series. The owners of Redwood Theater, Tim and Cynthia Patterson, understand both sides of the Harry Potter spectrum. Tim has never read the books and doesn’t enjoy the movies at all, while Cynthia has read the books multiple times and has seen all of the movies. “I’ve read the first book at least four times,” Cynthia said. “The other books I’ve read at least twice.” According to Cynthia they are very readable and never get old. “Some books you can only read once but these can be read over and over again,” she said. Some fans had some quirky habits including Eileen Goodwin who hasn’t read the second half of the seventh book
so that she, “doesn’t get ahead of the movies.” Deciding where to call the split was a bit of a struggle for her though. “I stopped where I thought the most logical place to have a break would be,” she said. Some of Azalea Middle School’s teachers were in attendance to be able to better communicate with the children. Gloria Stehn, Tracy Byers, Kelly Singleton, Jennifer Berger and Ian Keusink all attended the premiere together. Another youngster in attendance was 10-year old Amaya Eckersley who has read all the books once and has attended all the Redwood premieres of the Harry Potter movies. “It’s my favorite series of all time,” Eckersley said. “The books are good too.” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1” is showing daily at Redwood Theater in Brookings and Crescent City Cinemas in Crescent City.
THANKSGIVING DAY SPECIALS with all the TRIMMINGS Roast Turkey with mashed potatos, candied yams and carrots, cranberry sauce, stuffing and a slice of pumpkin pie....$1295
Learn more by visiting uscellular.com/project
Slow roasted Prime Rib with choice of potato, soup or salad and a slice of pumpkin pie....$1595
or calling 1-888-BUY-USCC.
Served Noon–8 p.m. (Take out available)
Brookings-Harbor’s & Crescent City’s 24 Hour Restaurant
Things we want you to know: An agreement with a two-year initial term (subject to early termination fee) and credit approval required for all new customers and for existing customers not on an eligible Belief Plan. Existing customers may change to an eligible Belief Plan without signing a new agreement. Use of service constitutes acceptance of the terms of our Customer Service Agreement. Those terms apply for as long as you are a customer. A $30 activation fee may apply. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies; this is not a tax or government-required charge. Additional fees, taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas apply and may vary by plan, service and equipment. Promotional Phone subject to change. U.S. Cellular Visa Debit Card issued by MetaBank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Allow 10–12 weeks for processing. Card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts Visa debit cards. Card valid for 120 days after issued. Belief Plans with Data Plus start at $89.99 per month. Smartphone Plans not part of The Belief Project start at $30 per month. Application and data network usage charges may apply when accessing applications. Limited-time offer. Android, Android Market, Gmail and Google Maps are all trademarks of Google, Inc. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. ©2010 U.S. Cellular.
Don’t forget to order your Holiday Pies!
97953 Shopping Center Dr., Brookings (541) 469-2299 308 Hwy 101 S. Crescent City (707) 464-5630