Inquirer: Yet another problem plagues the withering wall of Weracoba Creek

A Concerned Reader named Sonny is wondering if the city has a surplus of big orange barrels and decided to store them on Cherokee Avenue.

“Can you tell me what’s going on with that barrel brigade blocking part of Cherokee?” Sonny asked. “They’ve been there going on about two months and I never see any work being done.”

Well Sonny, I’ve got good news and bad.

The bad news is that it’s not going to get better anytime real soon. The good news is the cause of the bad news. Most, if not all of the $400,000-$500,000 it’s going to cost to repair the failing wall will be picked up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to city Engineering Director Donna Newman.

Because of the amount of information needed to get a federal agency involved, the project is moving slowly, Newman said. The feds can apparently be a bit exacting in wanting all the specs before they cut a check.

They city will also have to put out for bids for contractors.

Keeping it blocked off is a precaution to keep stress off the compromised wall, Newman said. It’s braced so it won’t collapse, but it’s still a good idea to keep cars away until FEMA comes to the rescue.

So why the heck is FEMA involved in the first place?

Because the damage was caused by the torrential deluge of December, which rendered the city a disaster area, the feds are riding to the rescue with a bag of cash.

A storied past

Dedicated readers will recall that this is far from the first time that particular lane has had to be blocked off while the retaining wall for the creek was repaired. Two years ago, the city had to spend about $650,000 to replace a stretch of the wall. And in 2011, an 80-foot stretch collapsed not far from where a similar 80-foot stretch had caved in a few years before.

And more often than you’d expect, a car will careen into the creek. I once observed that it was proof that nearby Columbus High isn’t a Driver’s Ed magnet, which didn’t sit well up on the hill.

And then there is the possibly apocryphal tale of a scion of one of Columbus’ old families roaring down the Country Club of Columbus driveway after spending way too much time at the bar. He reportedly neglected to turn either left or right onto Cherokee, and nose-dived into the ditch. He was allegedly pulled out of the wreck and driven home without making even a perfunctory stop at the cop shop.

It pays to be a scion.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Inquirer: Yet another problem plagues the withering wall of Weracoba Creek."