Board of Public Works approves plan to repair Jasper City Mill
The Jasper Board of Public Works approved a plan to repair the city mill’s collapsed wall.
Nick Jahn of VS Engineering, a firm that specializes in hydrological projects, was contracted to make recommendations for the repair of the wall which collapsed with the rise and fall of the river in early-spring.
The wall is not necessary for the foundation of the new mill; Jahn previously explained to the board that the new mill’s foundation is pinned to bedrock with 24 inch pins. He also explained that the collapsed wall was likely never designed to be a freestanding wall and once the flooring above was removed from the structure above, it likely became unstable.
Jahn presented three options, the first being to rebuild the wall to return it to its previous state. This would cost between $70,000 and $80,000 to complete and that price did not include the cost of specialized equipment necessary for any of the repairs the city chose.
The second option involved the city placing articulated blocks to stabilize the bank where the wall used to be. The wall would not be rebuilt and the bank would be stabilized to the edge of the mill with the articulated blocks. Vegetation would be added to the bank below the mill to stop further erosion.
These bricks would allow some natural growth but would also be a potential eyesore. The projected cost for this repair was about $38,000.
The third option recommended by Jahn involved using cellular confinement, a manufactured stabilizer that would be filled with gravel and then topped with soil. Plants with deep root systems would then be added to further stabilize the bank and improve its appearance.
The bank would be repaired from the corner of the still-standing wall to just below the footbridge of the Riverwalk and would cost about $68,500. Blocks from the collapsed section would be used to further stabilize the bank along the water’s edge.
Repairs to the damaged section of the mill had been placed on hold while CityVisions and Gamble and Associates completed the Jasper Downtown/Riverfront Master Plan. They reviewed the recommendation and approved the cellular confinement as the best option for their recommendations for the riverfront.
Based on the aesthetics and low maintenance of the option, Jahn recommended and the board approved repairing the mill with the cellular confinement option.
Jahn said his office would have to receive permits from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management before beginning the work. He would begin the permitting process immediately and the repair work would be scheduled during the spring or summer of 2014 depending to the water level of the river.
The repairs will be paid for with a portion of the Economic Development Income Tax funds allocated as matching funds for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to tear down homes in a flood zone on South Main Street near the river.
