Jasper to look at other options for collapsed City Mill wall

The Jasper Board of Public Works rejected a bid to repair the City Mill due to the costs involved at their regular meeting Tuesday.

The single bid to complete the repairs to the Mill wall, which collapsed in 2013, was from Kern Excavating for $162,599.

VS Engineering was retained by the board of public works to guide the city through the approval process. Five federal and state agencies had to sign off on the work being done due to it being on Patoka River and the Mill wall being part of a historic building.

VS Engineering estimated the cost of the project would be between $85,000 and $90,000. The project included using the original stones to create an aesthetic retaining wall along the river bank and to add vegetation on the bank to stabilize the soil.

The wall that collapsed acted as a retainer for a dirt pad on the downstream side of the mill. It did not provide any structural stability to the mill.

An Eagle Scout project had been planned to create a picnic area on the space before the collapse. Plans now call for the bank to be cut back to the wheel box.

According to City Engineere Chad Hurm, they will review the project to see if some alternatives can be recommended to lower the cost of the repairs. Since those repairs cannot be completed until April or May due to restrictions on the city’s building permit, Hurm stated they still expect to begin work on schedule.

Plans to blacktop the parking lot of the mill are also on hold until the project is completed.