Add the retaining wall to the list of concerns recently raised about the physical condition of Fanwood's Borough Hall.
During the council meeting Tuesday night, Borough Engineer Joseph Prior said that the three-tiered retaining wall is “moving,” and that’s it’s only a matter of time before it falls.
Repairs to the wall, which is located near the fire station, were estimated at $80,000. The council had originally budgeted a total of $75,000 for the project.
“I’m estimating the wall would run about $80,000, and I’ve got $15,000 for engineering,” Pryor said.
Mayor Colleen Mahr said the borough has known about the condition of the retaining wall, but that engineering costs were previously not factored into the estimate.
“I asked Joe to sharpen his pencil for engineering costs so that we could get a hard number,” Mahr said. “I suspect that number will come down. We’ve identified money for construction, but I don’t believe the engineering costs were figured in.”
The borough has already appropriated money to cover the costs of the reconstruction. Mahr said that the money is not part of the capital improvements that will be covered in next year’s budget.
“The retaining wall has been on our radar,” she said. “It was decided that we would go forward, since we already had money appropriated for it. What we would be looking at is the difference between what was appropriated and the actual construction costs.”
In addition to the retaining wall, the borough is also working on a facilities report that will identify which parts of Borough Hall need to be repaired. But because that report won't be complete for some time, Mahr said that the retaining wall would be addressed separately because it is a more pressing issue.
“The retaining wall is 25 years old and made from railroad ties,” Mahr said. “It is a priority, since we haven’t started the facilities report, and this is something on the outside of Borough Hall. It’s been slowly deteriorating over the years, to the point where we don’t want to wait to address it."
