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Vandals strike at Jefferson Park
06/23/2013 11:08 AM by John M
It appears that vandals have knocked down two wall sections along the Jefferson Park stairs down to Cedar and Marshall Streets.
PHOTOS via Thornley
Stairs under construction in November 2011
This has been a couple weeks in the making. I noticed the walls falling over about a month ago. It was just one wall at that time.
Is the whole wall like that? That’s pitifully bad work. Some of the taller areas are acting as retaining walls. They’re going to shift drastically and dangerously if they’re not built to actually retain all of that hillside soil.
I opened a seeclickfix issue for it if anyone wants to vote and hopefully get the thing inspected and fixed…
http://seeclickfix.com/issues/591892
Are you folks unable to spot purposeful damage when you see it?? “Just A Neighbor”, it looks like you & I are bound to “butt heads” perpetually. You noticed the walls falling down “a month ago”, and you notified the city (or not)?
Andrea & Stephen, it may be that it was not the sturdiest of construction, but these sections were pushed/knocked over.
Regardless folks, the City is already aware, and plans to repair it in July.
That type of block can be dry stacked. But they can be knocked over by dullards.
@#5. The blocks have obviously been knocked over. Whether by vandals or careless kids who can say. Whatever the case, certainly not a wall to be built for the ages in a public park that sees heavy use. If it can be deconstructed that easily in such a short amount of time, it shouldn’t be put to use in a high use place. I mean, it’s not like they took a jackhammer or a sledge hammer to it–they kicked the pieces over with their sneakered feet… @#6 Those walls can be drystacked by harry homeowner in his back yard to a limited height where it won’t see the kind of rough use that a public park sustains. If it was specced to be constructed like this in the first place (as opposed to purely bad installation) the designer/architect should lose their license. Most of those ‘dry-stacked’ modular walls at least require construction adhesive between blocks. These should have been interlocked with rebar and the cores filled to lock everything into a monolithic mass to resist the inevitable push from the hillside soil. It boggles the mind that the construction would be that lightweight. I’m glad the city is going to deal with it in July. I wonder how much was already spent to build it in the first place…
It reminds me of the Lee Bridge where the bridge divides in two just before Belle Island. That area has been rubbing/vibrating for years, so the solution is to put a shitty wooden scaffold over the pedestrian bridge to keep chunks of concrete from falling on people and calling it ‘fixed’. It’s been like that for what, 8-10 years already? Again, mind boggling.
yes, obviously they were purposefully damaged. but my opinion is that an interlock wall system with a dry stack installation method is not appropriate for a public park. not only is it cheap and ugly (especially compared to the existing ‘actual’ stone walls of the park) its easy to damage.
While I’m on my little rant, I just found this in regard to the Lee bridge. They spent $30,000!!!!! to put up that shitty scaffold over the pedestrian bridge….and another $120, 000 for further inspection…and all that in 2009!! And it still has the pedestrian bridge scaffold 5 years later? Arggggg!!! who makes these decisions???? http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/richmond-bridges-getting-inspections-maintenance/article_449b6fbd-a3d5-5caa-a4c8-c0398c3aad7d.html
Anyway, I hope they fix the Jefferson Park retaining wall and bill the contractor who intalled it in the first place. I can hear our tax dollars smoldering away…
For some reason, there is very poor oversight of contractors who work in the park system. They routinely get away with sub par work and are rarely forced to correct their errors.
But this work could have also been done by the dept of public works, which is an even bigger house of screw ups. So good luck in getting it repaired without costing taxpayer dollars.
I love that the city has somehow scheduled this for July but cannot seem to tell me when the massive set potholes on Main Street downtown will be filled.
Thornley, Did you see the vandal or vandals damage the wall? Are you unable to comprehend that somebody could have stumbled into the wall? Are you happy to butt heads with any possible targets because you are bored, or is it because you are an arrogant jerk?
Alex M.-
“…somebody could have stumbled into the wall?”
It’s not arrogance, it’s just your irresistible naivety.
Be careful crossing the street, in case you “stumble into” a car…
If you offer something constructive, and not just an insult, we can have some meaningful discourse on the actual subject.
I spoke to the Director of City Parks last night at the City Council meeting. He explained that the last two courses of these stones were set with an industrial adhesive that failed.
Repairs are in the works.
To jean mcdaniel:
Thanks for your action(s), and for simply posting useful info-not rhetoric.
I’ll try to break away from “butting heads”, and follow your more mature example.
@#14 Jean, thank you for the update.
I hope the ‘fix’ does not mean sending out a guy with a tube of adhesive every couple of years.
There’s a saying in construction; ‘physics trumps chemistry’. That means relying on things like metal flashing, or in this case, mortar in the cores and between the blocks, is more reliable in the long term than relying on things like caulks and adhesives….
Will this be a fifty year wall or a hundred year wall? More likely a 10 year wall before it needs substantial repairs…
If you look closely at the photo you can see a thin line of the “adhesive” on some of the stones. The Director of parks is fully aware that another adhesive fix is not the way to go.
I suspect somebody may have sat on the edge( it’s something I would do) to watch the world spin by and disloged the stones. I am just glad that no one was hurt because that could be a hell of a fall picking up speed all the way to Marshall St.
I don’t want to believe that this was vandalism,; there is no sign of graffite or trash being thrown about. I think it is just an unfortunate use of an unproven adhesive product.