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Senate committee hears $1.6M request to shore up courthouse riverbank
Summary
Buildings and General Services told the Senate Institutions committee that a destabilized riverbank behind a courthouse is at risk of sloughing; the agency requested $1,600,000 from the cash fund for geotechnical work and bank stabilization after ruling out some tieback options because of a sewer line.
The Senate Institutions committee on Feb. 5 heard from Buildings and General Services (BGS) about a request for $1,600,000 from the capital cash fund to stabilize a failing riverbank behind a county courthouse.
“For the record, I'm Joe Rager, director of design and construction with Buildings and General Services,” the presenter said, and described cracking pavement, a tilted guardrail and a slope that is “headed downhill down to the river.” He said the court reopened Feb. 2 after a renovation and that remaining exterior work includes addressing the riverbank.
A geotechnical engineer evaluated the slope and presented three remediation options: (1) clear trees, remove and re-place large stones along the slope (riprap) and maintain them over time; (2) construct a concrete retaining wall partway down the bank and tie it back into the slope; or (3) install a full-bank mesh system tied into anchors. Rager told the committee that the sewer line running through the area makes tiebacks problematic, removing some options from consideration, and that the agency prefers reworking and replacing large stones as the more practical approach.
Rager said the requested amount is $1,600,000 from the cash fund to complete the work. He also noted that the 100-year flood elevation reaches near a transformer and dumpster on site, increasing the urgency of stabilizing the bank.
Committee members asked clarifying questions but the transcript records no formal motion or vote on the request. The request appears in the proposed capital budget as presented to the committee; the transcript does not record an approval or next-step deadline.
