Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sinkhole at historic jail uncovered during courthouse sidewalk work; county moves to shore foundation
Summary
Contractors discovered a sinkhole and mud intrusion at the historic jail's stone foundation during sidewalk removal; county staff and consultants excavated, placed about 15 tons of aggregate and plan further inspection.
Contractors removing old sidewalk in front of Muscatine County's courthouse exposed a sinkhole that forced soil through cracks in the stone foundation of the adjacent historic jail, county staff reported on April 13.
A county project manager said crews found "hundreds of pounds of mud in the basement of that historic jail" after rainwater flowed directly against the exposed foundation. Staff and consultant engineers excavated carefully, determined the wall did not appear structurally compromised, and placed about 15 tons of clean aggregate under engineer direction to stabilize the area. The project manager said geothermal equipment in the basement remained up off the ground and was not harmed.
County staff alerted the engineer (Brad Grove of Watersmith) and scheduled further inspection by Mike Nolan around the 20th of the month to determine whether additional repairs are needed. The sidewalk and curb work may be delayed by weather; crews hoped to pour the gutter and curb but anticipated additional work to protect the foundation and finish the sidewalk.
