Author: SPY

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The borough is finally taking action on a long-standing water problem on Grinnell Avenue. As Columbia Spy reported previously HERE and HERE, water from an underground spring is continuously coating the road surface between 10th and 11th streets, creating slippery conditions. The water is being pumped to the road surface via residents’ sump pumps.

According to Zoning and Planning Officer Jeff Helm, the borough proposes to fix the problem by running an 8-inch drain pipe in a beauty strip along the sidewalk on the south side of the street. Homeowners’ drain lines will then connect to the pipe, which will be capped at the 11th Street end and connect to a new catch basin at 10th Street. The water will then flow down 10th Street to an existing catch basin on Barber Street. Homeowners will also have the option of connecting their downspouts to the pipe. The seven homeowners affected will need to sign an easement allowing access and maintenance to the piping.

Currently, Grinnell Avenue is closed to through traffic. No work schedule has been publicly announced for the project, although lines have been spray-painted along the beauty strip and at the 10th Street intersection in preparation for excavation.

Contractors are currently scrambling to finish remedial work on several Walnut Street sidewalks. The sidewalks are part of an overall road project on the 500 and 600 blocks that includes road paving, curbs, and ramps. As Columbia Spy reported HERE, property owners on the two blocks complained to borough council recently about various problems with the project.

In response, engineering firm C.S. Davidson provided information and updates on the project at the borough’s November Public Works and Property Committee meeting. The firm’s representative, Derek Rinaldo, who serves as the borough’s Engineer of Record, told the committee, “We’re aware of several issues on that street right now.” He named cracking concrete, blocked drains, and overspray as a few of those issues. Rinaldo said he developed a punch list of over 20 items after walking the site several times with the borough’s Ron Miller and Jake Graham. [Miller is Public Works Director, and Graham is Highway Department Manager.]

Regarding concrete cracking, Rinaldo said, “We’re not concerned with the integrity of the concrete.” He pointed out that the concrete used for the job is rated at 4,000 psi and must meet borough standards based on PennDOT 408 specifications that govern various aspects of construction.

During sidewalk installation, another problem became apparent: a sinkhole that opened near 647 Walnut. Rinaldo said a urethane injection method is typically used to fill in any voids and spaces associated with a sinkhole. In the process, a spray foam is injected underneath the road and curb, which expands to fill the affected area. A second sinkhole opened this past Sunday, near 651 Walnut.

Contractors are working to correct problems on the 600 block of Walnut Street

Another possible factor contributing to drainage problems, according to Rinaldo, is the street’s high crown. Unfortunately, lowering the crown would require tearing up and totally reconstructing the street, potentially adding several hundred thousand dollars to the cost. Rinaldo said testing and core samples of the street did not show a need for reconstruction, because the base is strong. Profile milling was done instead; that is, taking a very small amount of material off the top and replacing it with petromat, a fiber-containing paving material that provides an extra layer of strength over trench cuts and divots.

Problems on the 500 block are also being addressed.

Rinaldo explained that other jobs he’s been involved with in the borough did not have these kinds of problems and that this is the third or fourth project he’s done with Pennsy Supply. Pennsy installed the sidewalks on the 600 block, while a subcontractor, Sauder Brothers Concrete, did the 500 block. The total project cost for the two blocks was a little over $432,000. Rinaldo said no contractors have been paid so far. 

[UPDATE 11/30/18: According to a source, contractors have been paid, except for the final 5%.]

This edition of WITF’s Smart Talk features Dr. John Gerdy, founder and executive director of Music for Everyone and Lisa Sempsey, music teacher and K-12 art and music curriculum coordinator for Columbia Borough School District.

The discussion starts at 27:48 HERE.