BROWNSTOWN

Erosion is an issue near the softball diamond at Brownstown Park.

Plus, a retaining wall made of railroad ties is a safety concern.

Town officials hope installing a new retaining wall will help with both problems.

The town council recently unanimously approved to spend nearly $1,500 to construct a new wall, including caps, blocks, fabric, gravel, dirt and drainage pipes.

“It’s definitely a safety issue right now with erosion, and there’s rebar in the steel fence post,” Councilman Mark Reynolds said. “It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Reynolds said Barry Hall is going to charge $500 for labor involved in using a mini excavator to dig everything out and help put dirt and gravel down for the new wall. Reynolds said there’s not enough room in the area for the town to use its backhoe.

“Sounds pretty reasonable,” Councilman Gary Drake said.

“I thought that was more than reasonable,” Reynolds said.

Street Superintendent Dale Shelton will use one of the town’s trucks to pick up dirt and gravel and bring it back to the park.

“Because we’re going to move that wall out to make that wider, we’re looking at probably 9 feet between the corner of the fence to the retaining wall,” Reynolds said.

The wall will be about 30 feet long, and Reynolds said he wants to make it nearly 10 feet longer. It will stand a little more than 3½ feet high.

“We’re bringing that up to where it would be right level with the bottom of the fence of the (softball) diamond so there’s no slope there,” Reynolds said.

The 75 caps are 88 cents apiece for a total cost of $66, while the other costs are $670 for blocks, $30 for fabric, $50 for drainage pipes and $150 for gravel.

Lining fabric and placing gravel on the back side of the wall will help prevent erosion, and 4-inch perforated pipes at the bottom of the wall will allow water to drain out, Reynolds said.

The wall will be topped off with grass, and Reynolds suggested putting some type of railing along the top of the wall for safety and aesthetic reasons.