Jacks’ wall collapse rumour ‘public mischief’ – Bailey

Over the weekend, it was widely rumoured that a section of the Jacks’ retaining wall at Ratho Mill had collapsed, but this is false, says Chief Engineer Brent Bailey.{{more}}

In fact, when contacted on Monday morning, he described the rumour as “public mischief”.

When SEARCHLIGHT visited the site last Saturday morning, Anthony Bowman, Town Planner, was on the scene and he explained that the old section of the retaining wall was being demolished by the property owners. He said loose debris also came down and some had hit against the barricade and this may have been the source of the rumour.

This was confirmed by Bailey, who disclosed that demolition activities are being carried out on 120 feet of retaining wall on the property owned by Alex and Lisa Jack of Ratho Mill.

Bailey told SEARCHLIGHT the activities started on Monday, October 11.

“It’s a controlled demolition,” said Bailey, as he appealed to members of the public to exercise caution when travelling in the area, due to the heavy excavation that is taking place.

Bailey said workmen at the site are attempting to remove the rubble and reinforced sections of the wall which were built originally.

On September 19, 2008, about 60 feet of a section of the original retaining wall came tumbling down on Patricia Jack Bowman’s vehicle, claiming her life, as she headed to her restaurant at Canash.

Bailey stated that the police were notified about the demolition and a police officer was placed on site throughout last week to control the traffic in the area.

The Chief Engineer said the new retaining wall was originally due to be completed by this month, but as a result of several work stoppages, the wall will not be completed before year’s end.