The cost of repairing the retaining wall at Castlerock Estates that collapsed in late June after a period of heavy rainfall and mountain runoff will fall solely on the shoulders of the District of Invermere, according to DOI director of development services Rory Hromadnik.
There may be an opportunity to reclaim some costs from the developer if the construction is found to not match the design specifications, but for now the district will be responsible for the repair of the wall, Hromadnik said, as the district had approved the wall’s design and subsequently signed off on it.
Other problems in the community, such as a sinking manhole, are still being investigated, and Hromadnik said the district has not signed off on all the developments in question, meaning the developer may be responsible for the costs associated with fixing some of these issues.
During the DOI council meeting in July, a member of the Castlerock Community Association approached council to voice concerns and get more information on the wall and other ongoing infrastructure issues within the community, but as Hromadnik explained to The Valley Echo on July 20, the process involved with these types of repairs is a time-consuming one.
Following the wall’s collapse, the district brought in a geotechnical engineer to inspect the situation, whose recommendations to clear away some of the rocks and remove weight from the outside edge of the wall were followed and the road has been deemed safe for use. The district would be bringing in another engineering outfit to do core sampling to establish what can be done with the roadway moving forward. Hromadnik pointed out that he felt the roadway was far too wide already, which would allow the district the opportunity to alter the slope below.
The district is working with engineers to establish the best strategy moving forward and Hromadnik expects final repairs to be made sometime in the fall.
