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Stormwater project expected to remedy sinkholes in Beech Bottom

A MAJOR PROJECT — Participating in a groundbreaking ceremony for a $3.5 million project involving the extension of about 2,500 feet of stormwater line in Beech Bottom were from left, state Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, R-Wheeling; Councilman Bob Sadler, Mayor Becky Uhlly, Brooke County Commissioner A.J. Thomas, Ben Erste, community planning specialist for the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission; Mary Jo Guidi, representative of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Doug Smith, senior project manager for Thrasher Engineering; and Casey Young, project engineer for Thrasher Engineering. -- Warren Scott

BEECH BOTTOM — Officials broke ground on Friday for a $3.5 million stormwater project expected to bring an end to sinkholes that have developed in areas of the village since 1987.

Mayor Becky Uhlly noted the pockets have been a recurring problem and it took a collaborative effort to bring about the resolution ahead.

Crews with Independent Enterprises of Oakdale, Pa., are expected to begin work in October on the extension of about 2,500 feet of stormwater line to divert runoff above the village to the Ohio River.

Uhlly said the line, 6 feet in diameter, will replace a 100-year-old terra cotta pipeline that had broken in multiple places over the years.

Designed by Thrasher Engineering of Bridgeport, W.Va., the line is slated to run from atop 49 Hill Road above the village and under Alley C and state Route 2 to the Ohio River.

The project will include the installation of catch basins and small retaining walls, known as headwalls, along the line’s course.

Pending the shipment of required materials and extreme weather, the work is expected to be completed in about four months.

Uhlly noted water in the old line had an orange tinge, typical of iron-rich water drained from area coal mines, but the village was unsuccessful in securing funds allotted for issues related to abandoned mines.

But she said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided grant money for much of the project’s cost while about $170,000 awarded by the West Virginia Job and Infrastructure Development Council will be used for the local match.

Uhlly expressed thanks to former U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-Wheeling; and Libby Reasbeck, his aide, for securing the state funds within a few days when the project was at risk of stalling.

She said the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission, particularly former staffer Barb Zimnox, also played a vital role in planning and securing funds.

Uhlly also applauded Councilman and Vice Mayor Bob Sadler, a former water operator, for his advice and encouragement through the years.

“He was really instrumental in getting us where we are today,” she said.

Uhlly added that when the project hit snags, “He always said to me, ‘You’ve got to remember we’re closer than we’ve ever been.'”

Photos displayed inside Beech Bottom Community Christian Church, where the groundbreaking was held, revealed that when a sinkhole occurred near Third and High streets in 2015, Sadler inspected the broken line within and spread 17 bags of cold patch to prevent further collapse.

The photos depicted a long history of cavities along the line, dating to 1987. They often resulted in Alley C, occupied by more than a dozen homes, being closed to traffic, and it was permanently closed to large trucks in 2004.

Federal, state and local funds were expended multiple times, with the village using $6,206 for emergency repairs at Second Street in winter 1996 and FEMA awarding about $73,000 later that year for repairs using materials donated by Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel.

The latter sinkhole was the largest recorded by village officials and was the size of a small swimming pool.

More than $21,000 was invested to address another sinkhole along Alley C and thought to have been spurred by heavy rain attributed to weather patterns spurred by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

In 2011, more than $78,000 in state and local funds were spent on a sinkhole near state Route 2 and Park Avenue.

Councilman Don Hubbard said the sinkholes were a concern for him, late mayor Paul Phillips and others during his first stint on council in the early 1990s.

“It’s been nothing but a headache for us. I’m so glad it’s finally going to be taken care of,” said Hubbard.

Valerie Scherich, a resident of Second Street, said she’s also pleased to see the project moving forward.

Scherich had lobbied council for action years ago after the garage her family was building on their property collapsed into a sinkhole.

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