1369 Lakeside Dr - Retaining Wall letter
411~ City of Ea~an
Mike Maguire July 6, 2007
MAYOR
Mr. Gregory Johnson
Paul Bakken 1369 Lakeside Drive
Peggy Carlson Eagan, MN 55123
Cyndee Fields
Meg Tilley Re: Backyard Retaining Wall
COUNCIL MEMBERS
Dear Mr. Johnson,
Thomas Hedges The purpose of this letter is to address several issues relating to the retaining wall
CITY ADMINISTRATOR project currently under construction in your back yard. First, I revisited the site
yesterday afternoon and was able to locate the nearby sanitary sewer manhole in
the back yard of 1357 Lakeside Dr. From what could be seen through the trees it
appears your retaining wall will not interfere with the sanitary sewer or
accompanying easement that runs across your back yard. The line is actually
closer to your deck.
MUNICIPAL CENTER
3830 Pilot Knob Road After taking a closer look at your retaining wall, I would be acting irresponsibly
Eagan, MN 55122-1810 in my duties to protect the City's natural resources if I did not once again express
651.675.5000 phone my concerns with the long term structural integrity of the structure. The materials
you are using are not intended for the type of structure you are building. My
65165.445454.8 .85335 5 fax TDD concern is that after of few years of weathering the materials will start to break
down and weaken. With the constant pressure of the soil on the backside of the
wall I can not help but conclude that structural failure is not a matter of if but
rather when. As I stated to you earlier this week, if there is a failure, in other
MAINTENANCE FACILITY words, if the wall breaks and soil makes it into the nearby wetland, the DNR may
3501 Coachman Point become involved and could issue a citation. In addition, they may require you to
Eagan, MN 55122 remove any material that enters the wetland.
651.675.5300 phone
651.675.5360 fax I know there is currently 20 to 30 feet of dry land between the base of the wall
651.454.8535 TDD and the water line but water levels are currently low all over the area. As you
may already know, this pond has the ability to rise to a level at or above the base
of the wall during periods of high water. Should this happen, this could further
www.n.com harm the strength and integrity of the wall by saturating the soils behind it and
causing increased pressure behind the wall which could lead to a wall failure.
Plus, high water could saturate the wood, which in turn could increase the rate of
deterioration; this would then affect the strength of the wood and would
eventually lead to a wall failure.
THE LONE OAK TREE over please)
The symbol of
strength and growth
in our community.
i
i
Because your project does not fall within any of the parameters associated with a
grading permit and because you are not working in the 10 foot utility easement,
the City can not require a permit for your project at this time. I would, however,
strongly encourage you to consult a structural/geotechnical engineer regarding the
matter. At a minimum, you should consult with a landscaper who specializes in
retaining walls.
In the long term, I hope your project is successful. I would like you to know that
with the comments made in this letter I intend no offense or criticism of you or
your project, rather, for the sake of the natural resources in your backyard (and
beyond) I would hate to see all your hard work washed into the wetland below. If
you have any further questions feel free to contact me at 651-675-5641 or
dwestermgyerQcitvofea an.com.
Sinc
Dave Engin:Westerrnayer
ering Technician
C: Russ M-atthys, City Engineer
1369 Lakeside Drive Parcel File