Workers in Eureka Springs have refilled a gaping hole in a parking lot between two historic buildings on Main Street -- The Auditorium, built in 1929, and Carroll County's Western District courthouse, built in 1908.
They dug the hole -- 18 feet deep and 30 feet in diameter -- to repair a tunnel collapse that undermined the integrity of the parking lot above.
Mayor Robert "Butch" Berry said the repair work began two weeks ago and should be finished in another week, after the soil is sufficiently compacted to repave the parking lot.
Berry said the city was "very fortunate" that spring rains didn't flood the tunnel area before or during construction.
The work required closing off about 20 parking spaces in the heart of the tourist town. Workers also repaired a section of the tunnel underneath two parking spaces that have been closed for four years because they had sunk by about three inches.
Berry said it was delicate work because the excavation removed earth from the southwest side of The Auditorium, taking away support support on that side of the 86-year-old building. He said The Auditorium "can't take a lot of vibration" from machines used to compact the soil.
The repair work will cost $138,827, Berry said. A grant from Arkansas Department of Emergency Management will provide $69,414 for the repair. The grant is through the department's hazardous mitigation assistance program.
Berry said the rest will be paid by the city and county. The county owns the parking lot, and the city leases it from the county. The work was done by employees of the city and the county.
"It's something we've been needing to do for 10 years," Berry said. "This is a great example of the city and county working together."
Metro on 04/24/2015