Repairing a collapsed tunnel in downtown Eureka Springs will likely cost between $150,000 and $200,000, Mayor Robert D. "Butch" Berry said Tuesday.
Berry said he would like to work with County Judge Sam Barr of Carroll County to figure out how to pay for the repair.
The tunnel allows the eastern branch of Leatherwood Creek to flow under a Main Street parking lot that is owned by the county and leased by the city. Under the lease agreement, the city is required to maintain the surface of the lot.
The parking lot is between two historic buildings -- The Auditorium, built in 1929, and Carroll County's Western District courthouse, which was built in 1908.
The tunnel has deteriorated for years. Berry said the county should have repaired it earlier.
"They've been dragging their heels for so long, and now we have an emergency," Berry said. "If they had taken care of this in the beginning, it wouldn't cost nearly as much."
Barr didn't return voice mail messages Tuesday.
Berry said the Carroll County Quorum Court will have to vote to authorize payment for the repair.
The collapse was discovered on Jan. 21, when Berry and others inspected the tunnel.
"The problem is we see active failure," said Dee Purkeypile, a dam safety engineer and former city alderman. "We see rocks and fill material falling in and obstructing that tunnel."
Purkeypile said the tunnel opening went from 16 square feet to 1 square foot because of the collapse.
Dwayne Allen, the city's public works director, said the tunnel collapsed sometime since he inspected it last fall.
At the City Council's regular meeting Monday night, Berry told them about the tunnel inspection, saying the situation is still being assessed. Berry said a concrete reinforced pipe probably needs to be installed along with a manhole. The work would require tearing up much of the parking lot for a month or two, Berry told the council.
The good news, Berry said, is that the tunnel collapse isn't underneath The Auditorium. The collapsed portion is near The Auditorium, extending 10 to 15 feet to the southwest toward the courthouse.
Alderman Terry McClung, who toured the tunnel last week, said the collapse will "heavily restrict" the flow of water. That could cause Leatherwood Creek to back up, flooding the first floor of the courthouse.
Council member Joyce Zeller said the situation sounds like an emergency requiring immediate attention.
"That has to be excavated pretty quick and get rid of that rock, even if we end up with a giant hole there," she told the council. "But I can just visualize the whole bottom floor of the courthouse flooding, and the records and the papers -- I mean, that would be a disaster. Something's got to be done quick."
Berry said the repair needs to be done soon.
"So we're still working on a plan, a more detailed plan so we can get it out to some contractors," he told the council.
Several years ago, a section of sidewalk next to The Auditorium sank by 3 inches. Two parking spaces next to The Auditorium have been roped off for the past four years as a safety precaution.
Eureka Springs, which is built into the sides of cliffs, has some tunnels for drainage and others that may have been created when streets were elevated a century ago. Sinkholes have historically been a problem in Eureka Springs as underground tunnels deteriorate.
Several buildings along the southeast side of Main Street were built over Leatherwood Creek, which flows for about 1,500 feet through a tunnel underneath buildings and parking lots. The top of the tunnel is about 12 feet below the surface.
Metro on 01/28/2015