South Haven authorities have alerted pedestrians to avoid walking outside of the WaterTowne Condominiums in that community due to a situation that has developed proving to be a safety hazard in that part of town.
The City of South Haven has been notified that the exterior of the WaterTowne Condominiums located in the 500 block of Williams Street has developed a situation which has been identified as a safety hazard to pedestrians using the sidewalk. The map below shows the sidewalk in front of WaterTowne Condominiums that is closed to pedestrians until repairs can be made.
The wood structure has shrunk while the brick has remained stable. If the structure was entirely wood with siding, the shrinkage may not become an issue. In this case, the wood is shrinking and the brick has not moved resulting in the stone coping being pushed down by the siding and causing it to pop off the brick. The siding has also pushed the brick down enough to cause the brick to pull away from the wall.
The building is structurally stable, however, the stone coping at the top of the brick is not. Therefore, there is a potential of falling stone which is definitely a safety hazard to pedestrians on the sidewalk in that area.
City staff is working with the contractor for the possibility of placing a type of cover in that area to protect pedestrians while keeping the sidewalk open. Regardless, the area will be secured and the contractor will begin repairs next week with the repairs possibly taking up to one month.
So, for the duration, that section of the sidewalk will be off limits to pedestrians in the city of South Haven. Stay tuned.
Here’s the map:
