The City of Burien on Tuesday (Dec. 30) made the following announcement about Eagle Landing Park – closed on Dec. 12, and as we reported on Monday getting much worse:
“It is unlikely that the stairs will reopen soon. Further analysis will need to be conducted during drier months of the year. Further observations of the stability of the slope will need to be made as well. It is possible that lower portions of the stairs are damaged beyond repair.”Here’s more from the city’s statement:
A significant erosion and land-sliding event occurred at the toe of the slope in Eagle Landing Park, most likely as a result of recent storm events coinciding with high tides. The stairs leading down to the beach from the middle of the park were closed by City staff in early December and will need to remain closed as the City undertakes a detailed review of geological conditions. Erosion and land-sliding has caused some piers which support the stair landings to shift and some sections of stairs have broken loose. The area is not safe for people and will need to remain closed. City staff contracted with a local geotechnical engineering firm to perform an initial assessment. That study recommends the stairs continue to be closed to reduce hazards to the public. While the rest of the park and surface trails remain open, the public is asked not to go past the closure at the top of the stairs. What is the City doing in response to the slope failure? Our primary concern is public safety, so the beach access stairs have been closed and need to remain closed until further assessments are completed in the coming months. The initial geotechnical assessment of the current slope failure shows active land slippage over a more extensive area, so the area may remain unstable for a considerable period of time. Will the stairs be reopened? It is unlikely that the stairs will reopen soon. Further analysis will need to be conducted during drier months of the year. Further observations of the stability of the slope will need to be made as well. It is possible that lower portions of the stairs are damaged beyond repair. City staff will be evaluating options to best preserve the stairs, if possible, for public use. What is the primary cause of the slide? According to the preliminary geotechnical assessment, the severe storm events and high tides in the first few weeks of November and December significantly eroded the base of the slope and the slope around the lower two concrete stairway landings. Is there alternative access to Puget Sound beaches while the stairs are closed? Alternative public access to the beach is available from Seahurst Park. All persons accessing beach areas should avoid any apparent slide locations. What are the next steps? City staff will monitor the park and address concerns as they arise. Further analysis and recommendations will need to be conducted during drier months of the year.]]>
I don’t really ask much from the Burien city government. I would ask them to get this fixed ASAP.
When the steps were broken before–just the bottom few steps closest to the beach–the city left those steps broken for years. And that was a relatively easy repair job. People moved logs into place to step on. Given that repairing this damage will take major engineering and major funding, past performance by the city would suggest the stairs will be closed for years. Past behavior of park patrons leads one to expect people will make their own path to the beach. This will undoubtedly exacerbate the erosion problem, making the repair of the stairs even more difficult and costly.
If the city won’t fix the stairs, and if they won’t stop people from making their own trail, they should just close the park in order to prevent worse erosion and more problems. Most likely, based on past performance, the city will only react to problems as things get worse, and not take steps to prevent or reduce problems.
Nice job on the news today John. And also, thank you for being so kind when we walk by your house on the way to Seahurst Park. We have always appreciated that about you.
There is no need for a report, they simply need to pay someone to stabilize the fake micro landslide on the stairs…I READ THE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT AND IT IS A JOKE…someone refers to the park as a FORREST…and says they are returning it to the way it was prior to the cities creation….that is not the goal and if the elected officers of the city are hiding this fact. Someone needs to fire the over the top write of the EIS….they also recently used tax paper funds to add privacy to a private landowner….not sure that is legal……they raises his property values…all people are supposed to be treated fairly under the law….anyway…the report states the trees are over a 100 years old but not old growth like the way Puget Sound use to be….that is fiction…there were people living in this area for over 10,000 years, they lived in long houses, all of their heating and cooking was based on wood heat….logging was normal part of living for Indians….hire some people who have a real education next time you need a EIS statement written…this one is all over the place….I think they bought a internet degree and are following some really bad template……