161 W 950 S, St. George, UT 84770
111 unit professionally managed condominiums
Earth Movement affecting Buildings L & M
Brief History
Two buildings, L and M, comprised of a total of 20 units within the Gardens South community, along with two neighboring commercial properties (Dairy Queen and Knights Inn) have been affected over the years by an isolated 400 ft wide slope that has experienced some earth movement. It is important to note that the other buildings (91 out of 111 total units) within Gardens South have experienced no such movement and appear to be relatively stable with only minor settling observed. Only the 8 units in Building L and the 12 units in Building M have been affected by the soil movement. Here is a brief history:
* In 1992, Klienfelder Engineering issued a report on Building "L" of Garden South and identified possible problems with expansive soil - no problems with the instability of the slope were suspected.
* Approximately 10 years later, in or about 2002, Rosenberg Associates reviewed Building "L" and identified possible slope instability, though a slide area was not specifically identified.
* In 2008, AGEC issued a report to Garden South and to Ence Construction confirming slope instability in the area of Buildings "L" and "M".
* 2011, Heavy rains created hydrostatic pressures which accelerated the earth movement under the two buildilngs. Evidence of separation between the fire wall partitions of building 'L' and the stress on utilities forced the city to evacuate residents and condemn the L building in 2011.
* In 2012, building M was also experiencing some movement and was condemned by the City. A cooperative cost-sharing agreement between the three property owners affected by the slide (Gardens South HOA, Dairy Queen, Knights Inn Hotel) funded the construction of a large berm at the toe of the slope at a cost of more than a quarter million dollars. A portion of building L was demolished, as was one section of the hotel buildings where the berm currently stands. This work was completed in early 2013.
* 2013 -2025 , Geotechnical engineers have been regularly monitoring and testing for any movement to determine if the berm has been successful in halting the slide. Inclinometer tests have been conducted every six months to determine to what extent the berm has been successful in stabilizing the slope.
2020 - Further testing during the spring and fall of 2019 indicated continued slight movement in the slope due to the unusually wet winter. Engineers are currently designing enhancements to the bern to increase its size and weight to improve the level of safety and hopefully stabilize the berm and land supporting the affected structures so that no movement occurs.
2024 - A report was issued in Oct for Building L requiring that the remaining structure be demolished. A report regarding Building M is expected by the end of the year. Included in the report will be a design for strengthening and finalizing the berm to prevent erosion.
The plan forward is to:
a. Finalize the geotechnical reports, test results, and recommendations for making the berm stronger and more permanent. The report is to be reviewed and approved by the City. Ongoing testing is expected.
b. If feasible, and all stakeholders agree, make the berm permanent so as to eliminate the possibility of erosion and further slope instability by covering the face with concrete.
c. Once the berm is deemed stable, determine if buildings L & M can be repaired or rebuilt within the scope of economic reason subject to approval from the City.
d. If deemed feasible, the HOA plans to fund the berm improvements and any structural repairs to L & M from a special HOA reserve savings account and from the eventual sale of units owned by the HOA. An additional special assessment of the HOA members will hopefully not be necessary. If not feasible, the buildings will probably be required by the city to be demolished.
For a more detailed history and updates, please visit the blog: https://sglandslide.blogspot.com/
