Slope of yard spurs residents' concerns
HARMONY — Residents Jodi and Roger Correll have lived in their historic home on Wood Street for about a decade.
Their home was one of the first log cabins built in the area, dating back to the early 1800s. The house is now covered in vinyl siding, but the historical value still remains.
The Corrells won a Heritage Award in 2013 from the Harmony Museum for their preservation efforts, which included renovating and repainting the house's exterior and installing an outdoor patio.
“We took our tax return alone and said we have got to pull the trigger on this,” Jodi Correll said on renovating the exterior. “It looked horrible.”
The property sits near the intersection of Wood and Jackson streets.
However, the home now overlooks a potentially hazardous situation.
The slope that runs at the front of the house increased in steepness after a borough project last year repaved and widened Wood Street.
Correll said only 22 inches of space remains in the front until the slope drops compared to the 5 feet available before the project.
“It's downright dangerous,” Jodi Correll said. “If someone were to fall, could they sue the homeowner when I'm not the one who created that problem?”
Topsoil and commercial ryegrass seeding were placed on the slope after the road project was finished, but did not hold.
“Now that all the top soil is gone, we're left with shale,” Correll said.
Correll said she formerly worked for a landscape architecture company. She is a member of the Harmony Architectural Review Board.
She suggested to borough council Tuesday evening a retaining wall should be built. She also said she does not wish to pay for it or other solutions since the Corrells did not cause the slope to increase.
“We are open to suggestions,” she said. “I'd like to at least walk across the front of my porch without the fear of rolling down the bank.”
Correll and other Wood Street residents expressed concern for the widening when plans were announced last year.
Borough council vice president Don Sims said the borough will have to look into the matter before deciding on a solution.
“We're going to try and help you out on this,” Sims said. “It (retention wall) might end up being the solution.”
