OWNER:
Baldwin County Commission
Bay Minette, Alabama

PROJECT ENGINEER:
McCroy & Williams, Inc.
1703 Main Street
Daphne, Alabama 36526

DESIGN/CONSTRUCT CONTRACTOR:
Synergy Earth Systems, LLC.
26240 Equity Drive
Daphne, Alabama 36526

This project was sponsored under the US Department of Agriculture, NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program. The project consisted of the repair of parts of Magnolia Springs Park that were suffering severe erosion. The area of disrepair was located adjacent to a natural spring that creates a recreation area. The erosion activity was progressive in nature and was observed to be threatening several existing retaining walls and fences, as well as several large trees in the area. The primary objective of the Owner was to stabilize the area against future erosion and to improve the overall appearance of the park. SES entered into a design contract with the Project Engineer to complete a design for the repair, and later contracted directly with the Owner to construct the approved design.

In the design phase, several iterations were necessary to develop a plan that satisfied the design and aesthetic objectives. Members of the local community, as well as landscape professionals, were consulted to develop the optimal configuration for the repair. The result of this collaboration was that a series of modular block retaining walls would be constructed within the park boundaries. The permanent nature of the walls were well suited for eliminating the past erosion problems, and the appearance of the modular block were ideal for blending with the natural environment. Approximately 1500 square feet of modular block were installed as part of six separate walls during April of 1999. The walls ranged in height from two to nearly eight feet, and were configured to accommodate a sidewalk and steps that provided access to the springs through the middle of the park.