Lansford Borough Council hopes core samples will give a contractor more information and lower the cost of replacing a deteriorated retaining wall threatening a home and yard.

Only one bid for $398,105 came in for the Brimble Wall replacement project, which would be funded through Community Development Block Grant funds.

On Thursday, Carbon County commissioners extended the bid award or rejection for an additional two weeks for further review by Lansford’s engineer.

The borough planned on using two years of CDBG funding for the wall replacement, but the bid was much higher than expected.

Council met Thursday night in special session to discuss alternatives to replacing the wall, which supports a portion of Brimble Alley between West Ridge Street and Snyder Avenue.

The wall also runs alongside a home at 362 Snyder Ave. A narrow sidewalk separates the home and wall, which is a mix of stacked stones and concrete. Over the years, iron pipes were placed into the wall to hold it back and concrete layered over the stacked stones.

Still, rock and debris continue to crumble and fall into Michelle Miller’s yard. She fears the wall will one day completely fail sending the alleyway and one or more parked vehicles into her house or yard.

She keeps buckets nearby to gather the falling rock, debris and sediment, which are now clogging a drain behind her home. Stormwater backs up on a patio area and into her enclosed back porch, she said.

Miller also said she fears for her grandchildren and pets.

Councilman Martin Ditsky said that council received a bid of $44,000 to replace the wall in 2015, and didn’t act on it. The lone bid now from Heim Construction of Orwigsville is 10 times that amount.

Borough engineer Bill McMullen of Arro Engineering went over alternatives, which included removing part of Brimble Alley and sloping the ground, which would eliminate the need for the wall, Council President Bruce Markovich said following the meeting.

However, council was concerned about the amount of additional rainwater that would travel down the newly-created slope and onto properties along West Snyder Avenue.

One of the reasons the bid came in high, McMullen told them, was because the contractor didn’t know if the area that needed to be excavated was rock or soil.

The engineer suggested core samples be taken to determine the content and then ask for price adjustment on the bid, Markovich said.

McMullen will get back to council with cost estimates for the drilling, he said.

The borough plans to use CDBG funds from fiscal years 2019 and 2020 for the project.