In Belmont County, local officials said they're keeping a close watch on a high wall that lines a Martins Ferry creek.

The wall along Floral Valley Creek is beginning to slip, but Martins Ferry officials said there is no imminent danger and they are actively working to correct it.

Currently a "Danger: No Trespassing" sign and a fence is keeping people away from the area, where the supporting high wall is starting to separate and is visibly shifting.

Development Director Kathy Gagin, who sent NEWS9 photos of the wall, said the wall is about 150-170-feet long, about 20 inches thick and about two stories high.


"The administration here and all the departments are very proactive, and they're going out and making sure they check the city and listen to the citizens and find out where issues might come about in the future," Gagin said.

While there is no official cost estimate yet, officials said repairs to the wall could cost the city a big chunk of change. Another worry is if debris should make its way into the creek, potentially causing flooding with only one entrance into a neighborhood of more than 50 homes.

Officials said there is no equipment locally that can handle this size of a project, but Gagin specialized in grant writing and said she's already contacted numerous agencies about the problem area.


"They're all on board with this. We just need to find out whose pocket we're going to get the money out of," she said.

City officials want residents to know they're monitoring the situation and other projects very closely with a proactive, over-reactive attitude.


"We're working on a five-year plan for the city so that we can start applying for funding or looking for funding now, so that we don't have to react to emergency measures we want to take care of stuff ahead of time," said Gagin.

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