“We’re asking FEMA to help us rebuild that wall, it’s leaning a little bit more than it used to after that storm. The abandoned marina fixtures are much more twisted and turned than they used to be, so there could be more funds,” Woodbury said, noting the same design used to stabilize the wall behind the water treatment plant has been recommended for the other 2,000 feet of wall behind Memorial Park.

“After we looked at that the three of us, on behalf of the mayor, moved over to Lake Front Boulevard and we didn’t have to do much explaining over there. It had 4,000 feet of damage to the railing portion of the bikeway/pedestrian walkway,” he stated. “The retaining wall is fine but the railing portion, the entire 4,000 feet, has been knocked off its foundation.”

Woodbury said the area has been made safe under the direction of the county emergency services.

“We put jersey barriers 860 feet along that area,” he explained, adding signage and barriers blocking traffic from entering Lake Front Boulevard were installed at each side street along the length of the road.

OBSERVER File photo

Woodbury said no one was injured during the storm and the city would like to keep the area safe, “As it starts to freeze it could become even more dangerous so please obey the signs. At the bottom of the signs it says ‘Police Enforced.'”

He added it was for people’s safety and hoped the police would not be needed for enforcement purposes.

Woodbury said the city officials met with federal, state and county emergency funding officials on Tuesday.

“I think the meeting went pretty well, they clearly understood our issue and understood it was unique to this particular region. … We’re hopeful that we can get some assistance to rebuild that.”

Woodbury added the city also asked for funding to build, “protective breakwaters like those at Presque Isle in Pennsylvania. … It would protect that breakwall and keep water away from coming up over it. We could keep Lake Front Boulevard open year round if we had those constructed.”

He added the city attempted to get funding for such breakwaters in the 1990s and hoped it would work out this time.