Week One: A ticking time bomb

The enormous sinkhole in the parking lot of the Morganton Post Office is a ticking time bomb with the potential to spark an ecological and transportation disaster, impacting both the nearby Catawba River and adjoining major highways.

The sinkhole, which has been growing since at least 2020, also represents an ongoing source of frustration for city government which is bombarded constantly with questions about why nothing is being done.

Yet, if the United States Postal Service is to be believed, the sinkhole – which stands at the gateway to Morganton for those traveling from the mountains – might finally be repaired this summer.

The gaping chasm, which opened up several years ago and has gotten larger, more dangerous – and become more of an eyesore – with every heavy rain since, has been a near constant topic of conversation locally, particularly in recent weeks. 

But the USPS said this week repairs should begin soon.

“Preparation is underway and construction is expected to begin soon to make repairs caused by a sinkhole on the property next to the Morganton Post Office,” said Postal Service spokesman Philip Bogenburger. “The post office parking lot will be replaced as part of the project. We expect the project to be completed this fall. We thank customers for their understanding and continued support.”

But this isn’t the first time the USPS has indicated it would soon begin fixing the hole.

“We’ve been told so many times that we could expect it in two weeks, that I don’t expect it until it happens,” said Morganton City Manager Sally Sandy. “At this point, it looks like the property owners have at least acknowledged that there is going to be a new storm sewer drainage system put in there.

“I guess that’s at least some progress.”

Sandy’s incredulity seems well-founded. Several news sources have previously reported that repairs were imminent at various times over the last two years, but, so far, none has occurred. 

In at least one of those reports, the USPS cited the need for an easement from the owner of an adjacent property, formerly a car wash, in order to begin work. The easement is no longer a mitigating factor, according to Tim Biddix, who has owned the car wash for almost three years. 

Biddix said the postal service asked him for an easement so it could run a drain pipe along the edge of his property. Biddix sold the USPS the easement for $15,000. He said it’s been six months to a year since he signed the easement paperwork. He was told the engineers in charge of the project were waiting for delivery of the pipe. It was supposed to have been here in June, Biddix said.

“They told me they were going to do it soon,” said Biddix. “Maybe their ‘soon’ is different from my ‘soon.’ I take what they tell me with a grain of salt until I see some action.” 

Bogenburger refused to answer a direct question about whether the easement issue was a factor in the latest delay, and was vague on several other specific inquiries.

The city’s position on the matter is quite clear, however. 

“From the beginning, we researched and found that it was not our drainage issue; that it was private drainage,” Sandy said. “And the folks with the postal service know and understand that. And we’ve been following up with them, encouraging them to expedite doing something about it. And every time it rains, we wonder what’s going to happen.”

What could happen is nothing short of a local catastrophe.

A main sewer line runs between the parking lot and the road (US 181). The pipe is pressurized. If it were to be breached, the results would be disastrous. Recently, the sinkhole has expanded and some of the filler material that insulates the pipe washed away underground. The city has refilled the hole, but Sandy said heavy rains could undo those efforts quickly. As a result, the city checks on the spot frequently.

“Our guys shored that cavity up with gravel, and they have been checking that routinely and keeping that in there as a protection to our sewer line,” Sandy said. “On a routine basis, they go by and check it. If the hole has opened up any bigger, they pack in more.”

As for what would happen if the line is damaged, Sandy offered this understatement: “It would be a mess.”

First, Sandy said, there would be a loss of sewer service that would likely last for days. 

Secondly, the raw sewage ejected from the pipe would almost certainly find its way down the hill and into the Catawba River, causing an ecological nightmare. 

Finally, the roads near the site could collapse. The sinkhole is located at the corner of Sanford Drive (US 64 Bypass) and North Green Street (US 181). It’s a heavily traveled area.

“You’re talking about an interruption in sewer service, not to mention anything environmental that would be caused by that,” Sandy said. “Then, you’ve got DOT. That’s a pretty big intersection, the intersection of the bypass and Hwy. 181, so you could have a road failure. I mean, it’s a lot. It’s nerve-wracking.”

The post office building was originally a Winn-Dixie grocery store, Sandy said. When the store was constructed, the city had no codes in place governing drainage systems, which meant private contractors used a variety of materials and methods. Later, the car wash was built on the adjoining lot, and operated for several years before the sinkhole opened.

“Over time, lines get old and the earth changes,” Sandy said. “And one thing you can say about water, it’s going to go where it’s going to go.”

Biddix said the sinkhole started when a brick catch basin near the loading dock of the post office failed. Water then ran downhill toward the car wash, resulting in the sinkhole. That happened two years and seven months ago.

Biddix said he has initiated a tort claim in hopes of recovering at least some of the income he has lost since he shut down the car wash. He plans to tear down the building and said he would most likely prepare the land for sale.

In the meantime, the public grumbling continues. The city recently launched an interactive website as part of its new “Imagine Morganton 2040” strategic plan that allows citizens to drop pins and make comments about specific areas of the city. Not surprisingly, several “thumbs-down” pins have been placed on the sinkhole area. One comment called the situation “appalling and sad.” Another referred to it as a “disaster waiting to happen.”

Some of the dangers are obvious. The sinkhole is several feet deep in places, and a fall could result in injuries or death. A series of concrete barriers, placed there by the postal service, separates customers from the pit, but pedestrians can easily step over it and walk right to the edge.

It also poses a significant hazard for drivers. Sandy admitted she always uses the entrance on the bypass side of the post office because she’s afraid water from the sinkhole may have weakened the ground underneath the North Green Street entrance.

Meanwhile, the hole has been there so long that weed growth along the edges of the standing water makes it look more like a slough of the Catawba and a miniature ecosystem than a trench full of crumbled concrete in a paved parking lot.

Despite the fact the postal service is responsible for fixing the sinkhole, Sandy said she often hears from citizens who think the city is to blame. She tells them that isn’t the case and commiserates with them.

“I received an email last week from a citizen that said she had lived here for some time and said that it was disgraceful, and asked when something was going to be done about it,” Sandy said. “My response was, I agree with you that something needs to be done, and we hope it’s soon. I explained that it isn’t our responsibility. I told her in that response that I didn’t know for sure, but I felt like it had been held up by the fact you had multiple property owners and there were legal issues that had to be worked out.”

Even though any such issues seem to have been resolved, all the city and its residents can do is wait – and watch.

“I think work will start when we see somebody on-site,” said Sandy.

Marty Queen is the senior reporter for The Paper. He may be reached at 828-445-8595 or at marty@thepaper.media.