OXFORD — Town Manager Adam Garland presented selectmen with estimates for replacing a retaining wall along Pismo Beach Road between King Street and the recreation area at Thompson Lake.

“We’ve had concerns expressed about the wall on Pismo Beach Road, as well as the condition of the road,” Garland told the Select Board during its Sept. 5 meeting. “The estimate is $32,000 to shim and overlay the road, and $78,000 for the retaining wall, which is a total of $110,000.

“What I need to know is, where does this fit in with the board’s priority list?”

The estimate provides for replacing the railroad tie wall with concrete. It was provided by Ron Prue of Pine Tree Engineering. It was not based on contractor bids or quotes.

The 30-year-old retaining wall on Pismo Beach Road in Oxford has been heavily damaged by passing vehicles and is being undermined by oak saplings sprouting from the large tree above it. The resident of 15 Pismo Beach Road has requested the town repair it. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat

Selectwoman Sharon Jackson asked for clarification on whether the estimate [included] removing a large oak tree from the property of Charlene Owens to widen the road.

“Going back over a year, Charlene Owens has talked to Jim (Bennet of the Highway Department) and me, as her neighbor, about this,” Jackson said. “The retaining wall is all rotted and half gone. I think we need to widen the road. It can’t be done on the other side because of the cemetery there.

“We need to get it done because there is so much traffic on that road.”

Vice-Chair Dana Dillingham said for the length and height of the retaining wall, $78,000 seems like an excessive cost. He and Jackson agreed that a concrete wall was not necessarily the best option.

“There are two problems there,” Jackson said. “One, the road is not wide enough for the big barges [sic] going down there. You can’t get two vehicles up and down that road … We do need to do something.”

Jackson also cited safety concerns between the tight space for vehicles and the high volume of foot traffic going to and from the beach and recreation areas.

Dillingham, Chair Floyd Jackson and Selectman Caldwell Jackson questioned whether the estimates might be juxtaposed and said that with an unset mill rate they were hesitant to fund any project at this time.

Floyd proposed they look at it down the road, including other options than concrete. Caldwell Jackson suggested adding it as a budget project next year, which Sharon Jackson objected to, saying it should be addressed before boating season and urged at least sending it for bid sooner than later.

According to Bennett, the road width is 17 feet. Resident Lois Pike asked if widening the road would be limited by boundaries as listed in property deeds and whether it is truly a public road and not a right-of-way. No officials were able to provide an answer.

“There was some reason why that road was so narrow,” Pike offered. “It seems that if you widened it you’d have to go towards the cemetery because the town owned it. And no one wanted to move dead people.”

Pismo Beach Road in Oxford. The road is not wide enough to accommodate to two-way traffic. It is unclear whether it is a public road or a right-of-way. Widening it could encroach on Pine Grove Cemetery. Google Maps image

Garland said he would confirm with Prue that a survey had been completed and if necessary ask Code Officer Kingston Brown to research the deed history before any further discussion takes place.