Two interesting comments from the US Corps of Engineers at tonight's public meeting:

1. If we don't do something major soon to stop the erosion, the upper level of the walkway and Kanawha Boulevard itself will collapse (as it partially did 2 years ago).

2. Under the existing authority of the Corps, the steps leading to the river (some of which are badly damaged) could not be rebuilt because they would not meet current federal ADA standards. The best hope would be to repair them under the guise of their being "historical structures". To meet ADA standards, the steps would need to be replaced with ramps which would most likely need to run parallel with the river to reduce their slope.

For all those who say, "Don't do a thing - leave it the way it is," there is a cold reality to face: do nothing and it will collapse, do something and changes will be necessary to meet today's laws and needs. Sometimes progress means replacing what was there, not building onto a solution which has served its purpose and no longer works as originally planned.