ATTLEBORO - A plan to build a strip mall at the corner of May Street and Route 1 has always been on shaky ground, and it seems to be getting shakier.
In August, a landslide took away a big chunk of the hill at the rear of the parcel where a 53,000-square-foot plaza is to be built.
The unexpected collapse of hillside prompted the fire department to order a fence to be installed at the summit to protect members of the department and anyone else who wanders too near the edge of the newly formed cliff, including parishioners of Good Shepard Lutheran Church, which now sits closer to the brink than ever before.
At the time of the landslide, engineers hired by the plaza's developer, Carpionato Properties, assured the church and city that the remaining ground was solid and church goers could go about their business unimpeded and without harm.
But since the fence was installed, the earth has shown itself to be less than stable.
Part of the fence is collapsing and clinging to what remains of solid earth.
Carpionato Senior Vice President Kelly Coates said last week a plan has been developed over the past three months to permanently stabilize the hill and make sure the church doesn't someday tumble down into the kitchen of a restaurant or the showroom of a clothing store that could eventually be built on the parcel below.
But some people who have watched the project for a long time are clearly getting a little nervous.
City Councilor Walter Thibodeau has kept an eye on the development since its inception in 2007 and stood up for neighbors who fought it for years, concerned about the effects it would have on their beleaguered little neighborhood that runs from Route 1 to Newport Avenue.
Now, he's worried about the apparent lack of progress on work to make the hill strong.
While Coates said he hopes work will start in a couple of weeks, Thibodeau is hoping that's soon enough.
A winter with no work could allow water to get into the ground and weaken the hill.
"If they don't get it going before the weather turns bad, the soil could freeze and split the rocks and create more problems with the embankment collapsing," he said.
The collapsing fence is not a good sign, he said.
The plan to strengthen the hill includes construction of a concrete wall and the insertion of metal bars into the soil to stabilize it, but none of that work has started - and it's getting cold.
And, an unreinforced hill hit with heavy spring rains after a winter of freezes and thaws could mean big problems, Thibodeau said.
He said all parties, including the developer, contractors and engineers must sign off on the plan, or it can't move ahead.
With so many involved, its not hard to imagine disagreements emerging and slowing the process, he said.
Meanwhile, the church has hired a lawyer, Edward Casey, to represent its interests and referred a reporter to him for comment.
Casey was out of the office and not immediately available for comment.
Thibodeau said action needs to be taken before its too late.
"If there's a plan in place, let's get together and get something done before we run out of time," he said.
