Boundary Wall: Research and History

Due to the on-going discussion about the boundary wall around the Sungate addition, some new ideas have surfaced, and the Board has begun  to develope the fundraising process.

We have identified a resident who has agreed to lead the Sungate Boundary Wall Project. Ben Moyer has considerable background in construction and will be able to manage the construction of the wall when funds have been raised. 

We are still considering building the wall in three phases. Phase One: along Sheridan, Phase Two: along 51st between the Farm and S 70th E Place, and Phase Three: along 51st street from S 70th E Place to 74th E Avenue.

We intend to leave the original entrance signs as they are. The existing signs are not attached to the wall.

Results in a previous survey were overwhelmingly in favor of a 6-foot-tall wall and we believe that height provides more privacy than the current wall while maintaining the desired aesthetic.

We still anticipate grant opportunities for matching funds once we have raised enough money for potential grantors can be assured that we are serious.

Rather than the stucco over concrete block that was previously considered, the consensus is to build a brick wall, one that approximates the original brick wall in appearance.

The original brick is a soft, non-standard size adobe clay brick that is not available any more.  

In the recent couple of years, we’ve rebuilt three sections of the existing wall, two were hit by cars and one fell down on its own volition. We were able to salvage much of the original brick and these sections were rebuilt on proper concrete foundations. They were built to the original height of roughly 5-feet-tall, with columns about every 40 feet.

When there wasn’t enough original brick, we had the foundation built a little taller by using a row or two of concrete block and finished the top three quarters with the salvaged brick, to maintain a consistent appearance as much as possible.

If we can identify a hard, modern brick that looks a lot like the existing brick, we can begin to rebuild the wall along Sheridan, a section at a time as funds are available.  When funds become available for a full phase, we can tie into sections that we’ve already rebuilt. 

We won’t be rebuilding a section of wall that has been replaced in the recent past simply because it doesn’t match the new plan. This gives us the most flexibility and the most options moving forward.