HARRISBURG, Pa. — An excavator was seen today at the site of the collapsed retaining wall that crushed one of Harrisburg's most popular tire and auto businesses on May 5, 2016.
Five years ago, that retaining wall left a giant pile of rubble and debris on top of Howard Tire and Auto. Heavy rains are what ultimately led to the wall's demise. It had been holding up a parking lot for the McFarland Apartment complex.
In May, FOX43's Matt Maisel reported that it took nearly three years for Judge Lawrence Clark to determine the owners of the McFarland Apartments were responsible for devising a plan to pay for and then clean up the wall collapse. After that, it took about a year for that plan to be finalized, and then Pennsylvania courts closed the week of the scheduled hearing in March 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19. Judge Clark was then removed from the case after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court removed his senior judge status after he was caught taking pandemic unemployment benefits.
Harrisburg city officials said earlier this year that a contractor had been hired and clean-up would begin in May 2021. That clean-up seems to have begun.