YOUNGSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) A reinforced concrete and masonry seawall protecting the oldest building in the Great Lakes Basin has to be repaired after Lake Ontario's pounding waves punched holes in the barrier.
Robert Emerson, executive director at Old Fort Niagara in western New York, says Friday that a structural engineer has inspected the seawall along the shoreline at the state-owned historic site.
Emerson says there's no danger of it collapsing, but repairs have to be made before winter or the damage could get worse. Fort officials are working with the state parks office to repair the damage.
The lake's water level has risen nearly 3 feet above normal during a rainy spring. On windy days high waves take a toll on the seawall, located a few feet from the French Castle, a large stone building constructed in 1726.
