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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 16 May 2017

American Living:
Town coffers crumble along with a region’s home foundations

of a regional committee Local officials believe the
examining the problem. $1.2 million figure is just a
State officials say they still fraction of what they’ll ulti-
don’t have a good handle mately forgo in local prop-
on the number of affected erty tax revenues.
homes and are asking peo- “There are a number of
ple, who may be worried people who are afraid
about creating problems to come forward, even
with their banks or insurers, though they can get re-
to come forward. duced taxes,” Werbner
Insurance won’t cover re- said. Many are waiting to
pairs for many because the see whether state or fed-
damage was not caused eral assistance becomes
by an abrupt collapse. The available. The Federal
ultimate, and expensive, Emergency Management
fix typically involves raising Agency has said the disas-
houses, removing old foun- ter is manmade, making it
dations and footings, and questionable whether any
pouring brand-new con- federal help will ultimate-
crete foundations. ly arrive. A bill recently
Some homeowners de- cleared a state legislative
scribe living in fear in their committee setting aside
houses, hearing cracking $15 million in assistance,
sounds coming from their but its fate remains uncer-
basements. Others express tain in the times of a state
dread over potentially los- budget deficit. There are
ing their homes and life also proposals to add a fee
savings. on Connecticut homeown-
This photo shows Tim Heim’s home, built in 1994, in Willington, Conn. The foundation of the house, At least one homeowner in er policies to help create a
among others in that part of the state, is failing because of the presence of the mineral pyrrhotite Tolland walked away from pool of money.
in the concrete. A growing number of homeowners are seeking financial relief from their town. their property, unable to “The entire state has to
(AP Photo/Susan Haigh) afford the fix, Werbner said. come together to ensure
“I felt like, what did I do that this section of the state
By SUSAN HAIGH try to help, and they would provided material to a wrong? I did everything doesn’t become a ward of
Associated Press bring you a casserole,” she concrete maker whose right. Why is this happen- the state,” Webner said.
WILLINGTON, Conn. (AP) — said. “In this case, nobody product was used in thou- ing to me and my daugh- In Willington, Mailhos said,
As the foundation beneath realizes, and a lot of peo- sands of houses. The Con- ters?” said Randy Belair, a 625 of about 2,000 single-
their home crumbles, Chris- ple are fearful to come for- necticut attorney general Willington resident who dis- family homes in her com-
tina Mailhos and her hus- ward and talk about it.” has not pursued legal ac- covered pyrrhotite in the munity were built during
band are trying to figure A growing number of home tion against the company, foundation of an addition the suspect time period.
out how to come up with foundations in central and saying it can’t prove viola- he had built on his house. Half, she estimates, could
$200,000 or more for the northeastern Connecticut tions of consumer protec- A small but growing num- have the pyrrhotite prob-
massive fix while college tu- are failing because of the tion laws. ber have sought some re- lem.
ition bills loom for two teen- presence of pyrrhotite, a Willington is one of 36 com- lief from their town halls, “If those 300 come off our
agers. mineral that naturally re- munities identified as po- appealing the local tax as- tax rolls, we’re looking at
But that is hardly the extent acts with oxygen and wa- tentially having homes sessment of their houses. a huge hole in our bud-
of her worries. As the top ter. Over decades, that re- with pyrrhotite problems. An Associated Press sur- get that we can’t fill,” she
official in this small town, action can cause the con- Possibly 30,000 or more vey of the 36 communities said. The town has already
where hundreds of homes crete to crack and crum- homes and condominiums found more than $1.2 mil- reassessed more than 40
may have the same prob- ble, making some homes built throughout the region lion has so far been relin- homes, including numer-
lem, she fears for her con- unsellable and unlivable. from the mid-1980s to 2016 quished after roughly 500 ous units in a local condo-
stituents’ financial futures The problem, which first could be affected, said residential properties were minium complex. The tax
and the local economy. came to light in the mid- Steven Webner, manager reassessed. Those reassess- adjustments have added
“If a tornado had hit, ev- 1990s, has been traced of the neighboring town of ments vary depending on up to $103,222 in lost prop-
eryone would come and to a Willington quarry that Tolland and co-chairman the level of deterioration. erty tax revenue.q