DRACUT — A row of 12 townhouse condominiums is now poised 6 feet higher than the hazardous foundation on which they once rested. That foundation will soon be gone — not through any disaster, but through complicated engineering.
The 387-ton building has been lifted and the existing foundation will be ripped away to be replaced by structurally sound material, according to the Massachusetts Residents Against Crumbling Foundations.
The cost of the $1.25 million reconstruction project, which started May 26, at Winding Brook Condominiums will be borne by all 260 unit owners at the complex with some help from the condominium association’s reserve account. However, this is likely just the beginning for the condominiums, which comprise seven rows of townhouses.
On hand to witness the initial steps of lifting the foundation were Curtis Boucher, representing state Sen. Peter Durant (R-Worcester and Hampshire) and Stephanie Bossi, representing state Rep. Brian Ashe (D-Hampden). Both legislators have been strong advocates for legislative action. They were joined by state Sen. Vanna Howard (D-Lowell), who now represents Dracut which is part of her 1st Middlesex District. Also attending were members of the MRACF.
Winding Brook is the first known casualty in eastern Massachusetts of a natural disaster more than 40 years in the making.
Recently, Fitchburg, Gardner and Leominster were added to the state’s list of communities with buildings showing signs of “crumbling foundations.”
This disaster has nothing to do with climate change. Instead, the disaster is caused by pyrrhotite contamination of concrete that makes up the foundations of homes, government buildings and businesses that were constructed from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.
Pyrrhotite is a substance, in this region often embedded in granite, which when blended with cement becomes part of the aggregate that makes up concrete. When it gets wet, its molecules absorb the water and expand and cause irreversible damage to concrete.
At first, the contamination seemed limited to property in Connecticut as well as central and western parts of Massachusetts, where it has damaged the structural integrity of thousands of homes.
Connecticut has passed legislation intended to help residents deal with pyrrhotite contamination. Connecticut residents have available an insurance program to help with repair costs, mandated standards for local quarries, required disclosure on property sales and tax breaks.
In Massachusetts the Legislature has appointed working groups and committees to study the issue and defeated more comprehensive actions. That’s despite the advocacy and efforts of Durant and Ashe.
Michelle Loglisci, an advocate with the MRACF, told The Sun of her experience when her home was found to have a crumbling foundation. The Monson resident quickly learned that insurance would not cover the repairs needed and the bank told her she couldn’t use equity in her home to cover the cost.
“You have no equity in your home,” she was told despite having paid off her mortgage. Once her home was known to have a crumbling foundation, “it was valueless.”
She had to cash in her retirement account to pay for it.
“We need to stop hearing ‘No, we can’t help you,’” she said. “Instead, we need to ask how we can help?”
The state Senate now has a new bill to consider, S580, Boucher, Durant’s aide, said. The bill would create a Crumbling Concrete Assistance Fund. This comes after a working group presented a detailed report on the subject.
The last effort to help owners of residences with crumbling foundations was stripped from the state budget two years ago.
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