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Date: 10/27/2021
WILBRAHAM - The Wilbraham Board of Selectmen agreed to send a letter of support for crumbling foundations legislation after hearing from someone personally touched by the issue.
Michelle Loglisci, of Monson, spoke to the board at its Oct. 25 meeting, sharing that the concrete foundation of her home was contaminated with the mineral pyrrhotite.
“It’s emotional and financially devastating,” she told the board.
Loglisci explained that JJ Mottes Concrete Company, the company that built her foundation and many others in southwestern Massachusetts used an aggregate of concrete, some of which came from a quarry in Connecticut that contained pyrrhotite.
Over time, the mineral expands when in contact with water and air. This expansion eventually causes cracks to form in the concrete and damages the structural integrity of the foundation. It can take 10 to 30 years before the damage is noticeable and homes that were built between 1983 and 2015 could be affected.
The only way to know if a home is affected is to have a core sample taken.
Loglisci said that fixing her home cost $263,000, but when she went to her bank for a loan, she was told the house no longer had any equity, because of the contaminated foundation.
Board of Selectmen Chair Bob Boilard asked how many homes in Wilbraham have this issue. While Loglisci didn’t know for sure, she did say that at least one housing development was built by the same company.
A bill in the state legislature, S548, would put several provisions in place to aid homeowners with crumbling foundations and prevent the problem in the future.
Quarries would be required to undergo testing for pyrrhotite to prevent aggregate from becoming contaminated, permit fees for foundation testing would be eliminated, property tax abatements would be standardized for those who have crumbling foundations and homeowners would be required to disclose the issue before selling their houses.
Most importantly, Loglisci said, would be the establishment of a captive insurance company to address the extensive cost of fixing homes with contaminated concrete. This is already available in Connecticut, which also has an expansive crumbling concrete problem.
Loglisci asked the board to sign a letter in support of the bill. Boilard assured her that they would.
Special Town Meeting Review
Town Clerk Carole Tardiff and Town Moderator Jim Jurgens spoke with the board about the Special Town Meeting on Oct. 18.
The massive turnout of 685 people and a bottleneck of voters showing up around 6:50 p.m., led to a delay in the start of the meeting as people were still being checked in until 7:30 p.m.
Board of Selectmen Clerk Terry Goodrich confirmed that no voters would have been turned away from the meeting, no matter their arrival time.
Jurgens noted that people who were sat in the cafeteria because of overflow had to come to the auditorium to speak on an issue. This caused some confusion but it was a technical issue and he said they would announce it throughout the meeting in the spring.
Reserve Fund Transfers
Reserve fund transfers of $8,625 and $6,200 were approved to cover an extended breakdown in the irrigation system at the Spec Pond fields and the water that the Recreation Department bought as a result.
Public Comment
Resident John Broderick asked about the town’s plans for Memorial School. Town Administrator Nick Breault shared that the board had considered an arrangement with the Massachusetts Police Training Council to use the site for training, but it was not feasible. Boilard explained that the changes the town would have to make to the building “would have been on our dime” and it was not worth it financially.
Regarding the use of the site as a school again, Boilard told Broderick that the topic hadn’t been broached, but added that he hoped, “The School Department doesn’t come to us in four or five years looking for a shiny new building because that won’t sit well with residents.”