Gov. Dannel Malloy has announced plans for $5 million in state funding to go toward conducting foundation testing for homes in northeastern Connecticut.
The topic will be placed on the agenda of a meeting of the State Bond Commission.
A number of homes in the area have suffered from crumbling foundations – what a study concluded is the result of a mineral called pyrrohtite in the concrete that causes foundations to crack and crumble years after being poured.
The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters first began reporting on the problem in July 2015.
The state funding will go toward testing and visual inspections of foundations to better understand the problem and offset the cost of testing for homeowners.
The Connecticut Department of Housing is also planning to allocate $1 million in federal grant funding to help property owners with the cost.
“It is vital that local, state, and federal government – along with private sector partners – work together to both understand the scope of this problem, and to help those whose homes are affected,” Malloy said in a release. “Providing financial assistance for the testing of foundations in these communities is a logical first step. It will help us better inform our federal partners about the scope of this situation and garner their support for additional aide.”
Under the governor’s plan, homeowners are eligible for up to $2,000 back for testing of two core samples within their home. Homeowners will also be eligible for up to $400 back for visual testing by a professional engineer. Applicants must have homes built in or after 1983 and be within a 20-mile radius of JJ Mottes Concrete Company in Stafford Springs.
Mottes has been at the center of the state’s investigation.
Over the past year and a half, hundreds of homeowners across Hartford, Tolland and Windham Counties have discovered they have crumbling foundations. Every one who's either spoken to NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters or has filed a complaint with the state, that knows the source of the concrete, said it's from J.J. Mottes.
An attorney for JJ Mottes tells the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters the company has gone out of business.
The last full statement released to NBC Connecticut in August 2016 read:
“In the 15 years since we took over the management of the Joseph J. Mottes Company, we have adhered to rigorous standards set forth by the American Concrete Institute and the state of Connecticut. We continue to cooperate with the ongoing state investigation so that homeowners can get the answers and real solutions they deserve. One thing that is clear to us is the extensive media and governmental scrutiny has led to another issue arising – in addition to homes affected by damage, there are now large numbers of homeowners and potential home buyers who do not have problems but are being told they will.
“Certainly, those homes with damage need to be remedied, but a comprehensive solution is called for - one that helps those who are not financially capable of helping themselves, guards against predators of all kinds and eases the burden placed on the real estate market. We believe that effective lower cost preventive remedial actions exist, that appropriate independent authorities can and should identify these techniques, and this information needs to be widely shared and adopted.” – John Patton, spokesman, The Joseph J. Mottes Company
The governor is working with the Capitol Region Council of Governments to administer the funding to homeowners.
