Nearly a decade after NBC Connecticut broke the story of crumbling concrete foundations in northeastern and north central Connecticut, the issue has spread far beyond the state border.
NBC Connecticut previously reported failing foundations were found in some Massachusetts border towns.
Michelle Loglisci said the concrete used to build her home in Monson, Massachusetts came from the quarry in Willington believed to be the source of pyrrhotite, the mineral that experts say causes slow, expanding cracks when exposed to air or water.
Loglisci is one of the founders of Massachusetts Residents Against Crumbling Foundations, an advocacy group that has been working for the last seven years to get the state to intervene. They would like to see a homeowner assistance program similar to Connecticut’s.
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While the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC) has helped close to 1,000 homeowners since its creation in 2019, affected homeowners in Massachusetts have to bear the cost on their own. Replacing a foundation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and isn’t covered by most insurers.
“The longer it takes Massachusetts to do something, the more homeowners are not willing to come forward, because they feel like they have nowhere to turn,” said Loglisci.
While the most recent legislation was dropped in the final hours of the session, Loglisci says there is new urgency to take action.
Cracks have started appearing in a 200-unit condo complex in Dracut, MA, north of Boston, indicating a now-defunct company in Stafford Springs was not the only source of defective concrete.
“Maybe Connecticut and Massachusetts, if we both had a program, would gain more support at the federal level to do something on a larger scale,” Loglisci said.
