You’d think our state’s crumbling concrete crisis would be uncommon.
But it, in fact, appears to be even worse in some other countries.
That’s why a Connecticut woman who has confronted this issue here went overseas to Ireland to share what our state has done to make homeowners whole again.
Debbie MacCoy has advocated for hundreds in Connecticut dealing with defective concrete in their basements - all due to the mineral pyrrhotite, that, when exposed to air and moisture, causes walls to crack, bow and expand.
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Her tireless advocacy in a grassroots citizens’ group helped pave the way for the establishment of a company charged with dispensing $300 million of state funds to help homeowners with the difficult and expensive task of raising their homes and replacing the basements underneath.
“No one taught me any of this. I just dove in and stayed tenacious and stayed provocative,” MacCoy said.
Over the past two years, MacCoy has also extended her outreach across the pond in Ireland, first speaking virtually with people dealing with crumbling concrete.
This fall, she went there to see the damage firsthand.
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“When I went and did a tour on the homes in Ireland, they were the worst homes I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world," MacCoy said.
Armed with folders full of research materials, the grandmother from Vernon impressed European leaders she met at a conference.
Luke Ming Flanagan, an Irish member of the European Parliament attending the conference said to the audience after MacCoy spoke: ”I think the message is, ‘don’t mess with Debbie.’"
MacCoy has admitted the Ireland concrete problem is different: a different mix of minerals causing the cracking, and different building standards.
The good news is Ireland has set aside funding to help.
MacCoy said it’s a matter of getting that money to those who need it.
“There was a long line of homeowners that wanted to speak to me at the end of the night. And they were all like, you know, 'can you do what you did in Connecticut for us?' Well, I told them to start a concrete group," MacCoy said.
MacCoy stresses that despite her jet setting to Ireland, she remains grounded here, looking forward to helping people with crumbling basements in Connecticut even more in the upcoming legislative session.
