Last week, Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) hydrologist Bradley E. Guay (Ph.D. and Technical Manager) made three presentations at various meeting places, delivering a preliminary report on causes for sinking homes and on problem soils in Amherst.
Although the study was commissioned and paid for by the Town of Amherst and therefore will focus on their issues, other municipalities and their residents should read the finalized report when it airs to see whether problem soils or conditions exist in their areas.
Unable to attend any of the presentations, several individuals from different municipalities did contact me to make me aware of what has been presented and to inform me that the full report will appear on the ACOE web site by month’s end. In fact, the report will appear on the Amherst web site when it becomes available.
Although the report will focus on Amherst, enough information was already disseminated to challenge and/or contradict some of the facts and reports that have been broadcast by residential developers and their hired soil experts.
The same developers and soil experts who developed Amherst and are now in Lancaster assuring the town, its residents and prospective homebuyers that they have the knowledge and technology to build under any conditions, yet are unwilling to provide disclosure or guarantee to back up their assertions.
Prospective homebuyers are troubled and looking for counsel after hearing Amherst Town Supervisor Susan Grelick caution the town’s residents with the words “Buyer Beware.” The best advice given was by Building Commissioner Thomas C. Ketchum “to hire your own engineer.”
Ketchum said homebuilders usually hire engineers who then work for them and not the homeowner. How sad that developer image has sunk to one of mistrust. Why has it become the public’s responsibility to spend time, money, energy and effort to protect their own and the environment’s best interests? Nor can they trust that their municipal leaders and/or government regulatory agencies will act in their and the environment’s best interest.
The preliminary report does indicate that other causes beside problematic shrink-swell soils result in stresses that cause structural damages. Soil borings, soil compressibility numbers and rebars are not in themselves indicators of guarantee or covenant against structural failure.
Buyer beware! Indeed!
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