Town coffers crumble along with a region’s home foundations
WILLINGTON, Conn. — As the foundation beneath their home crumbles, Christina Mailhos and her husband are trying to figure out how to come up with $200,000 or more for the massive fix while college tuition bills loom for two teenagers.
But that is hardly the extent of her worries. As the top official in this small town, where hundreds of homes may have the same problem, she fears for her constituents’ financial futures and the local economy.
“If a tornado had hit, everyone would come and try to help, and they would bring you a casserole,” she said. “In this case, nobody realizes, and a lot of people are fearful to come forward and talk about it.”
A growing number of home foundations in central and northeastern Connecticut are failing because of the presence of pyrrhotite, a mineral that naturally reacts with oxygen and water. Over decades, that reaction can cause the concrete to crack and crumble, making some homes unsellable and unlivable.