The sudden collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium in Surfside, Florida last week has left more than 150 people unaccounted for, sixteen dead, and countless affected at the time of this writing. Structural problems first noted during a 2018 inspection are being scrutinized as a potential cause for the destruction but at this time the focus remains on clearing the rubble and identifying both victims and survivors. The investigation into the collapse is likely to take months and may find no single definitive cause.

As we've watched the situation unfold, and more information about the available warning signs has come to light, we are reminded of the concrete infrastructure failures that remain in place here in the northeast where thousands of homes are deteriorating as a result of a rare iron sulfide mineral, pyrrhotite, in the concrete aggregate. When exposed to water and oxygen the mineral expands, causing the concrete to crack in a web pattern until it degrades and fails. While the mineral is rare it is estimated that as many as 2,000 homes in central and Western Massachusetts have been built with this material, and Connecticut has documented and started the repair process on more than 1,600 affected homes dating back to last year. Massachusetts currently has a foundation testing reimbursement program in place, refunding visual and core sample inspections by licensed engineers, but no mechanism for funding the actual repairs necessary to keep these homes livable. The most proven solution currently to remedy the problem is to lift the home off of the existing foundation and replace it with an unaffected one- at a cost of $150,000 to $250,000 per house.

The Champlain Towers collapse was an issue that could have been remediated if the necessary funds were dedicated and repairs made. The structural problems identified in 2018 went unresolved and unchecked until they reached a literal breaking point, a deadly occurrence that it is impossible to put a price tag on in hindsight. In this case they had one however: $16.2 million for the total repair and restoration at a cost to homeowners ranging from $80,000 for a one-bedroom unit to more than $300,000 for the penthouse suite. High costs, of course, particularly for individuals who had purchased the units without knowing the underlying structural issues at hand or the devastation that might occur if left unchecked.

Much like the process with pyrrhotite this was a slow-moving disaster where the natural elements exposed issues in the building's construction until the materials inevitably failed. While the science surrounding the type of decay is different the outcome is the same- the concrete deteriorates, people are displaced, and lives are changed forever.

With nearly $5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act stimulus funding available to the state we are in a unique position where we may be able to address monetary shortfalls in rapid fashion, and direct funding towards projects that yield immediate dividends to our constituents. Set into a fund to be appropriated by the legislature this money could become available in the near future and make an enormous impact in our communities.

Given this influx of funding it is imperative that we look at problems effecting homeowners that haven't been addressed, and we feel that the deteriorating homes in our state demand attention. We should not shy away from acting on this issue because of the price tag- the large upfront cost of each individual repair- particularly at a time when the state is awash with cash. Instead of continuing to debate the merits of spending the money to help affected families, discussing who should be responsible for footing the bill after the courts have ruled that the neither the contractors, insurance companies, nor bankrupt concrete supplier can be held liable, we can dedicate money from this pool of federal funding to help them directly. This is not an unheard of thought; as mentioned before the state of Connecticut has established a reimbursement program for the exact same issue, from the same supplier and led by spending over $120 million for repairs. It simply requires attention and action from the leaders in our state, at a time where inaction would be immoral.

House and Senate leaders plan to hold public hearings and gather input on how to spend the funding in the future, and we urge our colleagues to advocate for these families in Massachusetts who have been dealt a hand directly countering the American dream of owning a home that you can call your own. These people did everything right, followed every step they needed to along the path towards home ownership which many consider their primary asset in life. Failure to come to their aid would be akin to letting the results of a natural disaster impact an area without state or federal help- a tornado path that tears up Main Street and is never repaired while home values plummet and the town suffers. By appropriating this money for reimbursement in the future we allow these individuals to move forward, safely, towards remediating their homes and give them the stability they need without waiting for a tragic collapse in our own state to spur action.