Projects

It all began during the start of the Covid crisis and a visit to Enders Island off the coast of Mystic, Connecticut. St. Edmund’s Retreat has it’s home on the island providing many faith based services such as weekend and weeklong retreats. My first introduction to the Island and Father Tom was destined to grow over the years finally acquiring the position overseeing special projects. Since super-storm Sandy the aging seawall has been undermined and finally collapsed on the venerable seaward facing side, leaving the island exposed to erosion and flooding during future periods of rising stormwater. Please visit St. Edmund’s Retreat website at www.endersisland.org for additional information and to contribute to our Seawall Fundraising Campaign.

Marine concrete has its challenges to perform in a harsh environment for a lifespan of 75 years or better. Pier 32 required a complex concrete design to prevent corrosion of the steel reinforcing, low water/cement ratio for higher strengths and a shrinkage reducing admixture to reduce the surface cracking while improving the long-term durability of the structure. The use of the SMARThatch system on a number of the concrete delivery trucks contributed greatly to controlling the QC of such a difficult concrete design.

February 2^nd, I was as “apple pie” as millions of other Americans, glued to the television watching the 2020 Superbowl event. It was a truly Patriotic opening ceremony with the singing of the National Anthem and military flyover that reminded me of a typical workday in 2013 when I received a special phone call. Hello, hello I repeated as I adjusted to the slight time delay on what was without a doubt an overseas phone call. The gentleman on the phone identified himself as Romano Bergey from the Department of the Army, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. You can imagine what thoughts were going through my head, Kandahar! Really! What can I do for you? The response from Romano was that his limited resources led to the call for my assistance to design a concrete mixture for airstrip repairs on one of the busiest military airfields in the middle east. With F-16’s and C-130’s flying in and out 24 hours a day we needed to meet these specific demands for a high early strength concrete without crippling the day to day operations. We proceeded to discuss what resources where available such as cements, admixtures and aggregates and we built on each other’s knowledge to determine the most effective concrete mixture for runway repairs. Although I never served in the military this story is a reminder how every day our citizens are willing help each other and remain united to defend our freedom, God Bless America.

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On December 18^th I was invited to speak to the Western Massachusetts Building Officials about the crumbling concrete crisis in Connecticut and bordering communities in Massachusetts. Accompanying me was Linda Tofolowsky, the first Connecticut resident coming forth with their home’s deteriorating foundation. Linda shared a small part of her collection of photos and homeowner stories depicting this terrible phenomenon. Those in attendance were eager to expand their knowledge of the harmful effects brought about by concrete produced with pyrrhotite laden aggregates. The source of the crumbling concrete was a small concrete producer located close to the Massachusetts border in the north-central part of Connecticut who frequently crossed the state line to supply concrete for various projects. The talk also covered many issues related directly to the failed foundations such as the emotional nightmares the homeowners are facing, the loss of tax revenue for the municipalities and falling real estate values in the affected communities. I also expressed the need for training a group of licensed Home Inspectors and Professional Engineers to examine the homes for potential problems and assist homeowners in further testing. Presently there is only a small number of homeowners in Massachusetts with failing concrete that have come forward with their concerns. Certainly, the knowledge of the mineral, repair procedures and formation of a compensation program that was established in Connecticut could be beneficial to our neighboring towns. Your comments are welcomed.

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