State Senator Tim Larson (D-East Hartford) made the following statement Monday in response to Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s announcement that $5 Million in state funding will be released to help homeowners struggling with crumbling concrete to test for the presence of pyrrhotite in their foundations.
“I applaud Governor Malloy for stepping up and releasing this funding, but there is much more to do,” said Sen. Larson. “I believe that some of this funding should be used to finance a study through the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, which would allow for the development of a universal mechanism to test and identify homes that are, or may be, affected by the mineral pyrrhotite. That study would allow us to help many more people who have been impacted by this, now and down the road.
“This $5 million will provide some minimal relief to homeowners, and they should take advantage of it, but more must be done to consolidate our efforts at the state level.
“There are a number of bills moving forward this session to address this issue, and many people have been working on a resolution which has made for a number of moving parts that should be overseen by a single individual to ensure this process is expedited. The governor needs to appoint a ‘Crumbling Concrete Czar’ to bring all of these efforts together, and I am hopeful that we can get all of the people who are working on this together to come to a real, viable solution as soon as possible.”