By GARY REMAL
Staff Writer Wednesday, February 07, 2007

enlarge Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Former City Councilor Roger Willette, now president of the 14-unit condominium at 34 Parkwood Drive, points at cracks between ceiling and wall in his unit on Tuesday morning in Augusta. He blames the developers of nearby Augusta Crossing, who cite a study saying they are within regulations.

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In response, the developer commissioned a study that casts doubts on that claim, saying the closely monitored project is meeting federal limits for blasting vibrations.

The complaint also was forwarded to city officials, who responded by saying Augusta lacks any restrictions on blasting.

Former City Councilor Roger Willette, president of the 14-unit condominium at 34 Parkwood Drive, said four owners in his complex have reported damage they attribute to construction of the $40 million, 454,000-square-foot Augusta Crossing.

His unit and that of another woman, Willette said, were inspected, renovated and repainted between August and October 2006 -- before blasting started.

He said no cracks or other damage were then evident. Both units now have ceiling cracks and doors that don't quite close, he said.

"We knew the condition before we moved in, and the conditions have changed since the blasting," Willette said. "If something else caused it, I don't know what it would be."

Willette characterized the damage as cosmetic. But he wondered if things such as changes in doorways might also suggest structural damage.

"I've had no indication of" structural damage, Willette said. "But I'm not qualified to say that."

Multiple explosions per day have been a regular part of site preparation for the site. Developers say blasting will continue up to four months more as crews cut into ledge to create suitable building lots at three separate elevations.

Paul Cincotta, project manager for developer Packard Development of Newton, Mass., said Gardiner-based subcontractor Maine Drilling & Blasting has the main responsibility for overseeing the explosions.

With deep ledge and proximity to commercial buildings, residences and the Maine Turnpike, "there's a lot going on with properties nearby," Maine Drilling & Blasting President Bill Purington said. "We take all of those very seriously and try to be sensitive to all those needs."

Among its methods, 100 rubber blasting mats weighing 10,000 pounds each are being used as "an umbrella over the top" to prevent flying debris while electronic detonators are used to time the eruption of liquid explosive pumped into holes drilled strategically beneath grade.

One of the site's biggest challenges, Purington said, has been controlling blasts to preserve power lines above the site. Eventually -- possibly as early as next week -- that power line will be abandoned and a less intrusive one electrified.

"It's a large blasting project typical of big-box sites throughout Maine," Purington said. "I don't think there's anything there that's been outside the norm. But we're continuing to monitor."

In response to Willette's complaint to city officials, Packard commissioned an engineering study that included seismic measurements taken Jan. 17-19 and Jan. 22 near the Parkwood Drive condo complex.

The result: None of the measurements exceeded vibration criteria set by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, said Charles Nickerson, principal geotechnical engineer at R. W. Gillespie & Associates, which conducted the study.

A copy of the Gillespie study was forwarded to city code enforcement officials. But Code Enforcement Director Richard Dolby said the city has no jurisdiction over blasting.

"I don't have any ordinance," Dolby said. "We spoke with (Willette) and told him it was a civil matter and we did not have any role."

This week, the City Council established a new committee to come up with recommendations for new blasting regulations in Augusta. But those proposals will not be ready for at least several months.

"It is (Gillespie's) opinion the blasting vibration criteria has not been exceeded at the 34 Parkwood Drive condominiums, and it is not plausible that the damage described in Mr. Willette's letter was caused by the blasting," Nickerson wrote on Jan. 24.

Nickerson said one of his employees met with Willette Jan. 22 and assured him his company would continue to monitor blast effects at the condominium.

Willette agreed project officials have been responsive to his complaints and dispatched representatives to the site as recently as Monday.

However, he said, no one has agreed to pay for damage. And no one has provided him with a copy of the Gillespie report.

Meanwhile, Willette said he's finding new damage.

"Nobody knows when the blasting is going to stop and the damage seems to be getting worse," he said. "The cracks seem to be getting wider. Almost every day it's something new.

"Last week, we had difficulty locking our door. We had to lift up on it to get it locked, and a crack opened up above the door."

According to the Gillespie report, Willette's building is more than a quarter-mile from the blast site. As such, it lays outside the scope of preconstruction surveys meant to determine the condition of nearby buildings prior to construction.

Since his complaint, Willette said, engineering officials have begun taking photos and monitoring the building.

Debbie Elcik, service coordinator for the Margaret Chase Smith House for senior citizens -- located much closer to the construction site than Willette's building -- said her building also has sustained damage she described as cosmetic.

Elcik said at least one resident also has had personal items broken, shaken from the walls during a blast.

"Sometimes they're pretty close, like 800 feet," Elcik said. "So when they blast, things come off the walls.

"We've had a couple of cracks in the walls. They're right in our backyard. It feels like an earthquake. It depends on how many they're doing at once, but sometimes the whole building just rumbles."

Elcik said some damage apparently was anticipated at the Margaret Chase Smith House, because there's a system in place to report damage to Maine Drilling & Blasting officials, who then are to come inspect claims.

Abutters on the northern side of the project say they are shaken by blasts but have sustained no property damage.

Jeff Perkins, manager of Damon's restaurant on Western Avenue, said customers jump when blasts occur but the building has "no damage at all."

"(Patrons) wonder what it is," Perkins said. "We just tell them what's going on out back."

John Applin, executive director of Bread of Life Ministries, which owns an apartment building on Orchard Street, said blasting has been only a nuisance for residents thus far.

"We've heard from our tenants that it rattles the place, but I don't think we've experienced any damage," Applin said.

Similarly, Ganneston Neighborhood Association President Dennis Carolin said he's heard of no complaints of damage in that area.

Michelle Curlett, who lives just above Willette's condominiums at 44 Parkwood Drive, said a basement shower drain encased in her home's foundation cement separated and stopped working. But she was unsure if it was caused by age or by blasts.

"I can't say it was that, but it was kind of coincidental that it all occurred at the same time," Curlett said.

"We're going to continue to monitor the vibrations in the ground," said Cincotta, the Packard project manager.

As to Willette's complaint: "They're being treated like every other abutter, consistent with the plan we set up in the beginning, and (we'll) adjust the blasting accordingly if necessary," Cincotta said.

Gary Remal -- 621-5642

gremal@centralmaine.com