Jacob SylvestreB次元官网网址檚 fingers poke through wire fencing as he gazes at the boulders that smashed through his bedroom wall during a rainstorm, a week before Christmas.
Nearly three months later, little has changed at the Tanzanite Place property in Langford, save for a barrier to keep people away from the rock wall.
The family of four was driven from their home after a bus-size mass of rock fell and became embedded in the side of their house on Dec. 12. One of the rocks narrowly missed eight-year-old Jacob as he was sleeping.
Residents from Langford and across the region stepped up with financial support and a temporary home, but the family still finds itself wedged between a rock and you know what.
Despite initial indications the rockface would be quickly stabilized with cement and steel rods, work to fix their house has ground to a halt and the legal process is moving at a crawl. Home insurance wonB次元官网网址檛 cover repairs, pitting the family in a legal battle with their neighbour living above the rockface, the City of Langford and the geotechnical firm that originally signed off on the subdivision.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not going well. Everyone is waiting for everyone else to make a move,B次元官网网址� said Suzanne Renauld, JacobB次元官网网址檚 mom. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got nothing fixed. We want to remove the rock. ItB次元官网网址檚 like things are at a stalemate in chess game, but everyone forgets there is a family involved.B次元官网网址�
The legal process is expected to take years. Renauld said she and her husband Yvan Sylvestre expected that in the meantime, the towering rockface would be remediated and theyB次元官网网址檇 be able to repair the house, and move back in.
ItB次元官网网址檚 unclear when that will happen, if ever. In January, a Victoria-based geotechnical firm initiated a program that involved installing photo stations on the rockface and monitors that detect rock shifting apart.
From the outset, the company said in a report that the remaining rockface B次元官网网址渋s likely to experience brittle, sudden failure with few or no warning signsB次元官网网址� and could B次元官网网址渇ail catastrophically at any time.B次元官网网址�
On Feb. 18, the company noticed a large fracture, about 50 millimeters wide and 1.2 metres long in the upper part of the rock. The report said its unclear if the rock is moving, but the engineers expect the upper rock slab will eventually topple over.
B次元官网网址淭he geotechnical company is worried about working there due to safety concerns,B次元官网网址� Renauld said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just a matter of time, but they think it will topple. We think if there is that much potential for danger, someone would act quicker.B次元官网网址�
Renauld also noted that one of the opposing lawyers suggested that speeding up the legal process wasnB次元官网网址檛 necessary due to the B次元官网网址渇amily being taken care of by the community.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 almost fell out of my seat when I read that,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 believe they are using the charity of the community against us. At this point I donB次元官网网址檛 want to take offers for fear of holding up a resolution.B次元官网网址�
The family has been living in a home in the Luxton area donated by the Victoria Shamrocks lacrosse organization, but theyB次元官网网址檒l be moving out in April. TheyB次元官网网址檝e managed to rent a home in their old neighbourhood, and, Renauld noted, will still be paying the mortgage on a house they are forbidden to live in.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e still told the house is salvageable. We have to take on fixing the house and then sue (the neighbour) for damages,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e canB次元官网网址檛 do that until someone remediates the wall and secures the rock.B次元官网网址�
Langford Mayor Stew Young agreed that it's unacceptable rock is still sitting embedded in the home. He said the process is moving far too slow and that City staff have been asked to communicate to the geotechnical firm that signed off on the original development that it take responsibility for remediating the wall.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 frustrated too. I expected the work to move faster on compassionate grounds for the family,B次元官网网址� Young said. B次元官网网址淚t canB次元官网网址檛 left to sit there forever with everyone pointing fingers at each other. Clearly the engineers who signed off (on the development) and the property owner of the rock have got to take ownership. This is what insurance is for.B次元官网网址�
In December, RenauldB次元官网网址檚 husband Yvan Sylvestre told the Gazette and other media organizations that he had warned the neighbours and Langford that rocks had occasionally fallen from above his house and he was worried about the stability of the rockface.
Renauld said her two young son donB次元官网网址檛 understand why they canB次元官网网址檛 move home.
B次元官网网址淭here are engineering solutions. It could have been done a year ago, it could have been done eight years ago. It certainly needs to be done now.B次元官网网址�
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
