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Resident tells West Columbia council drainage, sinkholes and mold have made home unsafe
Summary
A West Columbia resident told the city council that recurring sinkholes, cracked stormwater infrastructure and mold around a retaining wall built under a 2013 contract have damaged her home and caused repeated illnesses in her family, and she urged the city to act.
Heaven Aguilar Helgeson told the West Columbia City Council on Oct. 7 that recurring sinkholes, leaking stormwater infrastructure and mold around a retaining wall have made her mother’s home unsafe and caused repeated illnesses in the children who live there.
The comment came during the council’s public comment period, when Helgeson said the retaining wall — built in 2013 by ICA Engineering under a city contract and funded in part by USDA grant money — appears to lack geotextile fabric, allowing underground erosion that has led to sinkholes and foundation cracking. She said inspection reports found cracked stormwater pipes and “sewer odor” and that mold had developed in the home’s crawl space and a child’s bedroom.
Helgeson said the family has spent thousands…
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