New cracks found in Rivermist walls
Residents say new cracks have opened in retaining walls in a Northwest Side neighborhood where the collapse of one wall led to the evacuation of more than two dozen homes. The affected walls are independent of the one that sustained the collapse, but are nearby. “There's one that's very significant,” said Sherwin Tolentino, a resident who has been evacuated from his home for five weeks. “I could put my fingers between the cracks. You're looking at a ticking time bomb.”

New cracks found in Rivermist walls
By Jennifer Hiller - Express-News 

     

Tolentino hiked down a steep hill to check the large wall after he noticed cracks in smaller retaining walls in his yard, which is steeply sloped, and in a wall near his next-door neighbor's house.

A fence in Tolentino's yard also is bowing and can be moved several inches with a slight push.

City spokeswoman Di Galvan said in a voice message that a building inspector went to the site Wednesday but didn't see any new damage to retaining walls.

“We didn't find anything in that area that would indicate there is new damage,” Galvan said. “There is no new collapse of any type of wall that we could see whatsoever.”

Calls Wednesday afternoon to neighborhood builder and developer Centex weren't returned.

A Feb. 1 update from the city said inspectors had checked the retaining walls in the neighborhood, as well as in other Centex neighborhoods, and “found no deficiencies or cause for concern.”

Centex hasn't told the city how it will address the situation in Rivermist and The Hills of Rivermist. It recently said it expects to have a plan by mid-March.

Centex has hired the engineering firm Terracon to evaluate what went wrong and design a fix for the community.

Tolentino has been living in a hotel for several weeks, but he periodically returns to check on his house. He said some of his neighbors have met with Centex, but he has yet to hear from the company.

Several homeowners have sent letters to Centex officials asking for the company to buy back their homes, but Tolentino said he has not done this yet because he had hoped to hear from the builder first.

Wednesday afternoon, people in six pickups, including one from the city, showed up and started checking walls around his property. Firefighters later came to check the hillside.

Resident Chuck Cervantes, who lives near Tolentino, but who has not had to evacuate his house, said neighbors are concerned the ground in the neighborhood is unstable.

City officials have said they want any wall reconstruction completed before they will consider letting residents return to the houses where certificates of occupancy have been suspended.

A Feb. 18 update on the city's Web site read, “For those residents who are able to occupy their homes, the department understands your concerns about cracks in your walls, standing water in your yard or other deterioration to your home. These maintenance concerns do not threaten the safety of your home and, therefore, do not fall under the jurisdiction of Development Services. The department suggests you contact Centex/Pulte or your insurance carrier to discuss what options are available to you.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/New_cracks_found_in_Rivermist_walls.html