Special Report by Mireya Villarreal FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS)
Family Fears Rain Could Force Retaining Wall To Finally Fall
Heavy rain on Monday is weighing down the soil behind the Irizarryâs home. Thatâs forcing the retaining wall in their backyard to pull away from the 10th hold of the Fossil Creek Golf Course. Golf course reps are now estimating it could cost nearly a half-million dollars to tear down the wall, stabilize the ground, and replace the fixture.
Family Fears Rain Could Force Retaining Wall To Finally Fall
Mireya Villarreal
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) â Homeowners in north Fort Worth are praying the rain will stay away this week. A retaining wall in their backyard is holding on for dear life. Itâs a story CBS 11âs Investigative Reporter Mireya Villarreal has been following for months.
Heavy rain on Monday is weighing down the soil behind the Irizarryâs home. Thatâs forcing the retaining wall in their backyard to pull away from the 10th hold of the Fossil Creek Golf Course.
Golf course reps are now estimating it could cost nearly a half-million dollars to tear down the wall, stabilize the ground, and replace the fixture.
Walking in front door of the Irizarry home, you can see Kristyn and Elias are planning for the worst.
âWe have evacuation emergency bags by the front door,â Kristyn Irizarry told us.
Their bags are filled with clothes, they have electronic devices filled with important documents, and a stack of irreplaceable mementos ready to go.
âEvery time thereâs even a forecast of rain, itâs terrifying because we donât know when itâs going to give or in what manner,â Kristyn added. More than two months after the retaining wall in their backyard started to fail they are still fighting to get it fixed.
>>READ MORE: Homeowners Fight To Get Falling Retaining Wall Fixed, Before Itâs Too Late<<
The family asked Fort Worth city leaders for help.
âPulte Homes built this wall and built it to fail,â Kristyn said at a March council meeting.
âUnite with us to hold those responsible accountable for their negligence. Thank you,â her husband, Elias Irizarry, added.
The city responded by telling the family this was an issue the city would get involved with.
âThe wall was inspected at stake-out,â Randall Harwood, Fort Worthâs Planning and Development Director, said. âAnd then we would have received a letter when it was completed from the engineer saying that it met the standards and specifications.â
The I-Team got a hold of the documents Harwood referred to. In them, thereâs no letter here saying an engineer inspected the wall once it was done. Nor is there any proof in the documents that the wall met industry requirements and standards.
âEspecially right now in North Texas, we have a building boom happening and coming on itâs like the wild wild west out here,â Kristyn noted.
The City of Fort Worth says they only hold records for six months after the final inspection; which is why they donât have a lot on this wall.
Golf course reps say if the wall falls they could take a major financial hit and it would possibly force to close off this entire area. So, they are trying to keep the lines of communication between Pulte and the family open. http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/04/14/family-fears-rain-could-force-retaining-wall-to-finally-fall/
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