Age, not a ruptured sewer line, damaged the home that Jefferson Hills bought from the borough building inspector for $172,500, according to an engineer's report filed a month before officials closed the deal. Council members approved the purchase of William McVicker's house in the 1200 block of Gill Hall Road earlier this month, saying a landslide caused by the broken line potentially made the borough liable for damage to the property, including cracks in the foundation. But a report compiled for the borough by Engineering Mechanics, Inc., of Robinson, says the cracks and other problems on McVicker's property "are all old, long-term and on-going distresses" caused by age and soil shifting and settling in winter and spring. "It is my opinion that none of the distresses identified by Mr. McVicker ... are consistent with landslide movement," wrote Joseph P. Fagan in the confidential Aug. 13 report obtained by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The borough paid Engineering Mechanics $3,415 for the report, based on an Aug. 9 inspection of the property. The report is among the reasons Councilwoman Janice Cmar cast the dissenting vote Oct. 11 when council ratified the purchase of McVicker's home on a 5-1 vote. "How could they vote on that when this proves there was nothing wrong with the house," she said. McVicker, borough Manager Richard Clark and representatives of Gateway Engineers Inc., the borough's engineer, did not respond to repeated phone calls. Fagan declined comment. Clark pointed out Fagan's findings in a confidential Aug. 18 memo to council: "Mr. Fagan states that the cracks pointed out by the property owner are not the result of the landslide," Clark wrote. Jefferson Hills used money from its sewer fund to pay $172,500 to buy the home and another $11,000 in closing costs, attorney's fees and moving and storage expenses. Clark warned in his Aug. 18 memo that such a move would almost deplete the borough's sewer fund. The deal worries former Jefferson Hills zoning hearing board member George Taylor. "We certainly ought to look into the legality of it," said Taylor, 79, of Jefferson Hills, who served on the zoning board in the late 1970s and is forming a citizens group to review the purchase. Allegheny County records list the assessed value of McVicker's home as $138,400. Barone and Sons Inc. of Whitehall appraised the home at the request of the borough and set the value at $172,500. Matthew Barone of Barone and Sons Inc. declined to comment. Jefferson Hills engineers discovered a failed storm sewer line running through McVicker's property in January when he reported seeing cracks in his back yard. McVicker and his wife moved out in August so workers could repair the hillside and line, and Jefferson Hills closed on the house purchase Sept. 17. In addition to buying the house, Jefferson Hills paid Gregori Construction of Sarver, Butler County, $248,905 to build a 50-foot-long retaining wall and redirect the sewer line.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---