Geologist says ‘sinking homes’ in KCMO shouldn’t surprise builder
Mitch Weber
6:49 PM, Nov 15, 2013
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Within a couple weeks, families who lived in the duplexes in Falcon Falls felt their homes start to collapse. The only choice left was to demolish. Those displaced families don’t understand why the homes were built in the first place. Falcon Falls told 41 Action News they hired a company that drilled down and found the issue. Bernie onelio/vp of development says, “Apparently what has happened is that we have quite a ways down, not on the surface, we have what they call weathered shale and when weathered shale and water mix it becomes a very slippery surface,” Vice President of the development Bernie Onelio said. UMKC Geologist Dr. Richard Gentile helped map the area back in 2008. He doesn’t agree with the findings Falcon Falls is pointing to. “Residential building constructed on glacial till in upland areas have a tendency to slide downhill,” he said. “When you build houses on glacial till and you’re on a slope, they are going to slide down. This is common; it’s happened many times up there.” The map is available for just a couple bucks to anyone including developers. Dr. Gentile is surprised homes are still being built in this part of the city. “I’ve been here since 1966 and I remember going up there and seeing this happening more than one time, but they continue to do it because evidently this fella saying it’s weathered shale he doesn’t understand the geology,” he said.
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