Need A Case

By 2003, a West Virginia developer, engineering teams, and the regulatory oversight of a local city had coordinated to construct, permit, and ultimately defend a dubious developmental extension that enabled the addition of two new buildings. This extension also supported the development’s ill-advised and illegally buried utilities, three very explosive, along with drainage systems that were engineered as to be undersized from the start. All of this was propped up against our family’s 1920s locust-post grid sheep-strength fence line. In other words, they were relying on a family's generational heavy locust post grid fence line as a lateral support which were essentially guaranteed to fail.

A few years earlier, my father had repaired and reinforced that fence line after my grandfather’s attorney stressed the importance of an established fence line an keeping it well maintained. Years later, we would learn that the fence itself was only a monumental marker, and that our actual property line existed eight to ten feet farther toward the developer.

Bring The Whole Valley Down

A West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection agent immediately understood the location in question and asked, “Where are they now?” I told him the work was taking place in the westerly part of our valley. He then explained that he had previously stopped this same developer from pushing fill over the tops of the trees in the southern area at the head of the valley. In his words: “They were going to bring the whole valley down.”

He went on to say that there were no existing laws that would allow him to intervene in what was happening now. He explained that situations like this usually happen to older individuals after a spouse has passed away. “They wait until a time when older people no longer have the resources to fight,” he said, noting that it is usually a widow who ends up in this position. Our age made our case unusual. According to him, a documented case was needed so lawmakers could create protections to prevent this from happening to anyone else in the future. There were no laws in place because, as he repeated, they wait until the victims are elderly. They needed a documented case.

Intersection of The Legal And Political

Future arriving professionals noted that a judge would have likely condemned the Developer’s 109 and 113 Platinum Drive buildings and constructs from the outset. As for us, we were burdened with locating a legitimate law firm to address the situation. Despite backgrounds that would normally facilitate acquiring legal representation, we were unable to do so. This highlights the frustrating intersection of legal and political systems, particularly when underrepresented individuals seek recourse against powerful developers and government entities.

Even with credible expert testimony from a seasoned West Virginia consulting engineer and extensive documentation, the inaccessibility of legitimate legal representation left us overwhelmed and without options. Five years later, a multi-degreed, internationally licensed engineer and judicial professional became involved. His professional involvement led, six months later, to a revelation by a respected attorney, who stated, “They had put it on my wife and me and gave us no quarter.”

This underscores a systemic issue in which entities with resources manipulate the system, preventing individuals from achieving justice or holding perpetrators accountable for fraudulent practices. It perpetuates a cycle of injustice and highlights the struggles faced by everyday citizens against more powerful adversaries. As summed up by a well-tenured West Virginia engineer, we were in an exceptionally difficult position because the legal and political systems were entirely interconnected.

A Frustrating Journey

Our documented case was later provided to lawmakers in 2008, thereby honoring the DEP agent’s 2003 request. However, it was ignored—likely serving only as a courtesy heads-up. At this point, the government would not intervene, leaving us with no option but to store our documentation, while our fate—and that of an unsuspecting public—was essentially sealed.

It was a frustrating journey, marked by repeated obstacles and a profound lack of accountability from both government and the legal system. The timeline underscores how serious warnings, including our documented case submitted in 2008 in compliance with the DEP request, were overlooked, thereby allowing impending topographical failures to occur.

Alarming Disconnect

The disconnect between citizen concerns and governmental accountability became further evident in May 2011, when I reached out to government officials highlighting the arrival of an international professional capable of addressing these issues. Despite repeated requests / warnings and our documented case, government entities remained indifferent.

By July 2011, citizen complaints, alongside the involvement of Delegate Manchin and Mr. Kennedy, finally brought attention to these urgent matters. In the days leading up to significant topographical failures on August 8, 2011, I publicly shared our documented case.

The astonishment expressed by the internationally licensed professional underscored the inadequacies of governance: clear and present dangers were ignored, revealing a systemic failure to protect citizens from preventable harm and highlighting the dire consequences of bureaucratic neglect.

2011

The arrival of the professional marked a pivotal moment in ours and the City's self-inflicted ongoing struggle. He brought extensive knowledge of law, record-keeping, and the critical role of the county courthouse and proper record keeping. His admonishment of my perceived unfamiliarity with the surrounding constructs, combined with his observations on the profound impact of man-made constructs on vulnerable communities, highlighted the systemic issues at play.

Through his examination and documentation of governmental and private projects, he revealed a stark contrast between acceptable engineering practices and that had been implemented locally, indicating a troubling deviation from established standards. The developer’s insistence of the allowance of releasing drainage onto neighboring properties, be it surface and / or soaked through —a practice the professional deemed “Absolutely Forbidden”— illustrating a mindset that ignored the emotional, topographical and societal implications and consequences such actions could provoke. According to him, such practices could only lead to the strongest of emotional reactions and perpetuate harm among those of weaker societal standing.

He further warned that the Partner’s Man-Made Constructs would continue to fail, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable, and emphasized that the overall efforts were “Not of American Engineering.” His insights underscored both the technical failings and the broader societal implications, revealing a deliberate disregard for professional standards and human impact.

Clarksburg WV - Ethnic Constructed Buildings

While in Clarksburg, WV, the professional visited an ethnically constructed building he was interested in purchasing. As an internationally recognized expert, his reputation would inevitably draw attention to Clarksburg, Bridgeport, and the state itself, serving as a lighting rod for awareness.

At the time, I had recently retired from Verizon and had been hired as an FBI contractor, a second-career goal I had planned for over a decade. However, in October 2010, I was rear-ended at a stoplight, an accident that effectively ended this next career path.

Compounding this setback were the years of duress we had endured since 2003, which had taken a profound toll. Although I had considered passing the professional’s plans on to elected officials, he insisted that I personally oversee his proposed projects, emphasizing the importance of hands-on involvement in implementing his personel plans.

November 1, 2011

The City of Bridgeport had promised the professional the State of West Virginia’s Surrouding area Development Engineering plans. Though a State project, for reasons unknown, said plans had been funneled down to the city? The professional examined said surrounding development areas, initially attributing the issues to individuals being “in over their heads.” I was scheduled to follow him to Spain to translate his Corrective Engineering Plans from German to English. He departed for Spain on November 1, 2011.

However, a significant setback arose when the promised engineering plans were not provided, requiring multiple Freedom of Information requests before I finally received them on November 18, 2011. Subsequently, the professional sent a message indicating that the developmental issues were not simply the result of incompetence, stating that “they” were hiding something. This revelation fundamentally changed the scope of the project.

He noted that the eighteen-day delay in receiving the engineering plans necessitated pushing all work back by six months, to April 2012. By then, he reported that a large report had been completed, but the situation had grown beyond my ability to manage.

Next: Alarming Disconnect