January 29, 2025 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

15 of 57 sheets Page 57 to 60 of 143 02/13/2025 11:25:53 AM 57 THE PUBLIC: Okay. Using a computer1 program. So what computer program does it use?2 THE WITNESS: Called SLOPE/W is what we used3 to analyze this.4 THE PUBLIC: Has SLOPE/W every been wrong5 about something like this in your experience, just6 curious?7 THE WITNESS: I don't know how to answer8 that.9 THE PUBLIC: I'm asking narrow to your10 experience, has it been incorrect? SLOPE/W ever been11 used as a tool to make these kinds of predictions and12 it's failed, that's what I'm curious of, in your13 knowledge?14 THE WITNESS: I don't know. I don't know.15 THE PUBLIC: So not to your knowledge?16 THE WITNESS: No.17 THE PUBLIC: Okay.18 Perhaps you'd like to look into that.19 I guess the last thing is, again, you're not20 able to quantify what the steepest slope is, right?21 THE WITNESS: I don't know as I sit here22 what the steepest slope is. I can figure it out23 quickly. I can take some measurements.24 THE PUBLIC: Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. You're25 58 clearly a brilliant engineer, so I'm sure you could1 figure that out. But, again, with the dryness2 conditions we're not really sure of anything that's3 going on in this absolutely gigantic area dead center of4 the map, but we do have, and this one is to your5 statement, the opinion part of it, is that you're sure6 because of your teams opinion and long experience you7 feel confident that what's going on between A and B8 appears utterly predictable to you, is that right?9 THE WITNESS: It's -- we feel that, we are10 confident that the data that we have is representative11 of the rest of that slope and that what we did is we12 analyzed these two slope sections, different geometries13 of those sections by varying, lowering the strength of14 materials and increasing the water table to analyze,15 assess different conditions that could play into whether16 it has long-term stability issues.17 THE PUBLIC: Okay.18 To be clear, if you had found water, let's19 say at every one of these, wouldn't it have changed your20 analysis at all?21 THE WITNESS: Not in the way we did the22 analysis. We analyzed a continuous water table, I think23 it was three different levels.24 THE PUBLIC: Okay. All right. Great. But25 59 -- and the last thing was just that, again, where the1 steepest slopes are you can't get equipment in to even2 test that because it would be to dangerous for

E PUBLIC: Okay. All right. Great. But25 59 -- and the last thing was just that, again, where the1 steepest slopes are you can't get equipment in to even2 test that because it would be to dangerous for equipment3 to get into there, correct?4 THE WITNESS: I don't know that's the case,5 it would be to dangerous. We did what we did for6 practical reasons.7 THE PUBLIC: Okay. It just wasn't practical8 to do more testing in that area?9 THE WITNESS: We just couldn't get to it10 perhaps.11 THE PUBLIC: Is there a way that testing12 could be done if there was a will to do it, because13 we're concerned that, that really steep area that's14 center, that has not a single test done on it, that15 overlooks houses, is there a way to do it in your16 experience?17 THE WITNESS: Potentially there's a way,18 depends on-site conditions, if we're looking at a blank19 map here, but in reality it's covered with trees.20 MR. PLOCKER: We can cut a bunch of trees21 down to do it.22 THE WITNESS: Cut down a lot of trees and23 gain access?24 THE PUBLIC: I think we'd all rather not cut25 60 down a bunch of trees, which you were planning to any1 way. But nice joke. But, okay, so there's not a2 practical way to actually make sure that our concerns,3 our collective concerns, I speak for other people here4 regarding safety and well-being, everybody who sleeps at5 night with their children under that, there is not a6 practical way to get in there, except maybe cutting down7 all the trees and making jokes about it. Okay. Thank8 you.9 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you.10 I think that ladies first, sir.11 THE PUBLIC: Rachel Klein again.12 Sorry about if this is testifying. My13 question is, when did you do this site testing? Like14 did you do all site testing or is there any reason that15 you looked to the site as possibly being more16 susceptible to an issue rather than like normally?17 THE WITNESS: In terms of slope stability I18 -- look, I did take all the sites serious.19 THE PUBLIC: No, not seriously.20 THE WITNESS: This site itself is a21 relatively shallower slope than many others that I deal22 with and so I still look at this as a slope of, that23 would give you concern and consideration and we, we get24 the data, we need to perform the relevant analysis to25