September 17, 2025, Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 48 100 percent right. But I believe that your threshold safety factor 1.5 and Princeton's suggesting 2.0, is that correct? THE WITNESS: That is correct. THE PUBLIC: Okay. So why the difference, you know, why did you choose 1.5, why are they choosing 2.0 for a safety factor? Under what regulatory or cite specific guidance is there to determine this, because obviously that's what skewing the numbers, correct? Or changing the numbers. THE WITNESS: It's changing the interpretation. Typically 1.5 for a permanent slope is what's used in this type of -- in this application. What Mr. Goll of Princeton had recommended was 2.0 based on the U.S. Army Core of Engineers for Critical Structures such as dams where there's a huge horizontal load on a structure that if it failed would wipe out an entire community. That is not the case on this project. THE PUBLIC: So I guess two more questions. Your conclusions are based on new borings and test pits and additional tests pits that were done close to the homes on Howell, but how could we be confident those samples represent the whole slope, especially since rock quality and soil strength vary from place to place?