'All I could do is just apologize': Regina's Usonia Homes says no money to fix hole
Company dug giant hole on Thornton Avenue but says unable to move forward on housing start
The building company behind a giant construction hole beside a Regina man's home says it hasn't fixed the issues with the pit because it doesn't have any money.
Zach Michell, owner of Usonia Homes, a local home building company, said the company encountered some unforeseen problems that resulted in some big financial losses.
"We've been struggling trying to make things better, but it's just as of late got way worse," Michell said, adding that he'd like to apologize.
Usonia dug a large hole next to Dan Closs's home on Thornton Avenue, where the company intended to build a house.
But soon Closs noticed some issues that caused him concern.
Closs said part of his fence and patio fell into the hole after heavy rainfall.
He started to really worry when weeks went by with no progress on the building next door, and soil under his driveway started to fall away.
Michell said he couldn't fix the problem with the hole because of the company's difficult financial situation.
The company's money woes started to snowball, he said, when the company couldn't get funding for the home foundation that was supposed to go where the hole was.
"It just kind of stopped right there and then from that day forward we just didn't have the finance to make anything happen," he said.
Financial fallout
Since then, Michell said the company had to let go of its five workers, and that he hasn't paid himself since December.
He was putting his hopes on getting investors to help out.
This wasn't a malicious thing. We tried a business and it didn't work and we're sorry.- Zach Michell, owner of Usonia Homes
But now with the recent public attention, he said he worries those hopes might be squashed.
"I hope that's not the case, but it's most likely the case."
As for the hole, Michell said he is trying to work something out with the city to make the site safer for Closs and the other neighbours.
To the people who have been affected by Usonia's financial problems, Michell said he's sorry.
"I guess I just want to apologize to anyone that we've affected. This wasn't a malicious thing. We tried a business and it didn't work and we're sorry."